The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1910-10-07
Farmers In France.

results or my observations OF the peo-
pie OF France in a single letter, but
when one makes careful study OF the
people of this country, even for a
brief time, he finds 1t impossible to
write of city and country life as he
finds 1t here, at the same time. In no
commonwealth of the world can such
contrast be found between the PEG.
pie of the country and those of the
cities. In all l have ever read of the
people of France, either in history or
current literature, | have yet to read
that which honestly portrays the true
character of the rural population of
this country. History teaches us, and
| believe correctly, that France has al.
ways been ruled by Paris, but IL the
rural population was taken from
France the republic would not endure
for single year.
Geology.
To have an intelligent understand
ing of the people of any country
makes 1t necessary that we know
something of the soil from which they
live. Alphabetically, this country can
be divided into four districts so far as
it's Soil Is concerned. In the south we
find the thinnest and poorest soils, the
formation being limestone and gyp-
sum. The central basin, that is, the
valleys of the Seine and Loire rivers,
is glacial drift as is also the east
ern part. The southwestern plateau,
including the divide between the
above named rivers, is magnesia
formation in which one finds much
jasper, the soil being rather poor. In
the north the formation for the most
part is sandstone, terminating in
granite at the extreme northeast.
The people of the central, western
and northern districts are the same,
their lives being influenced and con-
trolled by the same industries, the
same sentiments and the same tradi-
people are quite different socially, po-
litically and additionally from those
in the other three districts.
Flora.
The natural plant life differs widely
in the different districts. In parts of
the south the flora is almost semi
tropical. Here is found the fig and
olive in favored localities; the grape
is present everywhere; chestnuts are
found upon the ridges; while pines
and many species of hard wood make
up the forests.
In the central and southwestern dis
triCts soft woods predominate-lynn,
ash, maple, oak, beech and elm upon
the better soils; iron wood, pine and
locust upon the ridges; while our own
willows, cottonwood and sycamore are
found along the streams. In the east,
pine is the chief growth.
In the north one finds hard and soft
woods about equally divided. In the
good soils maple, ash, oak, elm and
cottonwood are found growing. At
high elevations and upon the sand
plains near the coast pine is found
growing in a way profitable to both
people and state.
The state forestry system is good
one, the forests being well kept and
preserved throughout the common
wealth. Not piece of wood is wasted
anywhere. Anything that can not be
for fuel
Fauna.
The bird and animal life does not
differ greatly from that of the United
States. The nightingale is occasion
ally heard in the central basin mead
ow larks, sparrows, hawks, crows, rob.
bins, orioles, swallows, bullfinches and
a kind of hooking bird not unlike our
socalled cat-bird of the northern states
are to be seen daily in the farming dis.
tricts and forests.
While passing through forest near
the German frontier l saw deer and
wild swine, but no attempt was made
to shoot them by any of the party
this being forbidden by law. In fact
one cannot carry firearms here of any
kind without a special permit.
Farms and Their Productions.
The farms of France are generally
small, ranging from a hectare to a
HuIuItu Vi luSlI, tut httldlt DtluS
FAC acres. Until the French revolu-
ton the land of France was held in
large feudal estates, but one of the
good results of the revolution was the
division of these large estates into
small homes for the poor people.
The live stock farmers, or breeders,
now own the larger farms. These
farms are partitiOned by well kept
hedges, and every part of the farm is
made to produce something. There is
no land in France so fertile as the
good land of Nebraska yet the produc-
ton here more than doubles that of
Nebraska, area for area, and in some
instances is several times as much.
This is made possible by the much
better system of farming which pre-
walls over here. A French farmer
would take forty acres of good Ne
hraska soil and make it produce more
than any 100 acres farmed by an
American. The poorest ridges here,
with scarcely any soil upon them, are
producing larger grain crops than ever
hna I'd 90 IT, cfn &c