FARMERS' REGISTER 



267 



cal princi|iles, beinji: in <;eiieral of enormous 

 lengili ; llie carts which are used for ihe carriaixc 

 of <rooils, are not al)0ve two-thirds kg wide, and 

 certainly luo-lhirds ion<fer liian ihose in Entrlaiid ; 

 ihey travel in larj^e companies, (iequenily IG, 18, 

 or 20 in a stiing togeiher, especially in the south- 

 east of France, each drawn by a smgle horse, 

 with abuul liall a dozen drivers allending them. 

 The charette, or cart in common use, consists 

 principally ol' two parts — the carriage and the 

 body; the carriage part is very simple, tieinsx 

 composed oC two long shafts of wood, about 20 

 ieet in length, comiected logeiher by cross bars, 

 so as to Ibrm the bed ; on this the boards are laid, 

 as occasion may require: in the same manner, 

 (he sides, a from and back, may lie added at plea- 

 sure. The a.xle and wheels are in the usual i)lace 

 and form. The moveable body is fixed on this 

 carriage ; it consists of a similar frame work, of 

 two shafts, connected b}' cross bars. This body 

 moves upon an axleirec, and extending some ieet 

 beyond the carriage bcliind, it is let down with 

 ease to recover iis load, while the body, moving 

 on a pivot, or axle, is easily purchased up from 

 before. 



In France, before the revoluiion, and even since 

 that event, tlie conslruclion and repair of the roads 

 is entirely lodged with llie government. 'I'he 

 great miliiary roads, eapecially that over tlie Sim- 

 plon, are excellent, with respect lo the principle 

 on which they are constructed, the materials ol 

 which they are formed, and Ihe whole of iheir 

 execution. But ihe roads which were not neces- 

 sary lor miliiary purposes have in many places 

 been greatly neglected, although it was staled, in 

 the year 180G, by the minister of finance, that more 

 than lhirl3'five millions of Irancs were annually 

 rcquisiie lor the reparation of the roads and public 

 works. In 1809, a colleciion of laws was prinled 

 regarding the management of ihe roads ; in which 

 a law passed in ilie linie of the republic, ll^r esia- 

 biishing the use ol' liroad cylindrical wheels, is 

 strongly enforced. According lo this law, the 

 wheels of heavy wagons were to be nine inches 

 three lines broad ; and they are allowed to carry 

 only a ceitain weight, which varies during the 

 five winter and seven summer months. It was 

 also enacted, that in ihose pans of the kingdom 

 where the roails were paved, the passing upon the 

 pavement should l)e suspended (luring those sea- 

 eons when ihey were likely to be injured, and the 

 side roads alone should be used. The weight al- 

 lowed to be carried was not only to vary in winter 

 and summer, but also according to the Ibrm ol'the 

 wheels ; and, in order lo enlbrce this law, weigh- 

 ing engines were lo be erected, and the owners ol' 

 carriages exceeding the legal weights were de- 

 clared liable to severe fines. Eut ihese laws have 

 been very partially enlbrccd ; so ihat some of the 

 best roads in France, under the old government, 

 have liillen into complete disrepair, 'liiis has been 

 very particularly the case wiih the lamous chausee 

 of Languedoc, wliich begins at Villeneuve, 

 whence it crosses the whole province. The cross 

 roads have sutiered still more than the main roads 

 since the revolution ; and both have sullered more 

 in the Ailantic tieparlnienls, than iu any oilier dis- 

 tricts of France. Throughout tlie whole de[tarl- 

 meni of Finiolerre. the cross roads are in a most 

 wretched slaie. The roads, in several respects, 

 ditiier frouj the roads in England: thev are tre- 



nerally broad, always straiglit, paved, and planted 

 on boih sides with chestnut trees, poplars, walnut, 

 mulberry, and other fruit trees. There are 28 

 principal roads from Paris to the boundaries of the 

 kingdom. Turnpike gates and tolls have been es- 

 tablished since the revolution, at the distance of 

 five kilometers Irom each other. 



The slate of agriculture in any country may 

 generally be pretty well ascertained iioin the ro- 

 tation of crops which is pursued. If these are 

 conducted on good principles, the agriculture can 

 scarcely be very bad ; on the contrary, if bad ro- 

 tations are pursued, agriculture has made very tri- 

 fling advances towards perleciion. If we judge of 

 France according to this rule, we shall decide, 

 that, though over by (ar the greatest part of the 

 kingdom agriculture is in a miserable state, yet in 

 some parts it is well understood and flourishing. 



We have already mentioned the divisions of 

 France into districts, according to the nature oj" the 

 soil; we shall now note the principal rotations 

 pursued in each district. In the district of rich 

 loam, two rolalions principally prevail, according 

 10 one of which, in Flanders and part of Artois, 

 there is no fallow, but a constant succession of 

 crops. The most approved and productive rotation 

 is found between Valenciennes and Lisle : it con- 

 sists ot" wheat, and turnips after it the same year; 

 oats, clover, wheat, hemp, wheat, flax, coleseed, 

 wheat, beans, wheal. In the provinces of Picar- 

 dy. Isle of France, Normandy, and ihe oilier parts 

 of Artois, the usual rotation was not in genera! so 

 good, consisting of fidlow, wheat, and spring corn. 

 In some parts of Normandy, however, Itillows are 

 not known ; and in oiher parts, especially between 

 Dieppe and Kouen, where the soil is a deep hazel 

 mould upon chalk, lallow occurs only once in six 

 years; the rotation being lallow, wheat, peas, 

 vetches, flax, or rape seed : wheat, clover, oats. 

 In the rich plain of Alsace, the fields are never 

 liillowed ; the fallow crops being potatoes, poppies 

 lor oil, peas, maize, vetches, clover, beans, hemp, 

 tobacco, and cabbages. In the Limague ol Au- 

 vergne, one of^the richest districts of France, 

 fallows are partially used ; but the usual rotations 

 in other respects, are so severe, that, only such a 

 soil and climate could bear ihem ; it is not unusual 

 lo sow rye after wheat, and wheat after rye. The 

 latter grain is often sown on their best land ; and 

 wheat on their worst : a common rotation is bar- 

 ley, rye. hemp, rye : wheat is grown also after 

 beans: two crops in the year are not unusual. 



Ae soon as ever the maize district of France is 

 entered upon, fiillows disappear; that grain being 

 cultivated in such a manner as to preclude ihe ne- 

 cessity of a fallow. In the plain of the Garonne, 

 the usual rotation is maize, wheat ; and here also 

 is first lijund the culture of dilierent species of 

 vetches, which are sown both in Sepiember and 

 in the spring; anti, together with hemp and maize, 

 assist in baiiisliing fallows. Yet even in this 

 highly Javored district, rye is often grown where 

 wheat might be cultivated with advantage. Tur- 

 nips are a secon<l crop after wheat and rye. The 

 culture of ihe while lupin is common here. 



In the healh distiici great; quantities of buck 

 wheal are grown, and in some parts parsnips : but 

 broom is tlie great object and source of profit; the 

 common course being broom sown with oats. The 

 broom is fed lor three or four years, and then cut ; 

 after it wheul is lakeO; then rye, buckwheat, and 



