Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-07-24
From our Regular Correspondent)
Paris Letter.

An American looking after the distine-
tons that exist between farming at home
and in this country, is apt to be impressed
with the superior conservatism of this
people-their unwillingness to change old
habits and adopt new methods Of agricul-
ure, however great and evident may be
their advantages. From time immemorial
it has been the habit of French farmers,
and of those of the continent generally, to
prepare their land for cereal crops by
throwing it up into lands just nine feet
wide. The average hight from the bottom
of the furrow to the highest ridge in the
middle of the land is eighteen inches. In
districts having stiff impermeable clay
subsoil, and in this country, where rains
are frequent and abundant. such plans of
surface drainage may be Indispensable,
but in a gravelly or loamy subsoil, which
is rs common here rs in America, these
frequent bitches are not only unnecessary
but inconvenient; and yet sou will find
these narrow lands and deep bitches every
where, even upon the steep gravelly hill
sides The French fields thus corrugated
have been the theatre of many sore trials
for the reaping and moving machines
which during the past few years have
been introduced from America. If The track
of the machine is crossways. or diagonally
across the field, you can imagine the strain
to which the machine would be subjected.
If lengthwise, it becomes nearly impossi-
Bile for the cutter bar to conform to the de-
pressions, so as to make the clean shave
required by the economical French hus-
bandman; for you must know that the
stubbe left in an American field would be
looked upon as insane wastefulness here.
When the harvest has been taken off there
remains the bare earth, and critical in
spection will be required to tell whether
the crop was rye, wheat or clover. This
necessity for close cutting has rendered
necessary some notifications in the shape
of the guards and cutter bars of American
machines. But in spite of all these diff
culties, and of the heavy duty exacted by
the French government, the sale of Amer
lean mowers and reapers is Oh the decided
increase, and is fast outstripping that of
the heavy, clumsy machines made in Eng
land and France. The preference of the
French for our machines is evidently due
to their greater lightness and the superior
ity of their construction. Reapers and
mowers are more fully represented in the
exposition than any other department of
American industry. Half the space of the
United States agricultural annex is devot-
ed to them, and to show that American
manufacturers appreciate this occasion, !
will mention the contents of one platform;
for example, the Buckeye machines, which
perhaps attract most attention. They are
sent by the house of c. Aultman & Co.,
from Canton, Ohio. The platform is about
thirty feet square and the most conspicu-
oss machine on it is a portable farm en-
CINE, of the shape Of our city fire engines,
and ii is frequently taken for one. OF the
hundreds OF engines here, this one has
come the longest distance.
1t is in constant use to give motion to a
sell binding harvester. The latter always
draws Il crowd. The process of binding
,heaves Of straw with wire is here seen
for The first time by thousands of people
daily. Four or five other specimens of the
Buckeye, too well known with you to need
description here, occupy the balance of the
space and are operated by steam, so that
their powers and adaptations can be fully
understood. The agent informs me that
he has many orders to fill, not only In
France, but also from Russia, Germany,
Belgium, and other European countries.
Similar spaces are occupied by other
American machines, such rs the Woods,
McCormick's, Johnston's and Champion.
Great taste has been shown in the way OF
ratings, carpets, signs, ETC., and the tout
ensemble CT this department is quite salts
factory.
While in the French department of agri-
culture, | was much interested in an ex-
bibit for fattening poultry by machinery.
The hens and cocks were arranged in
little stalls, about ten inches square, with
their heads towards the open front and
their feet battered to the floor in way to
prevent their tuning round. The at
tendant passed in front of the stalls, seiz-
ed the unhappy bird by the nape Of the
, neck, inserted tube, to which was at.
tached long hose into its mouth, pressed
upon peddle with her foot, and grad
e uated quantity of food was forced into
the stomach of the bird. They took theil
nourishment very much as a boy woul,
take medicine. The food is composed O
= ground mixture of corn, rye. barley
e milk and water and while it may not nc
). cord with the American idea of CHECKER
u rights to make Il rooster eat whether he
. wants to or not, it cannot be denied tina
c this regimen makes him much more de
sirable to be eaten. l have nowhere els
tasted such sweet juicy chicken as the
e have here. About the morality of thi
n system there may also be some question
and doubt if it could obtain in countr
!. blessed with Bergh 1t certainly divest
If chicken life of much of its romance. The
must devote their lives exclusively to tn
ignoble, unheroc business of getting fa
;, No growing, and cacklng, and nest hidn
- in out of the way places in barns, c
- Matching, or scratching for the early worr
in gardens. or on ancestral dung-hills f
ID them Indeed. these people, who, it
le said, have no word for home, have don
m much to divest the lives of chickens
hal!owed and homelike associations. The
D.. are Matched in steam incubators and tn
r. velvety little birds never know the shelte
e. ing arms of the old hen, but are protecte
e. in flannel lined drawers. However, II
r IL. - r