THE CONDITIONS OP RURAL LIFE IN 19x3-014 67 



employment of machinery. General fall in the price of land, which has, 

 however, shown a tendency to cease of recent years. Decline of small local 

 industiies ; the few occupations of this kind still followed are little remune- 

 rative and do not prevent the emigration of agricultural labourers. Indus- 

 trialization of the region. 



Region III (South-East). — Land of slight fertility, or lying in the 

 mountainous districts unfavourable to the emplo5mient of machinery, is 

 left fallow. Most of the destroyed vineyards have been replaced by arti- 

 ficial meadows. The keeping of milch-cows is very profitable in Jura and 

 Doubs, especially in districts near the towns or industrial centres. The 

 Gruyere cheese industry is making great progress. There is in certain dis- 

 tricts of Upper Savoy a development of market-gardening, some of the 

 products finding a market in Switzerland. The selling price of land had much 

 decreased but has tended to rise of recent years. Small local industries are 

 in full decline. 



Region IV (South). — Disappearance of madder crops. Crisis in the 

 cultivation of olive-trees owing to a disease of the tree and a fall in the price 

 of the oil. Decline of silkworm rearing : mulberry-trees are being uprooted 

 in many villages. Progress in the cultivation of forage plants and recon- 

 ?titution of vineyards in Gard and Var. Land on slopes is left fallow, but 

 where the climate allows market-gardening, the culture of early vegetables, 

 table grapes and fruit of every kind has been much developed. 



Region V (South-West). — Reconstitution of vineyards ; develop- 

 ment in stock farming and in the growing of fruit and early vegetables. 

 Horse and sheep breeding has made much progress in Basses-Pyrenees. 

 The production of sheep's milk for making Roquefort cheese is very profi- 

 table. In this department the price of land has tended to rise. Progres- 

 sive disappearance of the charcoal-burning industry. 



Region VI (Central Massif). — Vines are still grown on certain slopes. 

 On the level land stock-farming and horticulture are more and more pur- 

 sued. The dairy industry directed to the manufacture of Roquefort cheese 

 is very prosperous in Aveyron. The lace-making industry, which is little 

 remunerative, is localized in Haute-Loire. The price of land seems to have 

 changed little in the villages of this district. 



Region VII (West Central). — Formation of numerous artificial mea- 

 dows ; development of stock-farming and the dairy industry in Charente, 

 where the emigration due to the viticultural crisis tends to decrease while 

 the price of land, which had fallen considerably, is gradually rising. In 

 Eure-et-Loire fallow land has disappeared and given place to beetroot, 

 potato and forage crops ; industrial dairies have be^n set up. The value 

 of land is now increa^^in'g in many districts. Disappearance of small arti- 

 sans. Partial reconstitution of vineyards and osier-plantations in Loiret ;. 

 installation of sugar-refineries which have entailed a development of beet- 

 root growing. Many grasslands formed in Sarthe, and large extension of 

 early vegetable growing in Mans. 



Region VITI (West). — Colza, buckwheat and rye crops gradually 

 given up, and much arable land converted into pasture. Development of 



