The herald., 1896-08-18
Local, Eastern and Foreign
Commercial Dealings
WALL STREET SPECULATION
How Roquefort Cheese Has Been Made
for Centuries
the spanish Raisin Trade-The United States
and Other Countries Compared Prom
the Standpoint Of Wealth

The village of Roquefort is situated on
the mountain Larzac, in the south of
france, which is about twenty-five miles in
iehgth and nearly 5000 feet high. 1t con-
sists chiefly of limestone covered with suffi-
cient pasture to feed the 800 900 sheep kept
Ior their milk. The caves formed by the
volcanic displacement of rocks consist Of
an intricate labyrinth of open spaces and
passages connected with each other and
win subterranean outlet. A cool current
ol ar, therefore, always of the same hui
nldity and temperature, flows in a never
interrupted stream through the caves.
when the cheeses are ready for treatment
they are taken TO the caves, and after being
allowed to cool are carried to the sailing
room. They are rubbed with salt on one
race, and then piled on the top of each
other until the cave is full. After stand
ing for twenty-four hours or SO the reverse
side is salted and once more they are piled
up as before. The cheeses have to be fire.
quentiy reversed in order that the moist
ure may be even throughout. and to devel-
op the fungus which has previouslH been
sown in the curd
In forty-eight hours the cheeses become
Viscous and are rubbed with a coarse
cloth. In the course of another two days
the fungus will appear on the outside in
tne form OF sticky paste. This is care
Iuiiy scraped off with knives, together with
a thin stratum of crust and set aside for
food.
The cheeses are now sorted out; the most
SOLID ones placed on the floor. In eight
days time they become covered with a
yeiiowlsh-red mould, together with other
minute vegetation, which is removed and
given to the pigs. The scraping is con-
tnued until the character of the mould
:c,nanges showing that the curd has altered
US condition and announcing the compile
ton of the cure. Then they are again
Ca carefully scraped and wiped and wrapped
III tin1oii and are ready for the market.
Roquefort cheeses have been cured for
centuries by. this process, and stand as a
triumph of uneducated art.-Grocery
We note that the importation of raisins
INTO England from Spain for the year 1894.
incIualng a entries at all her ports, amounted
70 81 S5i,26O pounds, against &c. .293 120 pounds
Tor the year 1895. For the United States
ana ,in Ganada ian 1en. the Spanish raisin importa
aganf f3r s an to 700
cIude the raisins imported into Canada
with our own, as we naturally feel that we
nave q hold upon her trade.-California
There has been considerable discussion
as to whether the United States has enough
wealth to warrant its adopting financial
policy of its own, independent of the other
great commercial nations, and regardless
Statistics show that the United States has
nearly 40 per cent more aggregate wealth
than Great Britain, her nearest competf-
tor, and about 100 per cent more than Ger
many. There are other standards of COM
parisor which must be taken into consid-
GRAFTON. These are the rate per capita of
wealth and also the wealth of the popula-
tior. In the former respect Holland is in
advance of the United States, and prides
herself on the largest and best division
OF her. wealth. while the population of
Australia is reputed to be the richest
among the nations. However, no country
possesses the power to create new wealth
IN the capacity of production that we do
II we draw our conclusions from the past
the United States will in the future equa,
all Europe in wealth. So great is the pro-
Duct OF our mills and manufactures be.
coming, that in another generation 1t is
probable that the ordinary individual will
possess comforts and advantages which
today are enjoyed solely by the rich. and in
this manner the increase will result in a
much better distribution of wealth. We
append an interesting table of estimates
of the wealth of the leading civilized coun-
Mulhall the noted Englishe statistician: