The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-11-16

willows are grown in the same way, theil
sprouts being used for baskets.
The French make money out Of chestnuts
| They grow varieties which are from two
| to three times as large as the American
chestnut. and sell them to the fruit stands
and the groceries.
The chestnuts are used to dress turkeys
| geese, chickens and game, and they are also
| used for dessert.
1ne confectIoners make candy Of them
and the best tandied chestnuts bring q
cents per pound. or II coated with choco'
late, 81 cents q pound.
There are large establishment in France
which do nothing else, one at Lyons hand
Ling 100000 pounds OF chestnuts q year.
The French chestnut trees are not Guilt.
waited.
They are usually planted on poor earth
and in time are cut for their wood.
Some chestnutS are grated, and there 1.
no doubt but that the French and Spanish
chestnut can be grated on our native
| American sprouts.
In fact. I have done this on my farm ir
Virginia and rave there produced nuts a.
large as the largest buckeye.
AMERICANS MAKE CHESTNUT
| GRATING PROFITABLE.
There are men in PENNSYLVANIA ana New
Jersey who are making such chestnut
grating commercially profitable.
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.
They command good prices In such local.
ties.
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 Q or 8 cents a pound.
I have already written OF the market
l learn moro about them every day. and
am more and more surprised at their ex-
celIence.
The French have 100000 acres devoted TO
gardens and fruits.
In riding over the country you pass fields
OF hotbeds and see glass frames propped
over plants outside the beds.
In many places glass bells are used to
cover the individual plants, ana there are
some sections which raise potatoes under
glass for export to London.
The French have studied the soil and the
sun and they coax both to work.
They feed the crops rather than the a
and in places get three crops q year
through Intensive cultivation.
Near Cherbourg cabbage IL raised early
IN February
After 1t is taken OF . crop Of potatoes
Is planted and q third crop comes on in
the autumn.
This is on land that has been used for
generations. -
And still we Americans talk Of old Mother
Earth being worn out.
Nothing of the kind.
The old lady has all the possibilities OF
perpetual youth. but, coquette that she Is,
she must be fed with the dainties she loves
and petted to make her yield her best crops.
This 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. I might say. Its Individual treat
ment.
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 proper
~tionately Increase the amount of heat. and
the fruit fipens eaflief.
FOUR HUNDRED MILES
OF WALLS NEAR PARIS.
1 nave seen garden after garden outside
big French cities walled IN this way.
1t is estimated that there are 400 miles
OF such walls in the suburbs of Paris and
that they annually yield 1900 600 peaches
The peaches are sold by the piece and
bring a franc and upward.
Indeed. / have seen peaches sell for Is
cents and q apiece, but they were probably
raised under glass.
Suburban Paris has pear orchards which
produce as much as 500 per acre. and there
Is n noted for Its early pears which yields
more than 1900 a year.
II contains ave acres.
The French export fruit In great guam
titles, and good fruit land Is very valuable,
the best selling for 100 or even more per
ssFTTsocf slqsIoAsJ NJ iss1nco 70 u sIqL
III