334 HORTICULTURAL TOUR. 



the most distinguished cultivators is M. Rutteau; and we 

 make no doubt that he will correspond with the Society as 

 soon as our Experimental Garden is established. Autumn 

 and winter pears are the chief productions ; and next to 

 these apples. All the fine late pears are" trained to the 

 wall, and as carefully attended to, as peach-trees are at 

 Ghent, Brussels, and other places. The autumn pears, 

 such as crasannes, beurres of different kinds, and doyennes, 

 fill the western aspects ; while the winter pears occupy the 

 southern. Of these, we understand, the St Germain, the 

 Passe-Colmar and common colmar, Bon-chretien, Martin 

 sec, virgouleuse and bezi de Chaumontel, may be account- 

 ed the chief. We heard of no novelty, unless the passe- 

 colmar be reckoned such : indeed, we are led to believe, 

 that the horticultural excellence of Tournay consists prin- 

 cipally in the successful cultivation of known and approved 

 kinds. All these finer pears are here very generally graft- 

 ed on Portugal quince stocks ; and they are grafted very 

 low, generally close to the surface of the ground. The 

 quince, it may be noticed, does not push down a tap-root 

 like the pear, but spreads out its roots. This mode oi 

 growth is well adapted to the soil at Tournay, which con- 

 sists of a layer of sandy loam, approaching in its charac- 

 ter to light vegetable mould, in most places we believe 

 comparatively shallow, and lying immediately over the 

 beds of limestone or marble, which must necessarily com- 

 municate a sufficient quantity of calcareous matter. The 

 whole seems remarkably free from hurtful impregnations of 

 iron. The gardens were at this time covered with water, 

 owing to the heavy rains; but we understand that the soil 

 is not found injuriously retentive of moisture, but only de- 

 sirably damp and cool. The general situation is excellent. 

 The town and its gardens are sheltered from the coldest 



