THE POSSIBILITIES OF AGRICULTURE. IO5 



About Roscoff, which is a great centre in Brittany 

 for the export to England of such potatoes as will keep 

 till late in summer, and of all sorts of vegetables, a 

 territory, twenty-six miles in diameter, is entirely given 

 to these cultures, and the rents attain and exceed $ 

 per acre. Nearly 300 steamers call at Roscoff to ship 

 potatoes, onions and other vegetables to London and 

 different English ports, as far north as Newcastle. 

 Moreover, as much as 4000 tons of vegetables are sent 

 every year to Paris.* And although the Roscoff penin- 

 sula enjoys a specially warm climate, small stone walls 

 are erected everywhere, and rushes are grown on their 

 tops in order to give still more protection and heat to 

 the vege tables. t The climate is improved as well as 

 the soil. 



In the neighbourhoods of Cherbourg it is upon land 

 conquered from the sea that the best vegetables are 

 grown more than 800 acres of that land being given 

 to potatoes exported to London; another 500 acres 

 are given to cauliflower; 125 acres to Brussels sprouts; 

 and so on. Potatoes grown under glass are also sent 

 to the London market from the middle of April, and the 

 total export of vegetables from Cherbourg to England 

 attains 300,000 cwts., while from the small port of Bar- 

 fleur another 100,000 cwts. are sent to this country, and 

 about 60,000 cwts. to Paris. Nay, in a quite small 

 commune, Surtainville, near Cherbourg, 2800 are made 

 out of 1 80 acres of market gardens, three crops being 

 taken every year : cabbage in February, early potatoes 

 next, and various crops in the autumn to say nothing 

 of the catch crops. At Ploustagel one hardly believes 

 that he is in Brittany. Melons used to be grown at 

 that spot, long since, in the open fields, with glass frames 

 to protect them from the spring frosts, and green peas 

 were grown under the protection of rows of furze which 



* Charles Baltet, loc. cit. 



t Ardouin Dumazet, Voyage en France, vol. v., p. 10. 



