New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-24
GRAPES AND TARIFFS.
Duties Collected at Gates Of Paris ON
Fruits Carried By Carts.
Paris, September 10.

, <erce tariff war is raging round the little
psyflions which stand on guard at the gates oi
parts At each opening in the belt OF the Ior'i-
ncstsons of the capital liveried officials collect
the hated tax on goods of whatever klhu
brought from the open country into the city
The most innocent picnic party returning Win
luncheon baskets from the outlying WOODS anu
r,>sSovs must stand and deliver when caieo
upon at the pavilion of the octroi collector anu
y,n,ass the "open sesame" Of nothing TO ue-
clare can be uttered with a firm voice anu
honest countenance baskets and bags WIN Oe
npened and a tiresome delay 1nhlcteo- IL
tur, nv rail does not help either, for at Ill
.h. exits of the town stations policemen are
n,snted to make the same inquis1torlaI oeiilanuS
and take the tax :. 49,
p,,t tho annie of dfscord at this moment is the
crane. which is at the height Of its popuiaIi'S'
Until this season there has been uniform outS
an cranes of < francs 20 centimes (about SlJ "
81. 100 kiIos This tax has now peeh Iahei4
~ cranes which are brought into farIS Aoi
tab,e consumption by quick trains ana oepo'
NED not at the gates, but at the statioi'' 4
the strict Interpretation given 10 Inc n0"
of August 10 has caused an anomaly d. w.
,r,vers of the departments OF SEINE anu So
- o,se are Justly furious Inc oSi
s-ruvn by perhaps the same person 80
r~~ch by road of Paris Is taxed d. ' -.
xuS,fl IL e-ran
sre exempt ... o+ cranes
$3.50 no1padavs in these two departments
&c paris and sent into the city by tram
cart truck or borne on the packs OIL nlen'
10 ron,naratiyeIy insignificant In the o13'"i'
times of the first cruSades "neh e00
vure few and canals were noI' anu "N' 49,
Consequence of these two facts Wine was Pc
t.r~s consumed on the spot which produced IT,
~. wines of Paris and the Paris zone were hlgn-
n esteemed. Even so late as the nrs' uecdu0'
az the fourteenth century the taOle OIL his
Philippe Auguste at the Louvre was always sup
vfied with these home grown W1nes' anu tii0 'a
.4v,onfcIes of the times often mention the crus
with appreciation. The special royal Vlneyaro
wss situated where the Opera and the Avenue
L. yonera now stand, but larger one was on
ehs Montagne- Sainte- Genevieve, on the olher
stds of the city; the slopes Of this hill, no"
6er,tnated by the beautiful Pantheon, were then
entirely covered with vines. But tunes nave
changed. The only vineyard now Ie1t "iInih
ehs walls Of Paris is on the slopes OF Mont
rsssrtre, close to the great new cathedral OF the
escre Coeur the beautiful landmark which can
10 seen against the sky from the railway long
before the capital is reached This little "clos,"
eanststing of only $50 vines. will in its turn dis
appear, for the site is already sold for building
purposes Indeed, sentiment apart, the vine
yard is not worth much commercially. Last
year the few barrels of wine it yielded were so
aesd as to be scarcely drinkabe- The day OF
tins ~Cru Lamarque" is over.
Wine growers In the Paris zone have two diff
exiffes to contend against which initiate power
eai1y against their profits, and which account
fse the falling of In the size Of the "clos.
These are the late spring frosts in April and
Ray and the sudden fall IN the temperature
which In September and October prevents the
grapes from maturing perfectly. Many schemes
sf defence against these enemies have been
Syted, but with little success that many acres
se land have been withdrawn from grape culture
end turned into vegetable gardens. Although
foeaI1y called, sells well In its district and
In Paris, 1t is too sharp to be wholly pleasant
10 many palates, and it Is yielding gradually to
Shs magnificent asparagus which takes its name
from the district, and which Is highly
taerned by Western epicures. Experiments are
scfng made with. American vines to graft the
foreign growths upon local varieties. expert
neegIts attended with many complex problems
artztng from the variable nature of the soil
throughout the department Of Seine-et-Oise, At
the best, it is however. hardly likely that the
wines Of the country around Paris will
compete seriously with the softer and richer
wines Of the sunny South.
But, whatever may be the verdict of the public
ha Pa re xTyfrHo Ie -