84 The Poultry of France. 



a snm ten times as large as the official returns assis^n to the whole 

 of the three " arrondissements," Of this sum 136,000/., accord- 

 ing' to M. Delafosse, is paid by the purveyors of Paris to three 

 communes alone in these proportions : — 



£. 



Goussainville 64,000 



Saint Liibinde la Haye 60,000 



Havelu ..' 12,000 



136,000 



The remainder is drav/n from other communes or purchased 

 by poulterers of Versailles, St. Germain, tScc. The inference 

 drawn from the comparison of these two statements is that M. de 

 Lavergne is quite within the mark when he multiplies the 

 official return by three. 



The Management of Fowls. 



To get an insight into the general management of poultry in 

 France, our best course will be to state in detail how some of the 

 most noted breeds are kept by breeders of the greatest experience, 

 that we may learn from a comparison what is essential to success 

 or worthy of our imitation ; bearing in mind that if we leave 

 the beaten track in management, half measures will be of no 

 avail : Nature's ways are very complete after their kind, and if 

 we strike out a new line we must use much intelligence, vigi- 

 lance, care, and method, or else we may fail egregiously. 



An Account of La Bresse and its Poultry. 



La Bresse, which now constitutes the " arrondissement " of 

 Bourg in the department of Ain, extends from the banks of the 

 Saone eastward to the spurs of the Jura, and consists of three 

 very distinct districts. The western district joining the Saone 

 is populous (having 97 inhabitants to 100 acres), the lands, 

 which mostly belong to the occupiers, are Avorth froin 80/. to 

 lOOZ. per acre, more than half being in excellent pasture, and 

 much stock is kept ; in the district on the extreme east, adjoining 

 . the mountains, the population (23 to 100 acres) is alert, hard- 

 working, and frugal, but hardly lives at ease ; there are 100 

 acres of arable to 22 of meadow, for which the vineyards are but 

 a poor substitute ; much of the land is still waste. 



The central region (which includes the towns of Bourg and 

 Coligny) is in most respects midway between the other two ; 

 most of the soil is reclaimed or on the point of being so, and 

 the rents (now 24^. to 32^. per acre) have doubled since the 

 old French Revolution. No region has had greater difficulties to 

 surmount than this, none has combated them more vigorously* 



