;)i)v> HORTICULTURAL TOUll. 



labour and trouble. We must, however, athnit, that, so 

 far as our observation went, even the smallest properties 

 weiv well cultivated ; but we were assured, that the minute 

 subdivision is already felt as an evil : and whether it will 

 eventually work out its own remedy, seems problematical. 



The vineyards are here wholly uninclosed ; but Mr 

 Blaikie informed us, that the gens darmes are employed 

 and paid by each parish, for keeping guard during the 

 grape-season. The decisions of the parish-officers against 

 transgressors are held as final, being limited to a slight 

 fine proportioned to the damage. The vintage of a town- 

 ship is made all in one day, generally early in October ; 

 and the vintagers are summoned to the field by tuck of 

 drum. In this way people see that they are not wronged 

 by their next neighbours at the gathering of the bunches. 



The wine made in this neighbourhood, and all around 

 Paris, is in general of inferior quality, compared with that 

 of more favoured districts of France. It is used chiefly 

 by the growers themselves, or is consumed in the lower 

 class of taverns. The best is produced from the extensive 

 vineyards of Argentewl, which supply many of the gin- 

 guettes and bastringues, or drinking-houses and dancing- 

 houses in the neighbourhood of the capital, as well as some 

 of the Parisian restaurateurs who advertise cheap dinners. 

 At Argenteuil the vignerons pay the utmost attention to 

 their plantations, and they have greatly improved in cha- 

 racter, in Mr Blaikie's remembrance ; he regards, indeed, 

 their mode of cultivation as approaching to the perfection 

 of the art, as far at least as productiveness is concerned. 

 They apply manure very freely ; but this practice, though 

 it swells their rccolte, is thought to deteriorate the quality 

 of the grapes. Mr Blaikie mentioned one kind of manure 

 which is much used, and from which we certainly would 



