renowned for its culture of the carnation, called, in the Bon Jardinier, œillet flamand. At Lille this plant is certainly cultivated in perfection; and, whether it proceeds from the presence of lime in the soil, or from some other cause, I know not; but I have observed that carnations there keep their colours better, and are less liable to sport (as, I believe, amateurs call it), than in any other place. Tulips, and other bulbous-rooted plants, thrive better at Lille than in the neighbourhood of Ghent; though the inhabitants of the former are far inferior to those of the latter city in all other respects, both as amateurs and as professional gardeners. M. De Smet, however, is an amateur whose garden, in the environs of Lille, is an exception to this rule, and is well worth visiting. He is one of those practical amateurs who are but seldom to be found in this country; as his taste for gardening is such, that he looks after the culture of his plants in a great measure himself. M. De Smet may be well styled an amateur cultivator, the greater part of our amateurs in plants being amateurs by courtesy, or for the sake of fashion; but, in reality, knowing but little of the practical cultivation of a plant.

The neatness of this gentleman's garden, and the care with which I have observed he cultivates his plants, are a proof of this. His geraniums are grown in a superior style; which is saying a great deal, because few gardeners here understand the management of this tribe of plants. His walks are neatly graveled, and the box edging well kept; and, certainly, the cultivation in the open ground of his rare hardy plants would be a credit to any English gardener.

With the exception of the Diánthus tribe, bulbs, and roses, the Lille gardeners do not shine in any other branch of cultivation; and they are, for the most part, indebted to the English and Ghent gardeners for the stocking of their houses. Meillez was once renowned for his roses; and, had he kept to that culture alone, he would most probably have excelled all others, for his soil is admirably adapted for that shrub; but, since he has paid more attention to other plants, and taken to travel about, and to purchase plants from different gardeners, his roses have been much neglected; and, consequently, there are now many gardeners in France much his superiors in the art of cultivating them. This is the rock on which Flemish gardeners generally split: they think, if they can cultivate one tribe of plants well, they must necessarily be able to cultivate every other kind of plant equally well that they may take a fancy to. It is from this cause that the florist gardeners who cultivate but one or two tribes of plants are so much superior in their cultures to the commercial gardeners, who, perhaps, cultivate at least twenty kinds. To return to M. Meillez: his garden is not

kept in that degree of neatness which it deserves, and which ought to be the first consideration to a professional gardener. His collection of plants is, however, at times respectable, especially after his journeys in Belgium; but, as his best plants are purchased on commission, the practical amateur must not look for culture in his garden, except as far as regards his standard rose trees; with regard to which, he, in common with his countrymen generally, far surpasses the English, both in budding and grafting.

M. Fondeur, a market-gardener at Lille, though at present not high in his profession, is one who is evidently rising in the estimation of amateurs, and who will before long, from his civility and urbanity of manners, be a great favourite in the botanical world. Like all the French gardeners, he cultivates the rose in perfection, and at a very reasonable price.

The gardeners on the Continent, in the same manner as the shopkeepers, have a way of asking for their plants much more money than they will take; which, to English ears, sounds very much like imposition, and which, if not so in reality, I consider as against their own interest; because, should a gardener ask, by chance, a fair price for his plant, the buyer will still suppose that he has asked too much, from it being the practice generally to do so. Many, also, have a foolish way of proceeding, which is, to undersell their neighbours; and would almost give a plant for nothing, rather than their neighbour should sell one instead of themselves. This is, in more than one instance, against their interest; as they not only lose their money by their jealousy, but they cause those from whom they purchase plants to be very shy of dealing with them. Were the Continental gardeners to ask a fair price for their plants, and to come to an agreement not to undersell each other, they would receive much more liberal treatment from the London gardeners; whereas the Continental gardeners do not give encouragement to the London gardeners to treat them well; for, the moment they receive a new plant from London, they endeavour to multiply it as quickly as possible, which, in our fine vegetable soil, is not an affair of much time. It is then sold at considerably less than what it can be purchased for of the original possessor; and, if two gardeners happen to have the same plant, they are not wise enough to sell it at a fixed price, but their jealousy is such, that one of them would let it go for little or nothing, rather than the other should sell it.

The country between Ghent and Antwerp is flat; but, until the traveller arrives at Beveren, there are but few countries to be found of greater fertility. In the neighbourhood of Lockeren and St. Nicholas very fine flax is grown, second only to that in the neighbourhood of Courtrai. This part of Flanders

goes by the name of the Pays de Waes, and is universally admitted to be one of the most productive sandy soils in existence. But, on leaving Beveren to proceed towards Antwerp, the charm immediately ceases; and nothing strikes the traveller so much as the contrast between the opulence displayed on the Ghent side of Beveren, and the destitute misery which is to be seen after leaving Beveren for Antwerp. In the commencement of the year 1830, the country between Beveren and Antwerp was covered with a productive crop. The September following the revolution came, and whole parishes were thrown under water by the cutting of the sea banks; and at present, though the country is somewhat drained from the water, yet it is to be feared that, from the quantity of sand left by the sea, it will be an immense period of years before it can be brought into its former state of cultivation. In looking upon this scene of desolation, one cannot help saying that revolutions "cost sometimes a little too dear." The country, also, round Antwerp suffered dreadfully from the occupation of the French during the late siege of Antwerp. The siege taking place in December, the proprietors in the neighbourhood of the citadel were obliged to allow the French soldiers to cut what wood they pleased; and M. Parthon de Von, an amateur, with an extensive garden at Wilryck, had a whole regiment encamped in his park, and the officers to dine every day with him for a month. Had the siege endured one month more, he would not have had a timber tree remaining on his estate; as they had already commenced cutting down his fine avenue. As it was, I understood him to say he lost upwards of 6000 fine trees. True it is that the government repaid him the value of his trees; but all the money in the world cannot restore the beauty of his park. His garden and pleasure-grounds, which are laid out partly in the French and partly in the English style, contain some fine shrubs and timber trees. The garden is surrounded by a grove of large sweet chestnuts and beech trees, the greater part being upwards of 12 ft. in girt, and from 60 ft. to 80 ft. in height. It is planted in the French style, and is an excellent screen to his garden from the high winds. The park, in which the French regiment was encamped, contained many large trees; but it is now little more than an open plain. If M. Parthon was sure never to be again visited by the French, I know of no place better adapted for an arboretum: but to plant rare trees in the neighbourhood of a citadel would be rather too dangerous a plan to pursue. His garden contains some very fine specimens for a country where property changes hands so often. He has also a small pinetum; and his American, or rather peat-earth, shrubs thrive very well. Among these I observed the true Rhododendron ferrugineum flòre álbo; a Lílium supérbum, 8 ft. high, with 42

flowers; a Gladìolus Dallèni, which had passed the winter in the open ground; a Portugal laurel, 20 ft. high (rare for our severe climate); Abies scándens, 30 ft. high; a weeping lime; and a Gleditschia triacánthos, diameter of trunk 24 ft., height 20 ft., and with thorns 13 in. long. The plant-houses contain a good collection of Orchideæ, lately received from M. Van Houtte, his collector in Brazil; but, as the greater part have not yet flowered, it is impossible to know much of them, except that they are new kinds. In the green-house there was a very fine specimen of Scóttia angustifolia; and the borders of the open ground contained a very respectable botanical collection of hardy plants, and a select collection of English dahlias. As an amateur, M. Parthon de Von spends much of his time in his garden, and looks after the cultivation of his plants himself. His gardener has lived with him for many years, and is, therefore, habituated to his master's ways. It is well worth while for both amateur and gardener to visit M. Parthon de Von's collection of plants, as they are sure to meet with a kind reception from the master, who is always willing to exchange his plants with his neighbours, for the mutual benefit of both parties.

The only gardener of any note at Antwerp is M. Van Geest, who has a fair collection of herbaceous plants, and some plant structures: but Antwerp, as well as all the other Belgian towns, is much behind Ghent in taste for horticulture.

Wondelgheim, near Ghent

ART. III. Description of an early Forcing Pit, and a Boiler for an early Forcing Stove, erected at Oakhill Gardens. By A. FORSYTH.

FIG. 111. represents the cross section of an early forcing pit, heated by linings flued on both sides: a a show the stone coping of the walls; bb, cast-iron pipes, 4 in. in diameter, and

b

b

111

6 ft. apart, connecting the steam flues; c c, cavities in the brickwork through which the hot air and steam pass from the

linings into the steam flue; d, cast-iron pipes, 3 in. in diameter, conducting the water from the gutter into the drain; tending, also, to strengthen the front wall and support the coping, by being placed under every third rafter; e e, tile covers to the steam flues, with brass plugs, like those used in leaden water-troughs, 2 ft. apart; f, ground level; g, coping of the front wall, which serves also as a gutter. This groove, or gutter, need not be large, as the column of water cannot be great collected from a light and a half, the receivers being placed under every third rafter.

The cast-iron pipes introduced here, to connect the steam flues, are intended also to support planks 3 in. thick, closely fitted together, which are to be used in summer, as a walking way, and to hide the then almost useless lining pits: but I would by no means use them in winter, as it would prove injurious, by causing the condensed steam to drip upon the linings, thereby rendering it too wet for proper fermentation; besides, the linings, in winter, ought to be made up as high as the bottom of the coping-stone, to prevent the weather from acting upon any part of the walls of the pit; not to mention the unnecessary waste there would be of the planks by being rotted by the steam from the linings.

Where pits are placed so near each other that a lining can be made to act upon the back of one, and upon the front of the other, great benefit would be derived by having these connecting pipes and stoppers; since, by shutting one series and opening the other, the steam might be conducted into other pipes at pleasure. For example, the steam that would destroy the crop in the early cucumber or melon pit, might be conducted into the early fruiting pine pit, where the long-bearded (long-scaled) and hidebound appearance of the winter swelled fruits, and the thirsty look of the half-succulent leaves, show that they are famishing under a high and dry temperature, for want of congenial atmospheric food.

The pit above described, when erected here (which I have no doubt it will soon be), if constructed of neat cast-iron rafters, and good sashes, made of the best yellow deal, with a couple of cast-iron hot-water pipes, 3 in. in diameter, over the steam flue in front, will be found to surpass any structure of the kind already in our gardens.

For a hot-water apparatus, I would recommend one of that description erected by Mr. Fowler of Temple Bar. Having worked several apparatus erected by persons eminent in the advertising column, I should prefer this, as being preeminent in symmetry and simplicity.

Fig. 112. is a section of a boiler erected here by Mr. Fowler, for an early forcing stove, having three rows of pipes all round: a a show the fireplace; b, the grating; c c, arched flues over the