FRANCE. 



271 



give rise to numerous factories for the preparation of essential oils and 

 perfumery, and to an important production of honey. 



The drought is nearly permanent, and is broken only by floods of rain 

 which are more injurious than beneficial, as they frequently occasion 

 dangerous inundations and carry away a good deal of precious vegeta- 

 ble earths. 



In the Valley of the Ehone the rainy days only number from 120 to 

 130 in the year, and 53 on the Mediterranean shore, and still the rainfall 

 is larger than in any other parts of France, and averages 38 and 26 

 inches respectively. 



The climate is more moderate on the sea-shore where the mean tem- 

 perature is 72 in summer and 42 in winter. In the interior the mean 

 winter temperature is 35. 



The prevalent winds are the northwest or mistral, a cold and violent 

 wind, and the southeast or rainy wind. 



CAMARGUE CATTLE. 



The only original cattle breed of the region is the Camargue breed. 

 Its only interest lies in the fact that it lives in a semi-wild condition in 

 the Camargue, a marshy delta of the riv^er Ehone. It is of small size 

 and measures about 4 feet 4 inches ; its color is generally black, some- 

 times red ; the head is elongated ; the horns are long and in the shape 

 of a bow. 



There are no stables in the delta, and the herds are allowed to roam 

 through the island at liberty all the year round. 



When the young calves are born they are fastened to pickets sunk in 

 the ground and have to wait until their mothers are willing to come and 

 nurse them. 



No use has ever been made of the breed except for bull-fights, and it 

 is rapidly disappearing. 



At the present day there are not more than eight hundred head liv- 

 ing in Camargue. All the other cattle found in the region is imported 

 from other parts of France, or Algiers, Sardinia, and Italy. 



FRENCH IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF CATTLE. 



To close this report and give an idea of the cattle trade as carried on 

 in France, I have appended the following schedule of the importation 

 and exportation of cattle for the year 1882 : 



IMPORTS. 



