Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-12-03


A very common type of farmer in France
is the man who has received what we should
call the education Of gentleman; that is TO
say, that he has been brought up at n first
rate public school, and has aftorward learned
farming scientifically at the Agricultural Col
lego of Grignon. Such a man is precious in
wine growing districts, where new expert
ments have constantly to be tried to combat
the phylloxera and to improve the quality of
the vine soil. A wealthy vine-grower will
pay fine salary to farmer capable of add
ing to the renown of his vintage, and it
stands to reason that the farmer almost al
ways ends by setting up for himself, when
he marries n wife who brings him a dot.
Another pretty common type of the French
farmer is the one who has been obliged to
sell OF lands Of his own through pecuniary
stress, but who continues to occupy his old
dwelling, and farms the land that was once
his for the new owners. This man is not
likely to be very ambitious failure has made
him wise, and he is inclined TO think that his
lot as farmer is, on the whole, preferable to
his former condition rs q starveling peasant
proprietor. For ono thing, he has given up
all idea Of amassing money for his children.
A large family springs up round him, but he
has made up his mind that they shall shift for
themselves, and what money he can make he
spends on himself. just for lucb's sake he
keeps a hundred dollars or so invested in
some municipal loan having tirdges q primes,
which give him chance Of winning gr0s lot
Of 100000 francs and possibly one bright
nrorninghe ends by winning his grOs l0t or an
equivalent prize in a lottery, which enables
him to laugh for the remainder of his days ut
the more parsmonious race of farmers who
pinch and screw all their lives long.
Generally speaking, the French farmer is
not Jolly soul. Whether he be man of ed
ucation or not, he settles down into a grub
sort of life, faring frugally ON soup and the
thinnest of ordinary red wine or cider The
stock of his soup is bacon and he eats butch
er's-meat only twice a week that is on Sun
day and market-day When he attends mark
ct he makes a succulent djcuHcr, and drinks
q good deal of beer afterward at tho cafe.
This is his only cheerful time at ordinary
seasons he is morose, troubled about the
weather, the CONSUMPTION which is going to
take his son into the army, and about politics,
of which he understands just enough TO be in
constant dread of revolutions He is conser-
vatiye; that is to say that he uphods the
government of the day, whatever it is, for
fear Of anarchy but no government is popu-
lar with him, for every administration finds it
necessary to lay on new taxes. Taking him
all round, however, the French farmer ought
to be moro contentod than his English broth
err, for he has q much less inclement climate
to contend with. A bad harvest is not com
mon thing in France, and succession of bad
harvests never occurs. II is lucky for the
French farmer that this is so, for there are
few French landlords who would be in po-
sition to remit any part of years rent after
bad harvest. The rule in France is that
farmers rent must be paid as punctually as
dodgers rent. If it be not paid, election is
resorted to at once, and nobody thinks of
looking upon the tenant as an ill-used man.