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On Pasturages, their importance and their extent, in the dif- 

 ferent countries of Europe. 



M^, MoKEAU DE JoNNES read, a few months ago, to the French 

 Institute, a memoir entitled, Statistical inquiries respecting- the 

 extent a/nd the nature of Pasturages in the different parts of 

 Europe. 



The author commenced with shewing the defects of the sys- 

 tems of cuhivation in which the subsistence of nations is left de- 

 pendent upon the uncertain chances of the harvests of cereal 

 vegetables. The frequent famines to which all the countries 

 of Europe have for many ages been subject, sufficiently attest 

 the unavoidable danger attendant upon the use of these sys- 

 tems. 



A new system of cultivation has been lately introduced and 

 progressively improved among different nations, and particular- 

 ly in England, where it has produced the most happy results. 

 Not only has the proportion of land devoted to pasturage been 

 extended, but this land has been rendered incomparably more 

 fertile of vegetables adapted for the food of cattle. The in- 

 fluence of this happy modification appears to have been immense. 

 To give an idea of its extent and power, M. Moreau de Jonnes, 

 passing in review the different nations of Europe, shewed that 

 the agricultural and commercial prosperity and well-being of 

 the inhabitants are everywhere in direct proportion to the extent 

 of land left for pasturage, whether in improved natural mea- 

 dows or in artificial meadows. In these respects, England is 

 at the head of the European countries, while Spain, in which 

 the cultivation of artificial meadows is entirely unknown, is the 

 lowest in the scale. 



The author particularly compared England and France. 

 There results from important documents that, with respect to 

 the latter country, agricultural improvement is at the point at 

 which the former was a century ago ; and that, to equal Eng- 

 land, France would have to make tlie, immense progress which, 

 since that time, has more than doubled the agricultural prospe- 

 rity and well-being of that country. 



England not only surpasses France with reference to the 



