148 THE JARDIN FLEURISTE AND OTHER 



establishment for the embellishment of Paris and its environs. 

 They are raised at a very cheap rate — less than a penny each. 

 It should be observed that many of the plants are snch as 

 would be fit to embellish any exhibition, numbers of them 

 being palms and fine-leaved plants, while of course the least 

 valuable are simply bedding plants, from Nierembergias to 

 Pelargoniums, of which last 400,000 plants are sent out 

 annually. 



If neither houses nor plants were seen, the potting-shed 

 would tell of extraordinary operations, for in the centre 

 there is a great wide bench, around which sixty men can 

 work. Ordinary bedding plants are kept here in an un- 

 usually economical manner. A large space of ground 

 is covered by parallel lines of rough and rather shallow 

 small wooden frames, simply and cheaply made — in fact, 

 such as the rudest workmen could put together during 

 wet weather. The frames are rather closely placed ; and the 

 pathways between, and indeed all the spaces around them, 

 are filled up with leaves and mossy rakings from the ad- 

 jacent Bois de Boulogne. These are nearly or quite piled 

 up to the edge of the frames, and of course keep the plants 

 warm through the winter. In winter the floor of the 

 frames is low ; in spring, by putting in a quantity of the 

 well consolidated leafy stuff before named, it is raised so 

 as to bring the foliage of the plants right up to the glass. 

 All the material is removed from between the frames in 

 summer. Many of these frames are furnished with iron 

 sashes, so that only the rough cheap framework is exposed 

 to the decaying influences of the weather. The large 

 quantity of leaves and moss thus decomposed is preserved 

 for potting purposes, making of course excellent leaf-mould. 



A number of houses that have lately been erected at La 

 Muette materially encroach upon the space occupied by 

 the rough framing just alluded to, which they are destined 

 eventually to replace. These houses are especially intended 

 for bedding plants, and are so well adapted for that end 

 that some details about them may be useful. They have 

 been designed on an excellent plan for the culture of such 

 plants, the raising of seedlings, and for the growth of seed- 



