THE MARKET GARDENS OF PARIS. 



463 



600/. for stock, fixtures, &c. It is necessary to dig deep 

 to get a return under these conditions ! 



Manure forms a very considerable item in the ex- 

 penses of these gardens. One market gardener of the first 



Fig. 278. 



class paid 500 fr. (20/.) a 

 month for manure. His 

 garden was about three Eng- 

 lish acres in extent, which 

 is much beyond the average 

 size. Manure would appear 

 to be dearer than in Lon- 

 don, from three to four francs 

 per horse being paid for it. 

 Five francs a month are paid 

 for that of each omnibus 

 horse. These being in Paris 

 all strong, large, well-nur- 

 tured stallions, their manure 

 is the more valuable It is 

 usually piled in heaps near the entrance to the market 

 gardens. Some of the crops are absolutely growing in nothing 

 but decomposed manure ; and it is used profusely for every- 

 thing. From the beginning of May to the end of Novem- 

 ber the market gardeners have no use for hotbeds, and yet 



MM 



Pump used in the Market Gardens 

 of Paris. 



