376 IIOkTUM'LTPKAL TOUR. 



country, and is found to thrive best in the cool greenhouse, 

 or in a frame, where it is merely protected from the frost. 

 Among the herbaceous plants were double tuberoses; 

 double dahlias, buff-coloured, pale and dark purple; many 

 pots of Amaryllis lutea, held almost sacred as the Lily 

 of Palestine, of which our Saviour said, " Consider the 

 lilies as they grow," &c. ; and also several pots of Phlomis 

 Leonurus, in brilliant flower. An excellent rule seems to 

 be generally followed by the gardeners, — that of affixing 

 the botanical names to the plants offered for sale. On 

 one stall was a quantity of the tubers of the Spanish 

 Batatas (Convolvulus batatas). The cultivation of this 

 tuberous-rooted plant in the open ground at Paris, as an 

 article of food, has of late years been strongly recommend- 

 ed by Mr Lelieur, in a memoir on the subject : he at the 

 same time shews its practicability, by yearly producing 

 them in this way at St Cloud. Their culture cannot, 

 however, have become general, else the tubers would 

 have been sent to the Marche aux Herbes rather than to 

 the flower-market. We had the curiosity to purchase 

 a few of these patates douccs ; and the seller mention- 

 ed, that the plants had been forwarded in a hot-bed 

 frame, and planted out in May ; adding, that the pis- 

 tacke de terre (Arachis hypogaea) answers in the same 

 way. Pots of Indian-cress, and of sweet herbs, parti- 

 cularly basil, were common ; others filled with long ver- 

 dant grass " pour les chiens," formed rather an amusing 

 article of merchandise. In the early part of the day, we 

 learned, great numbers of the Parisian ladies frequent this 

 market : at this time there was little company. 



The few inquiries which we had an opportunity of 

 making, satisfied us, that orange-plants, double-flowered 

 pomegranates, oleanders, tuberoses, and dahlias, may here 



