44(j HOKTKULTUKAL TOUR. 



In our way home we called at the 



Shop of Vilmor'm-AndrkuQC) <$• Co. 

 No. 30. on the Quai Feraille, the best store-house in Paris 

 for procuring seeds of all kinds. We were presented with 

 copies of three different catalogues: 1. " des graines des 

 fourrages, cereales, et plantes economiques ;" 2. " des 

 graines potageres ; w and 3. " des graines de fleurs et de 

 plantes d'agreement." They readily engaged to transmit 

 to Edinburgh, when required, such seeds as might be 

 wished for trial in the Society's Experimental Garden, and 

 to select them of the most genuine quality. In the mean 

 time, we ordered small packets of several kinds, chiefly va- 

 rieties of culinary plants not known at Edinburgh, or lit- 

 tle attended to there. Among these were the following : 

 " Betterave rouge ronde," an early variety of red beet ; 

 " betterave jaune de Casteli^n^y," the yellow beet; 

 " cardon plein inerme," the smooth cardoon, which possess- 

 es at least the advantage of being much more easily worked 

 amongst and tied up for blanching, than the spiny variety ; 

 " carotte violette, , ' ) a purple carrot, chiefly used for giving 

 colour to soups ; " celeri nain frise," a small kind of curled 

 celery used in soups : " chicoree & grosse racine," the large- 

 rooted succory, used as a substitute for coffee ; the " choux 

 palmier,"" which has been already mentioned (p. 423.); 

 " choux brocoli violet nam," a very early kind of small 

 purple broccoli ; " haricot nain blanc d , Amerique, r ' a small 

 but prolific kidney-bean introduced by Michaux ; " mache 

 dTtalie ou regence," a variety of lambVlettuce, with broad 

 tender leaves ; " pois eventail," a very dwarfish variety of 

 pea ; and " tomate en poire," a kind of love-apple with 

 pear-shaped fruit. To these may be added the "auber- 

 gine violctte ronde," a variety of Solanum Melongena, 



