The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1868-01-02
CURIOsITIEs OF FRENCH GARDENING.

The visitor who passes through the mar
kets 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 glistening array of salads, enormous
heads of snowy cauliflower, and giant stalks
of asparagus, which attract attention no less
for their size, and faultless condition, than
for vast quantities, all equally fine and large
of their kind These are due to the wonder
full skill and patient industry of the French
gardeners, who are unequalled by any 9th
ers, either here or in Europe, in the art OF
cultiVating market produce.
One cause of the superiority is the deyo-
ton of the French to speclalties. This sys-
tenn obtains as generally among the garden
ers as among the men of arts and sciences.
An American market farmer or gardener di
vides his ground into many lots, and plants
nearly every variety of truck known to the
market. The French gardener gives him.
self up to the cultivation OF a special class
or succession of fruits or vegetables. and by
long study or practice, by experimenting with
various manures soils and modes OF culture,
arrives at the production of a perfect crop of
his speciality, season after season, with I'M
erring certainty. He is also much mere
economical of space and more prodigal OF
labor than we are, as in fact, than we need
be. He seldom suffers his ground to lie fall
low; crop succeeds crop in endless rotation !;
| the caulifiower 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, etc, in
such a manner as to keep the ground con-
stantly fruitful, and when the weather be-
comes frosty, and the sun loses a goodly
share OF its forcing power, large bell glasses
are employed, one of which is placed over
each plant especially in the case of the sa-
lads-anu heat is thus concentrated upon it
until its full growth is fully attained.
The enormous size of the French aspara-
gus is chiefly due to the manner of planting.
Instead of setting the plants closely togeth-
er as we do, space of at least six inches
square is allowed to each stool" which en-
abes it togather a large amount of nutriment
from tho soil, and become strong and solid
plant Each stool is also MANFRED repeated
| " every season, the soil being carfully scrap
ed away down to the roots, the compost
placed around them, and the earth put back
! again.
The French system of cultivating the ap-
! pie, pear and peach is also peculiar. The
| trees are grated and dwarfed. A strong
wire is stretched along in front of each row,
about three feet above the ground. Upon
this wire single branch of each tree is train
ed, and as soon as well started, this branch
is made by heavy pruning. the only fruit
! bearing one on the tree. The consequence
is that the entire strength of the tree goes to
the nourishing of the fruit upon the branch,
and this fruit becomes large and fair in pro-
portion. This process. by the-by, is borrow
ed from the Chinese. The pear, however, is
also largely grown in the pyramidal and
other forms; but almost always from dwarf
ed stock.
In the cultivation of the peach, the French
gardeners have shown curious and fancitu
skill. Near the town of Montreal, Il few
miles only from Paris, there is a large mum
Der of gardens, enclosed in whitewashed
walls, against the surface of which peach
trees are trained in many fanciful 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" single bra lch GO
ing to the formation of each letter, and the
whole surrounded by wreath composed of
two large boughs trained in circle.