266 CATTLE AND DAIRY FARMING. 



DIVISION OF LAND AND CATTLE BREEDING IN FEANCE. 



REPORT BY VICE-CONSUL MARTIN, OF MARSEILLES. 

 OLD-TIME CATTLE-BREEDING IN FRANCE. 



Until a comparatively recent date the French peasant appeared to 

 attach no value to cattle beyond that arising from their produce in labor 

 or in milk. Every animal that was born was either expected to do serv- 

 ice and toil in its peculiar capacity for the whole term of its active life, 

 and was seldom turned over to the butcher before he had reached the 

 age of ten years or more, or be slaughtered for consumption as soon as 

 weaned and before its keeping would become an expense to its owner. 



Hence the favor that veal still finds in France as an article of food, 

 and probably also the great natural fault of the generality of French 

 breeds, viz, slow maturity. 



Under these circumstances the farmer who, partly on account of the 

 advanced age of the animal and partly through the collusion of the 

 butchers, could not even obtain the price originally paid for his cattle, 

 had come to look upon it as a sort of necessary evil, and made no effort 

 to improve or even to maintain the integrity of the original French 

 breeds. 



INSTITUTION OP CATTLE SHOWS IN FRANCE. 



In 1854 the Government, perceiving the danger of this disposition of 

 French farmers, instituted annual shows in the several regions of the 

 country, where prizes were awarded to the best specimens of agricult- 

 ural produce, and especially of cattle, with particular attention to im- 

 provement in the direction of meat product and early maturity. At the 

 same time the growing welfare of the people brought about a marked 

 increase in the consumption of meat, naturally attended by an advance 

 in prices. 



The farmer was not long in finding out that he could realize a profit 

 in the sale of his stock if it was brought to the market in a fair condi- 

 tion, and perceived the advantage of renewing it oftener, and at the 

 same time made some effort stewards improving its qualities and mend- 

 ing its faults. 



CATTLE CENSUS OF FRANCE. 



As* to quantity there does not seem to have been decided progress 

 made in the last fifty years. As far back as 1837, a census made in 

 that year fixed the number of horned cattle at 9,936,538. In 1866, after 

 the annexation of Savoy and Nice, it was estimated to be some 12,000,000 ; 

 in 1876, after the loss of the rich provinces of Alsace and Lorrain, it 

 was reduced to 11,351,220; and the returns for 1880, the last published, 

 give an aggregate of 11,446,253. 



That this number is not sufficient to meet the wants of the population 

 is shown by the amount of importation of neat cattle in the same year, 

 1880, which was no less than 196,508 heads and exceeded the exporta- 

 tion by 137,207. 



In 1881 the difference fell to 74,277 heads, but in 1882 it again rose to 

 108,571. The importation of butcher's meat is also large, and amounted 

 for the three years above named, respectively, to 8,518,500, 5,745,100, 

 and 6,028,500 kilograms. 



DIVISION OF LAND IN FRANCE. 



That the breeding of cattle does not keep pace with the increasing 

 consumption of meat, nor find sufficient encouragement in the conse* 



