396 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



Burpundy, Champflgne, &c„ Brandy is also a 

 great article of trade ai Montpellier. It is oC a 

 miliier c^iialiiy than moat ol' the brandies ol' ihe 

 south of France, ami ihereliire better adapted lor 

 makintr 'he liqueurs, Ibr which MoutpelUer is so 

 relebraled. Of all the Froncii brandies, those of 

 Name?, Coiriiac, and Poiiou, which are nearly ol' 

 the same quality, are the most esteemed, because 

 they have a finer taste, and are stronger. The 

 Eiijrlish, Dutch, Flemii=h, and ilamburgers, useii 

 to Take oif' the irrealesl part oT these brandies. 

 The brandies of Ai^jou, Tourrairie, Orleans, which 

 are not of so good a quality as those of Nantes, 

 &r. are most coniminily sent to Paris, and into 

 Fianders. In the heginninji: of the last century, 

 the value of the brandy exported, amounted an- 

 nually to 5,852.900 livres ; in 1778, to 4.660,221 ; in 

 1784, to 11.360,200; in 1787, to 14,689,600; and 

 in 1788, to 14,657,300. 



Vinegar is made in Provence, Guienne, the 

 Orleannois, Anjou, Aunis, Brittany, &c. The 

 Orleans vinegar is esteemed the best. The flavor 

 of the vinegar made in Provence is also good, but 

 being of a red color, from the hue of the grapes 

 from which it is produced, it has a singular appear- 

 ance to a person unused to it. The exportation of 

 vinegar in the beginninor of the last century, 

 air.ounted annually to 34,400 livres; in 1778, to 

 141.893 ; in 1784, to 124,400; in 17o7, to 130,900; 

 and in 1788, to 201,700. 



Cider is mtidc in most of those provinces, the 

 climate of which is not favorable to the grape. 

 Normandy is particularly celebrated for this li- 

 quor, where they also make brandy of it. 



We shall conclude this chapter with a few words 

 resppctinii French horticulture. The fruit gardens 

 at Monireuil are a curious instance of the accu- 

 mulation ol capital in a small space: these gar- 

 dens are said to be worth 400Z. sterling an acre. 

 All the occupiers are propiieturs. "^riie environs 

 of Lyons are celebrated Ibr their excellent arti- 

 chokes : they are carefully conveyed in irreat qimn- 

 ijiies to the tables of the rich all over the kingdom. 

 Vegetables Ibr the table are also cultivated in 

 great p^rlection in Provence, and [)articularly about 

 Aix. The country lor some distance without the 

 town, especially on the south side, is a continued 

 scene of ki'chen jrarden. The vesetable lor which 

 they are most famous, is what they called cardes : 

 a plant very much resemhling the artichoke, hut 

 not growing to a head in the same way. The 

 roots always make part of a Christmas dinner. 

 Ai.x is so fiimous Ibr them, that at this season 

 presents are sent of them from thence all over the 

 country. The salads of Aix also, particularly in 

 winter, arc esteemed uncommonly good. The to- 

 mato or love apple, the aubergine or fruit of the 

 purple egg plant, gourds, and capsicums, are like- 

 wise much cultivated in the gardens of Provence. 

 The inhabitants of RoscolF, a town on the north- 

 ernmost point of the department of Fmisterre, 

 particularly ap;.>ly themselves to the raising vege- 

 tables Ibr the table ; and in thi.s they are so emi- 

 nently successful, thai Brest, Morlaix, and seve- 

 ral other towns, draw their supplies almost eniire- 

 ly Irom them ; and they are sometimes sent as far 

 as L'Orienl and Qnunper, in the southernmost 

 districts of the department. Cauliflowers, brocoli, 

 cabbages, turnips, asparagus and artichokes, are 

 especially produced here in amazing abundance, 

 and of an excellent quality. 



But though France has made great advances 

 in the useful branch of horticulture, she is lar be- 

 hind in the ornamental : The strait avenue, the 

 terrace, and the parterre, with lormal basins, and 

 jets-d'eau, are still the only otjects which, in the 

 opinion of the generality of Frenchmen, can con- 

 stitute real grandeur and beauty in a garden. 



NOTES ON NORTHKRN SILK-CULTURE. 



Continued from page 375. 



Haw silk. The produciion of raw silk is, pro- 

 perly speaking, an agricultural operation. The 

 inquiry whether this may be made profitable, con- 

 cerns directly the agricultural interest; and, under 

 what circumstances it should be encouraged, is ii 

 question which I propose to consider. 



It has been confidently stated, as I have already 

 shown, that raw silk may be produced among us at 

 current prices of labor, for two dollars or two dollara 

 and a quarter per pound. In the cases referred to, 

 however, no allowance was made for land, build- 

 ings, trees, manuring, and the superintendence of 

 the proprietor ; but only fbr the actual labor applied ; 

 and in Mr. McLean's experiment, the labor of the 

 man was rated at not more than half its customary 

 viilue. In Mr. Smiih's case not only were these 

 items not charged, but likewise the board of the 

 young women employed was not brought into the 

 account. It seems to me then only fair to rate the 

 cost of raw silk at three dollars or three dollars and 

 filly cents per lb. At 50 lbs. of silk to an acre, 

 this would be a liberal compensation for labor; 

 and any increase of this product would be an in- 

 crease of profit without a corresponding increase of 

 the cost of production. But this again is making 

 no allowance Ibr accidents. With our inexperience 

 in the silk culture in this country, we are not pre- 

 pared to say what allowance should be made on 

 this account. The worms are liable to various 

 accidents. They are soinetimes swept away by 

 disease in vast numbers, to the sad disappointment 

 and loss of the industrious cultivator. Hitherto, 

 however, as lar as my own knowledge extends,, 

 lew such misfortunes have occurred. The profit 

 upon the production of silk, must depend, of course 

 not merely upon the price of labor, but upon the 

 value of the article in the market. This will of 

 course again depend somewhat upon the supply. 

 Any considerable increase of the product would, 

 as 1 have attempted to show, inevitably reduce 

 the value. Prices, too, are fluctuating, especially 

 where there is a mixed currency ; that is, a specie 

 currency, and a paper currency, which does not 

 represent specie ; and when promises to pay are 

 interpreted and (juahned at the |)lea8ure of those 

 who make them. No class in the community ia 

 more interested in a sound currency than those 

 farmers, who are obliged to hire any labor, and 

 arc dependent upon the sales of their produce. 

 The constitution of the country having fixed a 

 standard of value in gold and silver, every other 

 currency is sound so fiiras, and no lariher than, it 

 represents gold and silver. The defiance of their 

 obligations, which has characterized some of the 

 moneyed institutions of the country, and the per- 

 severing attempts in some parts of the country to 

 uphold and Ibrce a purely paper currency upoii 



