^90 HORTICULTURAL TOUR. 



era of the 4k trois belles saisons, 11 spring, summer, and 

 autumn, are here cultivated, many of the most gaudy be- 

 ing only of annual duration. The effect at this time was 

 very brilliant ; but it was chiefly produced by China as- 

 ters and French marigolds having been planted out in vast 

 profusion, and being now covered with flowers. A new 

 kind of dwarfish China aster, closely set with blossoms of 

 the brightest tints, pleased us much ; and Mr Thouin 

 promised that we should, on making application, be fur- 

 nished with plenty of seed of it. The compartments be- 

 tween this and the medical arrangement formerly men- 

 tioned are exclusively botanical, and form an excellent in- 

 troductory botanical school ; the choice and disposition of 

 the plants being such, that the young student can readily 

 find illustrations of the families of plants, or of their classes 

 and orders, — the most striking genera being selected, with 

 species of those genera which are most easily examined, and 

 which generally yield their flowers freely in the open air. 



At the back part of the garden, next to the Rue de Buf- 

 fon, and parallel to the compartments which have now been 

 slightly described, are several successive quarters occupied 

 by spring, summer, autumn, and winter trees, as they are 

 styled by the French gardeners. The spring and summer 

 quarters are separated by a walk lined with the Ailanthus 

 gland ulosa already mentioned. This Japan tree was now 

 growing vigorously, and remained quite green, though 

 standing in the hard gravel walks ; while the lime-trees 

 (rows of which extend the whole length of the garden, on 

 each side of the central walk) had been much burnt up or 

 nearly deprived of their foliage, by the heat and drought 

 of last month. Here we see another desirable property of 

 the Ailanthus: it will grow in the coarsest and poorest 

 soil, and send its spreading roots abroad in search of mois- 

 ture and nourishment. We may add, that it is chiefly 



