97 



taken from tlie patlis. In tlie following spring tlie clods must be broken witk 

 a rake. 



" Digging. — The madder cultivated in strong, dry soils may be removed in 

 three years, and from wet lands in eighteen months. Thus the madder of the 

 mountain requires three years to mature well, while the paluds may be dug in 

 from one and a half to three years. The roots should not be extracted until 

 the seed has been produced. Some cultivators, who are pressed for the moneyed 

 results of their labors, do not wait for the seed ; but the madder thus prematurely 

 gathered is of an inferior quality. 



" The ramifications of the stalk are first cut, dried, and threshed for the 

 seed ; the straw, or refuse, is saved as fodder for cattle. The roots are then 

 dug with the spade or fork, and as their length will average one and a half feet, 

 it can be seen that their removal leaves the land in a prepared state for some 

 other crop. 



" Drying. — When dug they are spread on the aire, (usually a level spot of 

 ground paved with brick,) where they are dried by the action of the sun and 

 air. When the larger roots may be easily broken, they should be heaped up, 

 so that the smaller tips [j^ettis couts) may become thoroughly dry. Care must 

 be taken that this place be free from dampness. 



" Trituration. — When the roots are sufficiently dry they are embaled and 

 sent to the manufacturers, where they are stored in a well-ventilated granary. 

 It is taken from the granary in proportion to each day's demand, and, having 

 caused it to lose 15 to 16 per cent, of water in a drying oven, it is passed under 

 a large mill-stone and ground to powder. The bolters keep the coarser portion 

 for a second grinding." 



The following table of expenses (recently received) is from the statement of 

 Mr. A. de Speyr, of Avignon. It is derived from many years' experience in the 

 cultivation of madder in the department of Vaucluse : 



Expenses ^er hectare (two and a half acres) hy manual labor. 



FIRST YEAR, 



Days in winter for breaking or ploughing 



Manure, (dung, ) wagons of , 



Carting 



Seed, kils , 



Sowing, days' work of men and women . 



Weeding, days' work of women 



Covering in summer three times...,, 



Covering in winter, fixed price 



Kent of land 



Interest at 10 per cent , 



Soft soil, (paluds.) 



44 at frs. 2 = 88.00 

 22 at frs. 20 = 440.00 

 22 at frs. 6 = 132 00 



1,134.92 



Compact soil. 



90 at frs. 2 = 180.00 



22 at frs. 20 = 440.00 



22 at frs. 6 = 132.00 



34.00 



24.00 



66.00 



34.00 



24.75 



132.00 



1,090.75 

 109.00 



1, 199.75 



