1852.] 



THE PHILADELPHIA FLORIST. 199 



Observations of European Horticulture. C 



s 



Paris, July 6, 1852. 

 I furnished you with a few notes from London and now present 

 you,with my observations on what I observed peculiar in French 

 Horticulture. 



Vv hen we steamed and staged — or rather dilligenced — it from 

 London to Pans thirteen years ago it occupied 2k days, now only 

 half-a-day. You sup in London and take an early breakfast at Hotel 

 Maurice, France. In general horticulture France is behind England ; 

 though we think that the Jordan des Pinnies at Paris, by its methodi- 

 cal system of arrangement takes precedence of Kew as a botanical 

 school for the student — those systematic arrangements in the vegeta- 

 ble, medicical, and arborescent departments are in detail and explicit. 

 They may not be in such beautiful and picturesque order as at Edin- 

 burgh but they are decidedly before Kew. The flower markets with 

 their profusion of common place things may strike the uninitiated as 

 grand, but to the partial eye the produce is inferior — but the detail 

 and arrangement is good; every thing go* up tor show. The roses 

 were displayed before us in seas of beauty, wave upon wave they 

 come rolling along — but for intrinsic beauty the bouquets of Convent 

 Garden surpassed those of the Flower Quays. The pine trees in the 

 Garden of Plants are of far superior growth and more symmetrical 

 than those in the vicinity of London. As you enter Kew you are 

 struck with a good specimen of Abies Sabina with its peculiar soft 

 sea green, but when you see the same in the Garden of Plants you 

 have to pause and admire its clothed symmetry — so with many 

 others. 



The Rose Nurseries of Paris are behind those of Orleans, Angers, 

 and Lyons. Many of the establishments that have very formidable 

 catalogues have very informidable collections comparatively, (with 

 few exceptions) mere handfulls. Their taste in cultivating is how- 

 ever much improved ; they propagate the fine kinds in quality by 

 budding only. The following amongst many, were very beautiful in 

 fact irresistible, Baron Halley, Noemie, Louise Peronet, Chateau- 

 briand, Caroline de Sansal, Pius 9th, Julie Knceder, Mad. Trideaux, 

 (an American variety and highly esteemed in France) Kosine Mar- 

 gottin, Geant des Battailles, Baron Prevost, Madam Rivers, Standard 

 of Marengo, Julia Margottin, Auguste Mie, Eugene Sue, Doctoi Jul- 

 liard, Win. Griffith, and some others, amongst the now popular class 

 of hybrid perpetuals to which all the above belong. The Bourbon 

 family, is also a great favorite amongst them; however, it was not an 

 easy task to find rivals for Souvenir de la Malmaison and Boll's Henry 

 Clay. Teas, Bengals, and Noisettes are overlooked; they are not gen- 

 erally hardy in England, (which is the great mart for French roses) 

 some of the English nurserymen purchasing from 4< to 10,000 plants 

 in a season. The gardens of the peasants, are judiciously stocked 

 with a few select pears, a few grape vines, and a few select standard 

 roses. The Railroad crossings and stations, are all decorated with 

 roses and fruit trees ; the latter cultivated as pyramids, trained in 

 conical form, and with generally fair crops. They are more judi- 

 cious in their selections than our American friends; they prefer few 

 L and fine sorts known as certain bearers; whereas many of our planters 

 ^ go over half the catalogue and take one or two of a sort. That there 



1 29V . -c&iSi 



