The Corn and Cattle Producing Districts of France. By George
Gibson Richardson. (Cassell and Co.)—Arthur Young's book on "French Farming " appeared nearly a hundred years ago. Of course, its value has by this time become simply historical. Hence there was plenty of room for Mr. Richardson's work, a work founded, in a con- aiderable measure, on personal observation, supplemented by careful study and compluison of all available documents. These documents are sufficiently numerous, the statistical returns which hero are optional being obligatory in France, and allowing for errors—some of which Mr. Richardson points out—probably at least approximately correct. The writer's plan is to give an introductory chapter, in which he treats of such subjects as " population," " division of estates," &c., and gives a general outline of the condition of agriculture, and then to deal with each province ; for he keeps for the purpose of the book to the old divisions, which, indeed, still survive in popular usage. He has produced a work which should be remarkably interesting, not only to the agriculturist, but to the general reader. The details about the working of the law of division of estates are noteworthy. It seems, like most other laws, to be neither an unmixed good nor an unmixed evil. There are nine million landowners. That is a good thing, with- out question. But then these nine millions have nearly a hundred and fifty million lots of property,—i.e., every one has about sixteen, often, says our author, miles apart. Sometimes the inconvenience produces a remedy. At Esti des, St. Denis, for instance, the land was so subdivided that each lot was something less, on an average, than the twelfth-part of an acre. The whole was put together, divided into lots of half to ! three-quarters of an acre, and sold, by consent of the whole com- munity. The value was in some instances multiplied tenfold It is not unfrequent to have the land reallotted. Still great inconveni- ences remain. and the general effect is to diminish Fodue- tion. The average of corn grown is much smaller than in England and this though the soil is, on the whole, better, the sands not so light, the clays not so unmanageable. Agricultural machines are, of course, little used by men who farm on so small a scale. It must not be supposed that Mr. Richardson never goes beyond the strict boundaries of his sub- ject. Ho gives us glimpses of scenery and of social life now and then, and he has illustrated his book with some very elegant drawings. We shall end by quoting a fact which should encourage an industry too much neglected in this country. In Maine alone £60,000 aro annually realised from the sale of honey.
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