232 CHEMICO-AGRICULTURAL TOUR. 



patches as with us; thus we may observe stripe after stripe of a few 

 yards in width, extending from one end of a large portion of ground 

 to the other, often as far as the eye can reach ; and these are occu- 

 pied with different crops cultivated in the district, so that in pass- 

 ing through the country you see a succession of variously colored 

 stripes which generally belong to different individuals, and have 

 only a small furrow between each to mark the division of property. 

 This system has arisen from the laws of the country, which, since 

 the Revolution, have enforced the subdivision of property, and 

 given every encouragement to the rural population becoming small 

 freeholders. The laws likewise which relate to inheritance in 

 France, where the children can each demand a share out of every 

 portion of ground which belonged to their deceased parent, have 

 encouraged still further the subdivision of land. 



The evils of this system are now beginning, I understand, to be 

 very generally felt and acknowledged, causing as it has done much 

 confusion as to landed property, and throwing great obstacles in 

 the way of the proper cultivation of the soil ; for, amongst other 

 disadvantages of this system, a great number of these stripes have 

 necessarily no roads running near them or other proper means of 

 access to them ; so that is it only by crossing the land belctnging to 

 the next owner that, in a great many instances these different por- . 

 tions of ground can be got at, either to carry on the necessary opera- 

 tions for their tillage, or for the removal of their crops. Such a 

 system must obviously tend greatly to interfere with the advance- 

 ment of agriculture, and consequently with the welfare and pros- 

 perity of the country. 



Arriving at Strasbourg in the evening, I remained there till the 

 following day, when I proceeded by the Duke of Baden's railway 

 to Heidelberg. This line passes through a very picturesque and 

 fertile plain, lying between the right bank of the river Rhine, and 

 the elevated mountain range of the Scharzwald, or Black Forest, 

 which is so called from the dark tints of the foliage of its wooded 

 heights. 



In this portion of the Grand Duchy of Baden through which the 

 railway passes, besides the usual corn and green crops, maize, to- 

 bacco, hemp, and flax, are grown in considerable quantity ; vines 

 are also cultivated along the hills and higher ground ; and a good 

 deal of oil is obtained from the nuts of the walnut trees, which are 

 very numerous in this district. 



