Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-08-20
FROM DIEPPE TO PARIS.
An Instructive Description Of a
Beautiful Country.
Cor. Wilmington (Dsl) Every EVENING"

Cor. Wilmington (Del.) Every EVENING"
We now tied up to the wharf al
Dieppe and entered restaurant in
the depot and got supper, and before
o clock were on our way to Paris
We passed through a country such as
| think | never before witnessed fol
fertility. 1t has been brought to q
very high state of cultivation. All
the crops looked No. l. The farms
look 10 be quite small. In the first
part Of the journey they had their
houses apparently on their little farms.
The houses are low and not comfort
able looking; the roofs are matched
with straw, and in many instances
large openings were made in them by
the operations of time. On my way
back from Paris | found large dis
tricts of land cultivated in patches OF
various sizes, in lots of, | should judge,
in many cases thousands of acres,
without a fence, hedge or anything to
denote the divisions; then you would
come to a small town or village, where,
| supposed, the people who cultivated
these farms lived, for there were no
signs of buildings of any kind
on the land, yet it was cultivated
away for miles up the side OF
the hills and in all sorts of crops;
wheat, oats, barley, rye, potatoes, cab
bage, etc., the patches of wheat judg
ing from those Immediately along the
line of railroad, would be from half
an acre up to ten or more acres, just
in proportion to the number of acres
which the person holding had. l
coull only compare the look Of the
land as it showed its different shades,
according to the ripeness Of the grain
or other crops that had been harvested
to many a bed quilt that l have seen
made by some Of our frugal and eco
nomical mothers out of the skirts Of
old dresses and pieces of waste calico
left after the dress had been finished
The cultivated patches we're Of all
sizes, shapes and colors, and here and
there you would find teth-
cred to stakes driven in the ground,
as many asshalf dozen COWS in or
upon small patch OF pasture, sur
rounded by a lot of wheat, oats, or
other growing cerial crops. In some
instances | saw children and women
who were minding cows that were
pasturing on one OF these small places
1t was in the valley through which
we passed that | first saw the pTinci-
pie of irrigation for pastures and now
ing fields ever carried out. | have
frequently read Of such, but never be
fore have | witnessed it and, Judging
from the looks Of the grass, wherever
there is running water that can at all
be utilized for irrigation, it will give
large return for the money and la
Dor expended. There is one thing of
which | am now fully convinced that
is if any country wants to be prosper
GUS and happy, let the land be divided
up into small parcels, and each man
be the owner OF his own little plot,and
never let it get into such large tracts
as it has done in England. Where the
masses Of the people of the country
own the soil there will be good and
safe government, and more particular
ly where the people themselves make
the government. IL strikes me just
at this time that the great corpora.
tons of America that never die, aud
they are numerous with high sound
ing names, are one Of the means
through which the American people
will loose their freedom, If thGy ever
do; and lot me say 10 the American
farmers from one end of our country
to the other land here repeat what
has often been said, "ours is the finest
country the sun ever shown upon"
"look to your interests; they are mu-
tual and see that these grasping cor
porations are not to-day laying the
foundation for a system that will rob
you of your free form Of government
and Of your liberties. 1t rests with
the American farmers and them only,
the protection of your free govern
ment. You are the majority of the
American people and it is for you to
consider well the important position
which you occupy among your people
If you will only cooperate and act as
one man you have no cause to com
nlain of any grievance which may be
imposed upon yOR' for it will be OF