THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 
il Alien 11. 
- 1--28 
Rotten Row drive, as well as a better and more direct road 
Ijctween the ciipital ami St. Cloud. It runs from the Grund 
Jrchde Trioiujjlit; riglit tlirougli the Bois de Boiiloijiie, \o\n- j 
ing with the main road at tlie end of the lake. The ground 
on each side for about fifty yards is to he laid out in lawn 
and sliriihhery. As yet, however, tliere is a good deal to ho I 
done in getting it into lu’oper I'orm ; hut it will he in keeping i 
witli the new works in tlie vicinity of the lake that is irregular 
and undulating. On the north side the ground rises con- ; 
siderahly, and there are many pretty little villas overlooking \ 
tlie drive. I 
Tlie mode adoptial liere of layering I'inks, Carnations, itc., 
wlien the stalk chosen cannot be bent to the ground, is to 
fasten the pot to a stick by means of wires. But it is not 
easy tying sucli a tiling as a pot, and, accordingly, hnt few 
persons like the ti'onble. My layering pot, noticed in your 
volume for last year, would he found particularly well 
adapted for special cases in layering these favourite flowers. 
M. Becaisne has written a biography of the late An¬ 
toine Poiteau, whom he calls the “parfait niodele du jar- 
dinier.” But it would appear that Poiteau was more of a 
botanist than a gardener; and four large volumes, which I 
have seen at the Museum library, atli st that he was also a | 
pretty good scholar, and a clever draughtsman. But all his J 
knowledge, and all his talent, were the result of his own 
unwearied njiplication and research in after life; and he ! 
may he cited as an cxamjde of what a man may make him- ' 
self, even when striving against immense odds and disad- ! 
vantages. Poiteau was never too old to learn, never too old 
1.0 liegin and accomplish a new task. But Nature had given 
him a strong constitution, and a love of learning for its own 
sake. IN’h.'it may not a man do when thus favoured and 
midowed;’ iMany have the one, hut not the other. 
I’roni the notice of IM. Becaisne, we learn that Poiteau I 
was horn in a small village of I’icardy, called Amhlemy, in j 
the early part of the year I7(i(i, and he lived to the long age ' 
if nearly eighty-.si.ven years. His name is connected with 
seieral works which occupy a prominent place in the litera- ' 
litre of I'T-ench horticultnri' and botany, including a great ! 
.lumber of papers relating to his travels, published in the : 
liinitlc.i dll Museum d' IJistoire Xiiliinllf. .•Vmong the, first ' 
of his contributions is the F/ore Bansiciitie, a folio volume, 
in which he. was assisted by M. Turpin. In 181 (i, he pub- j 
lished a catalogue of plants in the livide dc Medhlne. In ' 
1817, he was apjiointed head gardener at Fontainehlenn; i 
but he soon left his post to occupy another having more j 
attractions for him —that of “Botanist to the King,” and i 
Birector of the Royal grounds at (iuinea. 
Returning to I’aris in IH20, he published a series of 
papers, illustrated with a great many figures relating to 
different genera and orders. These papers, says M. Be- 
caisne, place their aufhor among the best botanists of his 
time. 
At an age when most other people think of resting from 
their labours, M. Poiteau continued at his task apparently ; 
as fresh as ever. In conjunction with AI. Risso, he pub- | 
lished, in 1818, a Ilislnirc Nnlnri'lle des Oniiiijers, The 
early editions of Arhns Friiiliers tvere almost (exclusively 
due to Ills pen and pencil. This work was first published 
in six folio volumes, and contained 410 coloured idates. 
Subsequently, AI. Poiteau published it in bis own name, under 
the title of Pomidoifie Fraii^iiise, containing 404 figures, and 
descriptions of (he finest fruits cultivated in TTance. 
Prom the year 1820 downwards, AI. Poiteau’s name is to 
be found in all the leading horticultural works. He was one 
of the editors of the Bon Jnrdhiiar, and the founder of the 
Hevne Hortirolc in 1820. Ho also contributed largely to 
the JUrthinnnire d'Ai/ricii/hire, and to the Cnlliviiteiir; be- ! 
sides conducting the Anntdes dc In fioriete Centrnh d'lloiii- ' 
cidliire, and directing the instruction of the young gardeners 
in the celebrated garden of P’romont. He was a. member of 
the Central Soiuety of -Agriculture, and was decorated, by 
Louis-l’hilippe, with the Cross of the Legion of Honour. 
