476 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— September 60,1856. 
the fete with which it was associated opened on the 7th, and 
that was Sunday. It is the rule here to have the fetes on a 
Sunday. Every town and village has its fete, which is some¬ 
times kept up for two or three consecutive Sundays. It is 
the French system, though it is not, and, I trust, it never will 
be ours. 
The railway which runs between Paris and Versailles passes 
through some beautiful and fertile grounds. Fields of luxu¬ 
riant Vines frequently meet the eye, and to all who come from 
a more northern latitude the aspect of a Vineyard must stir 
up many pleasing recollections of ancient history and eastern 
lands. Along the banks of the railway are also many 
charming little villas, with their neatly-kept gardens, arbours, j 
or kiosqites ; for the French people, or, at least, those of them | 
who like to have things nice, are wonderfully fond of con- j 
structing some little eminence by which they may see over 
the heads of their neighbours. But the grandest sight of ! 
all is the capital itself, which, as you hurry along, suddenly | 
opens now and then before you, and as suddenly disappears 
from your admiring gaze. The great dome of the Pantheon, 
the spacious Arc de Triomphe, the majestic Colonne Ven- 
dome—these, and twenty other tribntes to genius or patriot¬ 
ism, rise far above the other buildings of the capital, and 
never fail to attract a look of recognition from all. 
In respect to cultivation and picturesque charms this 
part of the environs of Paris is more beautiful than any 
other. At a short distance from Versailles yon pass through 
St. Cloud, and some portions of the wood, with its long, 
broad avenues, may be seen from the train. 
The town of Versailles, the scene of revelry and gaiety in 
the days of Louis Quatorze and other monarclis, is now 
quiet and lonely enough, especially during the week, and the 
chateau is rarely visited except by foreigners, of whom, per¬ 
haps, the. greater number are from England. Certainly, on 
the day of my visit, the English formed by far the majority 
of those whom I saw, and I had the pleasure of hearing 
again the rich accent of my mother tongue in all its purity. 
As you stroll down the broad walks and avenues at some 
little distance from the chateau you see no ono ; the foun¬ 
tains are silent; there is not a breath of wind to make even 
the Aspen quiver; the gardiens are gone, or, perhaps, dosing 
in some shady corner. None of the old women who sell 
ginger-bread, lemon-water, and lollypops are to be found 
beyond a stone-cast from the windows. There is, in short, 
a disagreeable sensation of solitude about the grounds on a 
week day, which must contrast strangely with the laughter 
and liveliness of a. fete day throng. 
The road leading to the Orangery was duly indicated by 
means of several flags and orijtiimmes, and the entrance to 
the Show was effectively set off with similar attractions. To 
give an idea of the Orangery as to size, I may just observe 
that in winter it contains some seven or eight hundred large 
Orange-trees in boxes. It is, indeed, an immense structure, 
with lofty windows at the sides. The ground, in this part, 
is considerably below that on which the chateau stands. 
The Orange-house is, therefore, immediately under the ex¬ 
tremity of a spacious terrace, which was laid out by Lenotre 
just before the windows of the left wing of the chateau. 
This is the artistic garden which I noticed in one of my 
articles last year. It is composed of so many arabesque-like 
figures ivi box-wood, the intervening spaces being only light 
sand. There are no flowers of any kind. 
Now, with respect to the Exhibition, it was all that could 
be wished for in September. There were many fine collec¬ 
tions of China Asters, Gladioli, tree Fuchsias, Dahlias, and 
similar autumn flowers, and everything in the best order. 
The greater number of the plants and other objects exhi¬ 
bited were from the nurserymen in the vicinity of the town. 
M. Truffaut, in particular, showed all his strength with 
China Asters, Gladioli, and other sorts. Some fine young 
ConiferiE, and a great number of Pine Apples, Peaches, 
and Grapes were sent from the imperial gardens. The 
* best single specimen was a Heliotrope, about four feet 
through, and in excellent condition. Not far from this, but 
by no means so well placed, was a singular Petunia, having 
its corollas, about half-way towards the circumference, exactly 
the colour of the leaves; the other portion was of a rosy- 
purple colour. The flowers were large and abundant. An 
immense number of exotic Ferns were shown by M. Dantier 
Duval; and a miscellaneous collection, in which the tree 
Fuchsias were remarkable, came from M. Burel. The China 
Asters, by Renaud, were also in great profusion and beauty. 
