THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION.— May 13. 1850. 11? 
ments for Exhibitions during the pesent year; hut should 
the appeal to the public prove successful, the Council hope 
they may look forward to the revival of the Exhibitions with 
all their former excellence. 
NOTES FROM PARIS. 
The weather here has been beautiful for several weeks, 
and gardens are nowall in their early splendour. The trees 
are everywhere quite green, and the borders are gay with 
summer flowers, such as Tulips, Lilac, Rhododendrons, 
Ranunculi, Wallflowers, and Pansies. Occasionally, however, 
we have refreshing showers ; on the 10th of April we had a 
good deal of rain, accompanied with lightning and thunder. 
The accounts from the provinces are very cheering, both as 
respects the wine and grain crops. The corn markets have i 
been abundantly supplied for some time, and there has been j 
a considerable fall in the prices. It is believed that the 
Potato, l ine, and Wheat crops will be much heavier than 
they were last year. 
Most people who have read the story of the Corsican 
Brothers may recollect a passage in which the Hill of Mont¬ 
martre is mentioned. This celebrated hill has long ago | 
been covered with houses and streets. At the present day 
only the summit exists in the form of a large mound, with 
a watch-tower and several summer dwellings and gardens 
on the top. The narrow, steep streets leading to it seem 
to have been built without any plan, and, in many respects, 
it has been long neglected; but now the Government have 
taken it into consideration, and it is to be entirely remodelled 
and improved. An extensive gardeu is to be formed on one 
side—that looking down towards Paris—and a circular, or, 
rather, perhaps, spiral way will be carried all round. This 
is one of the finest sites in Europe on a small scale of j 
the kind, and is capable of being turned into a suitable 
pendent to the Bois tie Boulogne , so famous for its lake 
and ornamental grounds. The soil is a light sandy loam, 
and the work of cutting and levelling is not likely to be 
heavy. The whole of Paris lies before tins'little hill like a 
panorama, and there is scarcely a public building which 
may not be seen from its summit. But, indeed, the ground 
rises considerably all round this famed capital, and a good 
view may be had from any elevated point. 
Montmartre is much higher and larger than our Primrose 
Hill; but it is not to be compared to Richmond for sylvan 
beauty. It will never liavo the romantic magnificence of the 
Calton, which overlooks the Forth, and forms one of the 
chief features of the Scottish capital. Still it may be made 
a beautiful spot, rich in classic grandeur, and worthy of the 
many famed monuments which may be viewed from it. 
The opening of the Horticultural Exhibition here, which 
was announced for the beginning of May, is to be put oft' 
till the end of the mouth. The change is owing to the fact 
of the Great Agricultural Exhibition taking place at that 
time; and it has been arranged to have both exhibitions 
together in the Industrial Palace. 
The large square, in the centre of which is the lofty tower, 
St. Jacques, has been very neatly laid out in grass lawn, 
clumps of young trees and shrubs, and handsome single 
specimens, here and there, all in the English style. Among 
the larger trees are some good examples of Conifers 1 about 
twenty or twenty.five feet high, 
M. Husson, one of the Chefs of Police here, has just 
published a work, of about 500 pages, showing the statistics 
of the fruit and vegetable markets in Paris. It contains 
much curious matter; but it is especially interesting to 
market : gardeners round Paris. 
Courses of lectures for the summer were opened a few 
days ago, at the Garden of Plants, by Professors Decaisne 
and Brougniart. M. Decaisne confines himself chiefly to the : 
subject of cultivation ; but he has an extensive range, for it 
is not easy, in a single course, to treat of all the niceties of j 
propagating and aclimatising. M. Brougniart treats more j 
especially of botany scientifically considered. The drawing- j 
class in the Museum lias also been opened for the summer. 
There is a division for females, and the studies comprise 
flowers and plants in particular. 
In the shops of the principal fount incurs may now be i 
seen large and well-ripened Strawberries, French Beans, j 
(Haricots Verts), young Peas, Broad Beans, Asparagus in 
abundance, young Kidney Potatoes, and early Grapes. Small 
pots of Strawberries, containing about seven fruit, sell at a 
franc (lOd). 
Of flowers there is ti plentiful supply, including Kalmias, 
Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Fueonias, Heaths, and Camellias. 
—P. F. Keir. 
IMPROVEMENT UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 
I have some time been a reader of The Cottage 
Gardener and of The Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary, 
and I have derived a large amount of knowledge from both. 
In the first-named work I have been very much interested 
in reading the hardships and perseverance of young gar¬ 
deners, and perhaps some of them would like to hear how 
I persevered in learning to write. 
Being of a poor farm-labourer's family, I was sent to earn 
my own bread when very youDg, and with but very little 
schooling ; indeed, I had only just got so that I could read 
a little, and it grieved me to the heart to think that I could 
not write a little. So I bought a copy-book, and pen and 
ink, and I pondered out one letter after another. 
After a short stay at a farm-house, I was engaged with a 
clergyman for a knockabout boy, to clean shoos and to work 
in the garden, where about three men were kept. Here, 
when I got hold of a label, and was not able to read it, I 
thought it very hard; but at night I always set myself to 
work with my pen and ink, and in a short time I could read 
a label, with asking a word or two. I thought myself doing 
well; hut after about two years’ stay at this place, 1 left, 
being at the age of sixteen. 
I then went to work at farm labour, boarding at home 
with my parents ; but I could not be easy with this, as I had 
a great fancy for gardening. Well; there were prizes given 
to cottagers for vegetables and flowers in the neighbourhood; 
so I set to work, and the first year 1 got nine prizes. That 
set me up. The second year I got twelve prizes, and nine 
of them first prizes. 
I now thought myself clever, and obtained an engagement 
with a gentleman as under-gardener, with whom 1 remain 
to this day; but I am happy to say 1 did not remain under- 
! gardener long. 
j I hope all young men will bear in mind that we must live 
and learn, and learn to live. A gardener ought not to give 
way to idleness, but be able to work at anything; for these 
are not the days of old times.—II. 1L, near Ormskirk. 
[We can assure our readers that this self-taught person 
writes a very fair hand. We recommend him to buy an 
English Grammar and Dictionary, and when he is not sure 
to refer to them. His grammatical and spelling efforts are 
| so good, that he ought not to rest satisfied without doing 
better.—E d. C. G.] 
THE HOUSEHOLD. 
To Remove Turnip Taste from Butter and Milk.— 
; Before pouring the now milk into the pan, pour boiling 
water into it, in the proportion of one pint of water to six 
pints of milk; also have ready, in a bottle, one ounce of 
| nitre, or saltpetre, dissolved in one pint of spring water, and 
! add it in the proportion of one tea-spoonful of the solution 
to one quart of milk; this should bo added to the boiling 
water before the milk is poured into the pan. The above 
quantities will be found sufficient when the cow’s food is 
composed of a fair mixture of hay and grass, as well as 
Turnips; but if the principal food is Turnips, and should 
the taste of them become very strong, it is better to add two or 
three tea-spoonfuls of nitre solution to each quart of milk. 
This receipt lias perfectly answered in our dairy this winter, 
the butter having been entirely free from any disagreeable 
taste, and considered remarkably good. Our cows have 
also supplied a much larger quantity of milk than those of our 
neighbours, not fed upon Turnips. 
To Preserve Eggs. —Take of lime, one bushel; salt, 
21bs.; cream of tartar, jib.; water, sufficient to form a 
solution strong enough to float an egg. Keep the eggs 
plunged in it. 
