154 



THE JARDIN FLEURISTE. 



you see all the kinds of Canna planted out in one place^, all 

 the varieties of Pelargonium in another, and so on. It is 

 a good practice, but it is needless to repeat it year after 

 year to a large extent. If you have thirty species of 

 Solanum planted out for several seasons in succession, you 

 must know all that you want to know respecting their com- 

 parative value, and the practice here of planting out every 

 year old kinds time after time is useless. All that is ne- 

 cessary is to test the new additions, and in some cases it 

 may be desirable to plant the old ones by them for com- 

 parison, but to plant out annually a vast collection from a 

 well-known family is quite unnecessary. 



Large, light, and well-made spring vans are used for 

 transporting the stock of flowers from the Jardin Tleuriste 

 to the parks and gardens, and from one nursery to the other. 

 They are about twelve feet long, and a little over six feet 

 wide. By a simple arrangement each van is made to do 

 the work of two — a second floor of strong shutters, hinged 

 two and two together, being placed at the height of a foot 

 above the lower floor of the van. The shorter plants are 

 stowed underneath, those on the upper floor may be as tall 

 as you like ; but as the stock removed in this way usually 

 consists of dwarf subjects, one serves as well as the other. 

 By means of this plan 2000 plants, each in single pots, are 

 removed at a time. The contrivance is merely such as 

 common sense would suggest ; yet for want of a little such 

 common sense how much labour is wasted ! How frequently, 

 for example, do we see in country places two men attached 

 to a handbarrow dragging about plants ! Of course it is 

 as unnecessary as it is laborious for the men. There is often 

 more fuss and labour over transporting the summer flowers 

 of a country place from the propagating houses to the flower- 

 garden than occurs with the several millions of plants fur- 

 nished yearly by the city of Paris, and all for the want of a 

 few simply-contrived spring barrows. Not to adopt simple faci- 

 lities ofthis kindin our public gardens is sheer mismanagement. 



There are also vans of peculiar make for conveying orna- 

 mental plants to the Hotel de Ville. Those used in winter 

 are furnished with a little stove with flat hot-water pipes 



