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CHAPTER VIII. 



THE JARDIN FLEUKISTE AND OTHER PUBLIC NURSERIES OF 

 THE CITY OF PARIS. 



In its public nurseries Paris possesses a very useful aid 

 which we have not in this country. With us each park or 

 garden produces or purchases its own supplies ; in Paris all 

 the gardens of the city are furnished from its nurseries. It 

 should be observed that in Paris there are two sets of 

 public gardens — those of the city comprising the boulevards, 

 squares, parks, church gardens, and so on, and those of the 

 State, the gardens of the Luxembourg, Tuileries, &c. All are 

 equally open to the public — all arranged with a view to its 

 pleasure and convenience ; but in the case of the State 

 gardens each supplies its own stock. What we have to 

 deal with now is the manufactory, so to speak, for the vast 

 array of gardens and open spaces made during recent years. 

 At one time the old State gardens were by far the most 

 important in Paris ; now they are quite eclipsed by those 

 created specially for the city and its people, and not 

 merely as the surroundings of a palace or the pleasure- 

 gardens of princes. Considering that the whole is of such 

 recent growth, the success of the arrangements is surprising. 

 In commencing to improve the town by means of public 

 gardens, there can be no doubt that it was a wise step to 

 begin with central nurseries or plant manufactories, from 

 whence all those gardens could be supplied. 



The advantage of having public nurseries of this kind to 

 supply the parks, gardens, and squares of a great city are 

 so great, that it is surprising they have not been already 

 adopted with us. Not only could the necessary trees, 

 shrubs, and flowers be procured much more cheaply, but a 

 far greater selection of choice subjects would be at the 



