142 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
covered with bloom, and of the nicest sym¬ 
metry, but so thoroughly artificial in their 
general appearance as to be burlesques on the 
work of nature. It was pitiful to see such 
huge specimens tortured and twisted into 
limits as unnatural as they were undesirable. 
It did seem as if the perfection of Azalea¬ 
growing culminates in the entire absence of 
any evidence of foliage to the plants. All 
this verdant garniture must be hidden beneath 
layers of flowers, as if it were a floricultural 
heresy to have it in contrast with the glare of 
the bloom. Cast in this mould of fashion, 
they stood in relation to the majority of the 
subj ects exhibited as do the soldiers, criminals, 
and lunatics of a nation to its people. They 
must be kept under restraint as they do slaves. 
The past two seasons have witnessed a re¬ 
volution in the plan of exhibiting Hoses, 
thanks to some manly high-spirited judges ; 
it may be that ere long will be witnessed the 
inauguration of another epoch of emancipa¬ 
tion of Azaleas from this thraldom which now 
for some seasons has bound them as with iron 
bands. 
M. Leroy’s Nurseries at Angers. —These 
occupy an extent of 415 acres, of which 247 
are sandy loam, 130 calcareous loam, and the 
remainder light sandy soil and about 5 acres 
of peat earth. 272 acres are in fruit trees, and 
the other 143 are filled with ornamental trees, 
shrubs, and plants. 300 men are employed, 
and they are under the superintendence of 27 
foremen, each of whom is responsible for his 
own department. Altogether about 2,000,000 
of fruit trees of all ages and sizes are grown; 
and, to assist in the execution of orders, from 
October to the end of May, extra hands have 
to be taken on : 150 men are required to take 
up the trees, 100 to fill up the vacancies with 
fresh stock, and 50 are employed in packing. 
Every day from 15 to 24 tons of packages of 
all sizes are carried away by the railway vans. 
The cost of packing is nearly as follows:— 
Boxes, £600; baskets, £400; straw, £120; 
hay, £80; moss, £100; willows, £120; pack¬ 
thread, £100; rods, £40. Flower-pots come 
to £280 ; wooden labels and addresses, £120; 
peat, £120; and manure, £400. 
The Municipal Garden of Paris. —The 
city of Paris has a garden in the Bois de 
Boulogne for the propagation and growth of 
the thousands of plants which are turned out 
in the squares and other public places. This 
establishment has just been enlarged : it now 
occupies a little more than an acre, contains 
twenty-four houses, and more than 107,000 
square feet of glass in the shape of frames. 
Of the houses, a stove, covering an area of 
4660 square feet, is devoted to Palms and 
other tall-growing tropical plants, to the 
number of 2000 ; another, covering 5382 feet, 
to Camellias, from 6 to 18 feet high, some of 
which once belonged to the collection formed 
at Malmaison by the Empress Josephine. 
Some of these will produce from 4000 to 5000 
flowers in a-year. There are, besides, 2500 
strong plants in a greenhouse covering 4669 
square feet; another, covering 4250 feet, con¬ 
tains Camellias in pots and boxes, Eucalyp¬ 
tuses, and Mimosas, altogether about 3000 
plants; 2500 plants, consisting of 100 species 
of Ficus, occupy another house covering 1184 
square feet. Of Araliacese there arc 400 
plants of 60 species, 2500 Hibiscus chinensis, 
3500 Bananas, 12,000 Begonias, 6000 fine 
Aroidem, and innumerable Pelargoniums, 
Dracaenas, Cinerarias, Chinese Primulas, and 
other ornamental plants. The propagating- 
house is 2152 feet in extent, and in two divi¬ 
sions. It contains 700 bell-glasses, capable 
of containing altogether 50,000 cuttings, of 
which there are from fifteen to twenty relays 
in the course of a year. The number of 
plants protected by the 3000 lights is not 
much less than 350,000. An immense cellar 
of 16,146 square feet holds, in winter, 200,000 
Canna roots, which produce such an excellent 
effect in the public squares. There is, in 
addition, a great extent of shed accommoda¬ 
tion for potting, compost, &c, and in which, 
on wet days, there is room for fifty workmen. 
There are 550 yards of Arbor Yitse hedges, to 
break the force of the winds, and to afford 
shade from the sun. The ground occupied by 
the houses is chiefly taken up by plants for pro¬ 
pagation, and new ones on trial. The manager 
is M. Barillet-Deschamps, who is under the 
direction of M. Alphand, “ Administrateur 
des Promenades et Plantations .” In conse¬ 
quence of the increasing demands which are 
made on this establishment, a supplemen¬ 
tary garden of 10 acres has been established 
at Vincennes, in which more than a million 
hardy herbaceous plants and annuals are 
grown .—{La Belgique Horticole.) 
Pomology in Holland. —The Pomological 
Society of Boskoop have announced the pub¬ 
lication of a work on the fruits of Holland. 
It is to consist of forty parts, each containing 
two chromo-lithographed plates of several 
subjects, with descriptive letterpress. Each 
part is to cost two francs. 
Preservation of Pollen. —The length of 
time which pollen will retain its fertilising 
power is a subject of great horticultural im¬ 
portance, as on it depends the possibility of 
crossing and hybridising plants flowering at 
long distances apart. The following instance 
will serve to show that this power is often 
retained for a much longer period than most 
people would suppose possible. Pollen of 
Gesnera cinnabarina was collected at Lyons 
on the 5th of January, 1862, and kept a year 
in paper, where it was not exposed to light 
and moisture. In January, 1863, some grains 
were employed in the fertilisation of a flower 
of the same variety of Gesnera cinnabarina 
from which the pollen was taken, and the 
operation was attended with complete success. 
