CHAPTER VII. 



Gladiolus Culture. — Rose-slwwing. 



ilHE famous old chateau and forest of Fontainebleau are 

 interesting to the ordinary visitor, but to the lover of the 

 Gladiolus Fontainebleau presents an even greater charm 

 than the most beautiful of those glorious wilds in the forest do to 

 the landscape artist. And here I may incidentally state that, of 

 the things to be seen at Fontainebleau, those best worth remember- 

 ing are far away from the chateau and even from the garden, which 

 is to some extent disfigured by those monotonous and ugly lines of 

 clipped Lime trees so common in France. It is tedious work getting 

 away from those interminable long straight roads that lead from the 

 chateau in every direction j but once in the midst of one of those 

 wUds where huge rocks and indigenous trees are scattered in about 

 equal profusion, the visitor will hardly ask himself why Rosa 

 Bonheur resides in the neighbourhood. However, our theme is 

 the Gladiolus, and so farewell to the forest. 



M. Souchet is the Emperor's gardener, and has been so for 

 many years j he is also the famous Gladiolus grower, and his own 

 grounds are quite apart from those of the chateau. He has been 

 cultivating the Gladiolus for more than thirty years ; and it was 

 cultivated also here by his father. The Gladiolus is the most noble 

 of our autumnal flower garden ornaments, and one comparatively 

 neglected by us. There is no flowering plant so well calculated to 

 improve the aspect of the autumnal garden, of no matter what style. 



