SEPTEMBER. 
273 
I was told by a friend well informed on French agriculture, that the 
growth of this root, as a source of food for both man and cattle, was 
rapidly increasing ;—a fact I afterwards found out for myself by 
witnessing the large tracts of land under crop with Potatoes in L’Eure 
and Normandy, and in the north-west of France generally, looking 
well and free from disease. 
The market gardens round Paris consist mostly of a dry calcareous 
soil, with a brashy subsoil, overlaying chalk, gravel, or the freestone 
beds of the Paris basin. The present season has been unfavourable for 
such crops as Peas, Spinach, and Lettuce, which were neither so good 
nor so plentiful as usual, notwithstanding the great attention paid to 
watering and mulching, in which details of gardening the French greatly 
excel ourselves. Necessity is said to be the mother of invention ; and, 
doubtless, the dry soil and hot summers which generally prevail in France 
have compelled the French market gardeners to use every means within 
their reach to counteract these influences, and hence the excellence of 
their salad plants—fresh, crisp, and juicy—by being grown quickly with 
plenty of light, and well supplied with moisture at their roots. The 
amount of land held by one individual is very small in comparison with 
the same class in England who supply Covent Garden; the smaller 
proprietors cultivate their own land, and attend market, &c. A very 
careful system of cultivation is carried out; many of their growing 
crops were interlined with others for a succession. Asparagus is very 
extensively grown, both for cutting in the spring and for forcing; for 
this there is an immense demand both in Paris and other large con¬ 
tinental cities. London, too, takes a portion of the French forced 
“ Grass” during winter—so I was told. Cauliflowers were as fine as any 
I ever saw in the grounds of Dancer or Bagley at Fulham. Turnips 
and Carrots not good. The same may be said of Peas, which, as we 
have before stated, have suffered here, as they have in England, from 
the season. Broad Beans (Feve de Marais) are not a favourite with the 
Parisians ; they keep to the Haricot in preference, and the many ways 
in which they cook this useful legume might be usefully imitated at 
home. Alpine Strawberries and double-bearing Raspberries are largely 
grown, but they in no way differed from those grown in England. In 
passing down Rue Rivoli I noticed a shop devoted to “ Products 
d’Algieramong the miscellaneous articles collected together by the 
industrious proprietor were living tortoises, dried specimens of native 
vegetation, including cereals, vegetables, and fruits. There were also 
fresh fruits of the Prickly Pear, Pomegranates (called here Granadiers), 
Citrons, Aubergines, Grapes, and several vegetables and fruit new to 
me, but apparently of little value. We observed also a number of very 
large roots of Cyclamen d’Afrique, and bulbs of immense size of 
Ornithogalum africanum, throwing up their flower spikes, with a host 
of other interesting things, which I regret I had not time to examine 
more closely; but 1 saw sufficient to convince me of the value these 
productions of the French colony will one day assume. 
The garden courts of the Louvre and Tuileries are admirably kept, 
the Grass being of the deepest verdure by constant watering, and 
the display of flowers very good. Borders of common Ivy, about 12 
von. XI., no. cxxix. t 
