Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-02-21

] 80 - NAAN Vic h4oJllOI VI DCI-
haps 10000 square miles, embraces
the best cheap wine and silk prudu-
cling parts of France. THird-The
Seine drains all Northwestern
France, to which Paris is the centre.
being an area of something like 35,-
600 square miles, and constituting
the best wheat-raising part of the
nation. FoMth-Is the valley of
the Loire, which extends across the
heart of France, from the outlying
spurs of the Alps, on the east. to the
Bay of Biscay, on the west, draining
a space Of not much less than the
area of the whole State of Illinois.
The old City of Tours is the centre
of the district. The Fifth drainage
district is that of the Gironde or the
Garonne River, which carries of he
water of the Pyrenees and all south
western France. This is also a
great grape and mulberry growing
part of the country-Bordeax being
its chief city, and the largest wine
exporting port of France.
The portions watered by the Seine,
Loire, and Gironde Rivers may
be described as rolling plaihs-not
as level as Illinois or Michigan, but
more like Ohio and Indiana in sur
face; while the other two districts,
and especially that of the Ihone, are
as hilly and precipitous as pennsyl-
vania. The Moselle and the Meuse,
which run northward; the Seine,
which runs northwest; the Loire,
follows the west, and the Rhone,
which discharges its waters due
south-all take their rise in the VI
cinity of Dion, which is within 100
miles of Switzerland. The country
seems to fall off in every direction
from the table-lands to the Prov
ince of BOurgogne, and around Di-
jon.
The traveller, in passing through
France in any direction, cannot help
observing the
ABSENCE OF FENCES AND FARM
HOUSES.
In the level portions of the whole
country, is an unbroken expanse of
tillage, without inclosure, OF aught
to mark one farm from another
Why there are no fences, seeing
that the thorns grow nearly as well
in France as in Great Britain, is to
me puzzle. The only olive hedge
fence one sees are those planted by
railroad companies on either side of
their tracks, of which there are
thousands of miles. Everywhere
one notices cid men or women, bows
or girls, herding cattle OF sheep, Oh
particular patches of ground. As
there are 100000 of farms in
France, and the owners of each keep
horses, cattle, or sheep, it must con
sumo the major part of the time of
100000 persons to watch the
live stock when grazing. All this
expenditure of time and labor could
be obviated by planting hedge
fences, as is done in Great Britain
and Ireland. Perhaps one reason
is, that the people do not want to
waste the space of ground which
the hedged would occupy; and an
other, that they do not live on their
lands, but in villages, and the cattle
would have to be driven to pasture
and back morning and evening. But
whatever may be the causes, there
are no fences to be seen, and all live
stock must be watched by the own
ers. Sometimes one will see a single
COW OF half dozen sheep kept in
place by gray-haired old woman
or little girl. 1t must require the
exercise of considerable patience to
do it.
AS remarked before
THE PEOPLE LIVE NvILLAGRs,
containing, on general average, a
hundred families, and each with its
old church in the centre, but often
no school-house. These villages, are
nearl y all located with reference to
water and sunshine. A good spring
hillside; little valley with brook
that does not go dry in summer; a
sunny slope of hill, sheltered from
the north and east cold winds, and
supplied with water-are the spots
that were selected centuries ago for
those clusters of farm-houses. Thou
sands of villages have stood for ten
or more centuries; and there is little
perceptible change in the manners,
custom, OrPatOiS of the inhabitants,
since the days of the Crusaders, or
for that matter, since the conquest
of France by Julias Cazer, 1900
years ago. [ have looked at a hun
dreds of these ancient rural villa
ges, and observe that they are all
alike.
A DESCRIPTION OF ONE
is description of all. Generally,
there is only one street, but some
times a second, crossing it at any
angle except a right one. The
street is about 25 to 50 feet wide; has
no sidewalk; is clean but crooked
as a rams horn. Each house is
built of brick or stone, and covered
with tile, having steep roofs, with
gables fronting the street. In the
rear of each house are a stable for
the shelter of cattle; some other
farm buildings; stack yard;
place for farm implements; little eel
lar in the ground for vegetables,
wine, etc; and a pile of wood Tor
turf, where that is produced) cut
short and assorted into twigs for
kindlIngs, and split wood for heat
ing. Ivy or other creeping vines
grow up the sides of the houses-on
the south and front, generally grape
vines. Frequently a pretty little
garden may be seen between the
house on the front and the stabling
on the rear of the lot. Everything
is old and quaint. The universal
vehicle of the farmer, is cart or