Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-10-30
CURIosrrIEs OF FREN NGHiGARDENING

CURIOSFI1ES OF NCHiGAkDENlNG u.
The visitor who passes through the markets
Of Paris cannot fail to be struck by the size and
beauty of the fruits and vegetables displayed
There are huge and perfect pears, a glistcning
array of salads, enormous heads of snowy caul-
flower, and giant stalks of asparagus, which
attract attention no less for their size and fault
less condition, than for vast quantities, all
equally fine and large Of their kind. These
are due to the wonderful skill and patient in
dusry of the French gardeners, who are une
qualed by any others, either here or in Europe,
in the art Of cultivating marketproduce.
One cause Of this superiority is the devotion
of the French to specialties. This system OBJ
tains as generally among the gardeners as
among the men of arts and sciences. An
American market farmer or gardener divides
his ground into many lots, and plants nearly y
every variety of truck known to the market.
The French gardener gives himself up to the
cultivation of a special class Or succession OF
fruits and vegetables, and by long study and
practice by experimenting with various ma
nures, soils, and modes Of culture, arrives at
the production of q perfect crop Of his special
ty, season after season. with unerring certainty.
He is also much more eeonomlcalot space and
more prodigal of labor than we are, as, in fact
than we need be. He seldom suffers his
ground to lie faow; crop succeeds crop in
endless rotation the cauliaoWer is set among
the melon hills ready to spread as soon as the
melons are gathered. Between the rows OF
asparagus are planted early potatoes, lettuce,
: &c., In such manner as to keep the ground
constantly fruitful, and when the weather be-
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of its forcing power, large bell glasses are en-
ployed, one Of which is placed over each plant
especially in the case of the salads -and heat
is thus concentrated upon it until its full growth
is fairly attained. - .",
"a The enormous size Of the French asparagus
is chiefly due to the manner of planting. In
stead of setting the plants closely together, as
we do, space Of at least six inches square is
allowed to each stool, which enables it to
suck large amount ofnutrment from the soil,
and become a strong and solid plant. Each
stool is also manured repeatedly every season,
the soil being carefully scraped away down to
the roots, the compost placed around them
and the earth put back again. s
The French system OF cultlvatlng the apple,
pear and peach is also peculiar. The trees
are all grated and dwarfed A strong wire is
stretched along in front Of each row, about
three feet above the ground. upon tnls wire
single branch of each tree is trained, and as
soon as well started, this branch is made, by
heavy rrunning, the only ruit-bearing one on
the tree. The consequence is that the entire
strength of the tree goes to the nourishing of
the fruit upon this branch, and this fruit be-
comes large and fair in proportion. This pro-
cess, by the bye, is borrowed from the Chinese.
The pear, however, is also largely grown in
the pyramidal and other forms, but almost
always from dwarfed stock.
In the cultivation Of the peach, the French
gardeners have shown q curious and iauciful
skill. Near the town Of Montreil, few miles
only from Paris, there is large number of
gardens, enclosed in whitewashed walls, against
the surface of which peach trees are trained in
many tanciful forms. One Of these is known
as the Napoleon Peach" This is specimen
SO trained as to figure in very large letters
against the wall the name Napoleon a single
branch going to the formation Of each letter,
and the whole surrounded by a wreath com
posed Of two large boughs trained in circle
There are many other curiosities in French
market gardening and pomonology, tho details
OF which are too long for the compass of a
single article. These, or some Of them, may
by spoken of hereafter. TN 5s@E