Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-15

best candied chestnuts bring As cents per
pound, or, II coated with chocolate, % cents
q pound There are large establishments In
France which do nothing else, one at Lyons
year.
The French chestnut trees are not culti-
waited They are usually planted on poor
earth and in time are cut for their wood.
some chestnuts are grated, and there Is no
doubt but that the French and Spanish
chestnut can be grated on our native
american sprouts. In fact have done this
on my farm In Virginia and have there pro-
ouced nuts as large as the largest buck
eye. There are men in Pennsylvania and
New Jersey who are making such chest
nut grating commercially proftable, and
the same might be done in other parts Of
the United States
In South France, Spain and Italy chest
nuts are ground into a meal and used for
bread, and they command good prices in
such localities. In the United States they
are chiefly sold by fruit vendors and by the
confectioners and they bring, I am told, 81
or. 50 per bushel. Here in France they sell
by the kilogram, for 2 or cents a pound.
The Market Gardens of France.
have already written of the market
gardens of France. I learn more about them
every day. and am more and more sur
prised at their excellence. The French have
1,OOO,OOacres devoted to gardens and fruits.
and IN riding over the country you pass
hSAoo VI iiot DEUS anu see glass frames
propped over plants outside the beds In
many places glass bells are used to cover
the individual plants, and there are some
sections which raise potatoes under glass
for export to London.
The French have studied the soil and the
sun ana they coax both to work They feed
the crops rather than the land and in
places get three crops year through in
tensive cultivation. Near Cherbourg cab
bage is raised early in February After
1t Is taken of crop Of potatoes is planted
and third crop comes on in the autumn
This is on land that has been used for gen.
erations.
And still we Americans talk Of old Mother
Earth being worn out. Nothing of the kind
The old lady has all the possibilities of per-
petua! youth. but, coquette that she is, she
must be fed with the dainties she loves and
petted to make her yield her best crops
rms Is especially so as to the vineyards
which have been used for generations. The
French vines are cut down every year and
every vine has its individual stake. and
might say it's Individual treatment
Fruit on Stone Walls.
One Of the odd features of fruit growing
here Is the training of the trees against
stone walls for early crops. The stones act
as radiators and proportionateIy increase
the amount Of heat and the fruit ripens
earlier.
l have seen garden after garden outside
big French cities walled in this way It is
estimated that there are 400 miles of such
walls In the suburbs Of Paris and that they
annually yield 100000 peaches. The
peaches are sold by the piece and bring a
franc and upwards. Indeed, have seen
peaches sell for rs cents and 81 apiece but
they were probably raised under glass;
Suburban Paris has pear orchards which
produce as much $500 per acre. and there
is one noted for its early pears which yields
more than 81, 600 a year. It contains five
acres. The French export fruit In great
quantities and good fruit land is very val
liable. the best selling for $500 or even more
per acre. This is of course in favorable To-
calities.
French Farm Associations.
I had long chat during, my stay In
Lyons with Consul Covert about farm clubs
and agricultural organizations. Mr. Covert
has spent a great deal of time with the
farmers and has attended many Of their
meetings. He says they are far in advance
of us in such matters.
Every French country community, for
instance, has Its cubs where the farmers
meet and discuss how to market the crops
They combine together and buy their fer
tilizer at wholesale and appeal to the rail-
roads for low freight rates. Not only the
farmers but the railroad officials the bank
ers and the merchants come to these clubs.
The railroad men are asked to advise the
farmers as to what they should do as to
transportation and markets and the bankers
and merchants are also counseled with
about money matters. In America the far
mer wants nothing to do with the city man.
He seems to be jealous and afraid Of him
Ihe French farmer Is willing to say there
may be some brains outside his own class
and he is glad to take advantage of them.
100000 French Changers.
There are more than eight million farmers
IN France who belong to agricultural syndi-
Gates, and there are altogether over
two thousand such syndicates. These syn
dicates are for the general furthering Of
the farming and commercial interests of
the members and they are further organ
lied into ten unions which work together
for the interests Of their class. They have
head office at Paris and this deals with
the railroads as to freight rates and also
pushes agricultural interests before the
French parliament
The farm syndicates support measures
for protective tariff on farm products and
do all they can to bring the farmers into
connection with the markets, the bankers
and the public. They have made 1t so that
much farm goods are now sent over the
country by mail. Butter and cheese are
thus shipped, and wine is marketed by post
In two-bottle lots. Most of these syndi-
Gates have their own libraries, and it is
largely due to them that the national gov
eminent has established a bank with fund
Of about 100000, which has been loaned
out to farmers at per cent interest. They
have also decreased the taxes on farm lands
and provided that certain lands shall be ex-
empt from taxation.
These syndicates buy things In quantities
for their members, and 1t might pay our
exporters of farm implements and fertiliz-
ers to treat directly with them.
Taxes in France.
Speaking of taxes, the tax exemptions of
the farmers have caused a decrease in the
revenue Of s5,000,OO0, and this came from
the very smallest Of the taxpayers. Never
theless. there are some taxes almost in
finitesimal. There are more than 5000 OOO
persons in this country who each pay a
land tax ranging from 10 to 20 cents; more
than 100000 pay from 81 to So, and there
are more than 100000 land holders who
each pay from 81 to S. per annum. If a
farmer pays rent of less than $50 he Is I'M
taxed. If he pays $50 he is taxed only on