The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-08-14 00:00:00

sort of toy Scotland; smallround hills, divided by narrow
and deep ravines, breaking up the scene into hundreds of
miniature mountains ; the surface soil, where level,
being a red and yellow loam, bearing very thin crops.
The fields were mostly cleared here, and cabbages had
taken possession of the land; they abounded like
turnips in Yorkshire or Lincoln, and will grow the
winter food of the pretty Parthenay dun-colour cattle,
their leaves being stripped for the stock.
At Cholle,t opinions seemed divided as to the har-
vest, but it was not reckoned good ; and, as much
of the ground I had passed was covered with grass
and trees, like an English park, or, where level
and open, was a heathy waste, the corn yield of
the Bocage must be unimportant. Buckwheat began
often now to show its bunches of pink and white
flowers, and generally was healthy and thick enough
to give an abundant yield, Po that the value at present
only stands at about 30s. per quarter. The mildness
of the climate, as the Vend6ean rocks were succeeded
• by the open Marais, was proved by aloes blooming in
the open air, some 'A forming a bed in a gentleman's
garden, as chrysanthemums do in London. At Chan-
tonnay a country priest had entered my carriage and
proved himself closely informed about harvest mat-
ters, and the resources of the country generally. He
was acquainted with the details of the several crops,
and was satisfied this year's wheat yield was a fair one,
while Franc-re was 'well provisioned' by her unex-
hausted reserves of 1874. My informant spoke from a
knowledge of most parts of the country.
"Sunday, the 25th, proved a glorious day, and
therefore added another 16 hours to secure the crops,
since the French peasant is wiliing to work from 4 a.m.
to 8 p.m. to gather in his produce even on the seventh
day.
"On Monday, the _26th, I commenced my return
northwards by a fresh route, via Clisson and Nantes,
finding the wheat fields often of a good size and with
a fair and ripe crop. For the first time I saw, near
Clisson, the novel sight of six men threshing out wheat
in the fields, each having a long hazel rod and whip-
ping the grain with a rhythmical sound pleasant to
hear. The magnolia trees in the Jardin des Plantes
at Nantes were well in blossom (they are reckone3
some of the best in France) ; and I note this
fact in evidence of the entire freedom of this
season from Spring frosts. Again, following the
Loire, and finding fair crops wherever the land
was fair, and seeing again and again the easy good-
natured soil ploughed by a single horse, I stopped
at a country auberge, among the vineyards and
corn patches that last year I visited at Les Forges.
Then on thesame little plot of farm land where I heard
that the crop was 'double,' I was told this season it
was very good ; ' but, knowing the fat crops of Eng-
land, I may add that the half in France is expressed
by the above words. My course now was by Vendome,
straight to La Beauce, that splendid corn tract of
country, with its sugary white soil, extending from
Blois to Laon, and from Chartres to Epernay. The
fields gave no fresh impressions as regards the crop of
wheat, which was poor—just as the land was poor—
until Chfiteaudun was reached. Around Vendeene,
picturesquely crowning its wooded hill, and where the
crosses marked the battlefields in front of the town,
the picture was now rural with peaceable haymaking,
the grass and grain crops this year being often gathered
together.
" Staying here at ChAteaudun, I visited Voves,
where fenceless corn-fields stretch for miles, so that
in the distant view houses and trees rise ship.
like against the horizon out of a sea of corn. For
many miles the business of harvest, cutting, carrying,
saving the grain, enlivened the scene; but yet never
a rick was visible, nor had I through some 400 miles,
observed a single reaping-machine at work. As a general
statement, I should say the Beauce has an average
wheat crop; and this means that the Yorkshire Lin-
colnshire, Norfolk, Essex, Kent, and Cambridgeshire
of France has a fair yield. Compared to the crops of
La Beauce, much of the land of France only bears wild

• crops.
" Since commencing this letter, I have travelled,
vid Arpajon, to Paris, and found (Wednesday, the
28th) the corn-market there several francs cheaper
than during the previous week. From Paris, vid
Rouen and Yvetot, the country is often rich and well
cultivated, and the wheat I saw, of excellent colour,
should generally give three quarters per acre, which
will bring up the inferior yields elsewhere to a good
average. North of Paris the harvest is generally in
progress, and has commenced at all points. The
smaller farms seem first cleared everywhere, and, as
the weather continues brilliant, the French harvest
may be considered safe.
"In respect to the Southern wheat districts, devas-
tated by the inundations, the breadths are large in the
Departments that have suffered; Toulouse being the
chief wheat centre of the Garonne valley. But, as the
wheat was ripe or nearly so, the quantity deteriorated,
yet still available, must be considerable; and I learn
that the surplus Algeria this year will furnish as
much wheat as may be wanted to those points of
France, in the south and west, where it is usually im-
ported. With the present population of France, some
95 millions of hectolitres are estimated as necessary
for food and seed. This year the area cultivated
should certainly give these 95 millions; and since 1874
is supposed to have given a surplus of 35 million
hectolitres, the reserve accumulated must be very im-
portant, and ample to keep France from being a
speculative competitor with England for foreign
wheat."