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CHAPTER XXVII. 



NOTES OF A HORTICULTURAL TOUR THROUGH PARTS OF 

 FRANCE IN 1868. 



During the past summer I visited various parts of France, 

 with the view, as usual, to observe interesting examples of 

 fruit culture and horticulture generally. These notes, 

 although dealing with several localities far removed from 

 Paris, will yet be considered quite admissible here, from 

 their relation to the fruit question in which we are all 

 so much interested. 



Lyons. — Great improvements in the way of creating pro- 

 menades, parks, squares, and gardens are visible in this fine 

 city as well as at Paris, and the noble public garden situated 

 outside the city, near the banks of the Rhone, is one of the 

 finest I have ever seen. A detailed description of it would 

 require too much space, but a few notes of the chief points 

 observed during a hurried visit may be of interest. Enter- 

 ing it on a bright midsummer morning at seven o'clock, the 

 first thing that struck my eye was the feathery spray from 

 the quantity of self-acting hose employed in keeping the 

 turf green — no easy task in these parts. It is the same 

 plan as that used in Paris which is elsewhere described ; 

 aud it has the same agreeable result — fresh green grass 

 at all times. The place is different to any we have in 

 England, partaking of the characters of park, botanic 

 garden, and zoological garden, all so combined that a high 

 degree of beauty everywhere prevails. Here you get a 

 glimpse of a railed field, with cattle grazing as in a well- 

 kept pasture at home — a few minutes more, and an immense 

 garden comes in view, presently to be succeeded by a group 

 of conservatories, a fruit garden, a vineyard, a collection of 



