68 



Journal of Agriculture. 



[lo Feb., 1910. 



nurseryman, whose grafted vines are now playing so imix)rtant a 

 part in the reconstitution of our vineyards, and from whom i received 

 much information of great value as w'ill be seen later. 



Montpellier is a fine tow^n of 80,000 inhabitants, possessing a Uni- 

 versity in addition to its celebrated Viticultural School. It is the capital 

 of the department of Herault, the most important in France so far as 

 wine production is concerned. This department, together with the ad- 

 joining ones of Aude, Gard and Pvrenees-Orientales, make up the region 

 generally known, from a viticultural point of view especially, as Le Midi 

 (The South). This region, with its million of acres under vines, produced 

 in 1907 the enormous yield of 672,540,000 gallons, or nearly half of the 

 total wine production of France in that year. The department of 

 Herault, and more particularly the district in the neighlx)urhood of Mont- 

 pellier, may be taken as typical of the whole region known as Le Midi. 

 Before entering on the description of viticultural conditions and methods 

 followed in these departments, it will be w^ell to trv to give some idea of 

 the importance of the vine industr\- of France and its bearing on the 

 economic and social condition of the countn.-. 



National Importance of the French Wine Industry. . 

 In a non wdne-drinking country, such as Australia, it is hard to realize 

 the national importance of the vine industry of France. In order to bring 

 this vividly before the public of England, M. Leenhardt had wall 

 sheets prepared which were displayed at the Franco-British ExhiViition 

 held in London in 1908, from these a few extracts are here made — 



Wine Production of the World. 



Eurojje 



America 



Other 3 countries 

 producing wine 



26 Wine-producing countries 