The name of AI. Poiteau is ranked with those of La Quinty- 
nie, Duhamel, Thouin, and others, who have risen to emi¬ 
nence in their profession. 
ANith respect to the Arhres Friiiliers, it may be observed, 
that though that work has many great merits, and shows ’ 
that it must have required avast amount of time and labour, I 
yet its size and price are fsuch ns to place it beyond the i 
roach of all likely to need it, or be benefited by it. Alany of 
tbe subjects are of doubtful utility as to kitclien or dessert 
fruit. But the great mistake has been in making tbe plates 
so largo and pictorial. There can be no doubt that reduced 
figures, neatly migraved on wood, would have answered every 
purpose, and have enabled the autbor to confine his work 
witbiii something like, reasonable limits. As it is, we can 
only find it in imlilic libraries, or raonldering on the shelves 
of wealthy amateurs. An Encyclopa'dia of fruit and vegeta¬ 
bles would be an excellent subject for some future Loudon 
or Poiteau. But in such a work, people do not want a great 
deal of fine writing, so much ns the means of identifying 
and distinguishing different varieties. In this respect, 
Loudon’s Fiici/dopiedia of' FIniits might well be taken as a 
model. 
AVe have as yet had very little winter here. Indeed, for 
more than a month the weather has been remarkably M ann 
and mild for the season, the thermometer averaging about 
.AO® P’ahr. PTom tbe Kith of .Taiiuary to tbe 2oth the glass 
stood at about .78°. much lower temperature intervened 
till the (ith of the present month (P'ebrnary), when the 
glass again rose to about 0(P; at the same time—that is, 
from the (ith to the Ihli —mc h.ad a good deal of wind during 
tlie night. On the 1st inst. there was a gentle fall of snow. 
Bnring the last few days the temperature has cooled con¬ 
siderably, and M’e have had several touches of frost. I'rom 
the provinces we have accounts of snow storms and several 
degrees of frost.— P. I'. Ki;ih. 
DRIED PEANTS AND IT.OWERS. 
H.vvjxo mentioned, in my former comminiicalion, that I 
was arranging a. collection of dried plants and ilowers, one 
of your readers, “ P’. requests tliat I will give a bint or 
two of niy “ d/odiis opernndi." This I am iiuile ready to 
do, being desirous of promoting any love for so useful and 
instructive an occupation, connected, as it generally is, 
Mith healtby exercise and recreation in tbe collection of 
specimens. 
I should, however, observe, that 1 am but a novice in the 
matter, and have only acted upon the plan mIiIcIi lias 
suggested itself to me, and it is probable there may be 
much better methods of proceeding used by those more 
acquainted ivith the subject. 
I first procured a quantity of demy paper, size, when 
folded, seventeen-inches and a-half by eleven inches, and the 
specimen being dried, I endeavour to ascertain its common, 
or botanical name; and having done so, I take one of the 
sheets of paper, and Mrite on the top of the right hand 
corner the Knlnral Order to which it belongs, and in the 
centre of the sheet, also at the top, I place the name of the 
genus, or family. Having ready some gummed white paper 
cut into thin strips, I then take the specimen, and fasten it 
securely in such situation as its size may indicate, and write 
underneath its botanical name, M’ith the Plnglish meaning 
thereof, adding its vulgar, or common, name, Mith the 
country M’here it is indigenous, and, if not British, tbe dale 
of its introduction into this kingdom. On one side of the 
plant, ill Ihe maiijiii, I place the locality from whence the 
specimen Mas obtained, and time Mdien gathered. I find, 
generally, that one page Mill be sutficient for a family, but 
frequently more are required; but as the sheets are separate, 
they can be added M'hen wanted. As the sheets accumulate, 
I put each different Order together’, and then the families 
of the different Orders alphabetiriilly (not botanically), as 
affording much easier reference, for paging cannot be 
carried out until the Mhole quantity of paper rciiuircd is 
ascertained; and this is difficult to know, as you cannot toll 
irheii or where you M ill stop. 
I also make, as I proceed, a separate alphnhctical list of the 
fiimilies, M'ith the Orders to which they belong, so that when 
I knoM- to what family a specimen belongs, I can turn to the 
Order at once. 
I should say, that rvhile abroad, I derived considerable 
assistance from the Curator of the Natural History Aluseum 
at Nice (the Abbe Montelino), mTio obligingly gave me the 
names of nearly all the specimens I collected there. I also 
have constant reference to the following works:—Cottage 
T 