But perhaps the most admired of all were M. Louviot’s 
bouquets. One of these was at least two feet in diameter, and 
composed as follows :— 
Centre, white, a cluster of China Asters. 
1st circle, blue, Violets, or some flowers of Iris. 
2nd do. red, Pelargoniums. 
Ord do. white, China Asters. 
4th do. rose, Gladioli. 
5th do. green, Common Heath. 
6th do. blue and purple, China Asters. 
7th do. white, China Asters. * 
8th do. Dahlias of sorts. 
Another, on a smaller scale, was also very pretty. It was 
thus made up :— 
Centre, spike of White Heath, surrounded with a ring of 
Common Heath. 
1st circle, bright red, Gladioli. 
2nd do. white, China Asters. 
3rd do. blue, some species of Iris. 
4th do. crimson, Verbenas. 
5th do. white, Asters. 
0th do. mixture of blush Roses and China Asters of sorts. 
There were only one or two small collections of cut lloses, 
which were on the wane, but still they were fine.— 
I’. F. Kelr. 
GENERAL NOTES FOR OCTOBER. 
Kitchen-garden. —This should be one of the most busy 
months of the whole year, and those who look forward with 
hopes of having good crops next year must now begin to make 
the requisite preparations by draining, trenching, and manuring. 
The depth and distances at which the drains ought to be 
cut, when either pipe, or stone drains are made, are points 
on which no particular rule can be given, as the nature of 
the soil and other local influences must dispose the operator 
to select the most suitable system for the place. The ground 
intended for Carrots and Parsnips next season should be 
trenched two spades deep, and thrown up into ridges two 
feet wide, applying manure at the same time, which is put 
into the bottom of the trench as the operator proceeds. 
Thrown up into ridges there is more surface exposed to the 
pulverizing influence of the frosts and thaws in winter, and 
in spring it is levelled down in a friable and good state for 
sowing seeds. The main crop of Earlg York Cabbages must 
be planted out for cutting in May and June next year, and 
after cutting to produce an abundant crop of Coleworts. 
Cauliflower plants to be transplanted into frames, or under 
hand-glasses, or potted, which is best, and, kept in a cold 
frame, they receive no check when planted out in spring, and 
produce fine and early heads. All root crops, such as 
Carrots, Beets, Salsafy, and Scorzonera, must be stored away 
in some sheltered corner packed in sand. The Parsnips do 
best when left in the ground and protected with a little litter 
in frosty weather. Brocoli to be taken up and laid down 
closely together, the roots covered wiLh soil, and the heads 
to the north ; as the operation checks their luxuriant growth 
they are then less liable to injury from frosts. Asparagus 
beds to be cleaned, the stems cut off, a portion of earth that 
covers the crowns of the plants to be removed to the alleys, 
a good dressing of manure given, and the earth returned 
over the manure. Those beds that have had repealed ap¬ 
plications of liquid-manure during the growing season will 
require nothing more than a good cleansing, forking the 
| beds carefully over, and leaving the. surface rough. 
| Flower-garden. —The weather of late lias been ifiost 
favourable to the flower-garden; indeed,the masses of colours, 
J where attention had been given in picking off the faded 
flowers and dead leaves, are now, and have been for a consi- 
j derable time, most brilliant: if it were not for the falling of 
a few leaves, and other indications of the approaching winter, 
we might beguile ourselves into the notion that summer 
still lingered with us in all its glory. But for the transient 
nature, and sudden changes of our climate, in a few short 
days a black frost, like a cloud, may descend, and lay pros¬ 
trate the beauties of our gardens. Therefore, all plants that 
it is desirable to preserve during the winter should be taken 
