F A R ivl E R S ' REGISTER. 



601 



plough. I may, iti confirmation of tiiis general idea, 

 add, thai there are many absolute vviisie«) in 

 France, that yield as good and even a better pro- 

 duce than all Soloyne, acre lor acre. I know no 

 region better adapted l()r a man's making a Ibrtune 

 by agriculture, than this; nothing is vvanie(i but 

 capital, (or mot ol'lhe province is already indoseii. 

 Bkkrv. — Chateauroux. — Leaving this f)!ace 

 for the soutii, enter vast heaths of hng and furze, 

 but much mixed wiih trelods and grasses. ISome 

 small parts of these heaihs are broken up. and so 

 ill ploughed, that the brooai and lijrze are in full 

 growth. Alier tliis andlier heaih, of several miles' 

 extent, where the landlords will not give leave 

 either to build or break u|), reserving the whole 

 (or sheep, and yet not sioiked ; for the people 

 assert, that they could keep ivvice the number, if 

 they had them. 



LiMousiiv. — To Limoges. — The mountainous 

 heaihs and uncultivated lands are commons, and 

 therelbrc every metayer sends his sheep in the 

 common flock of the village. 



BiGORRE. — Bagncres de Luchon. — The waste 

 tracts of the Pyrennees, by which are to be under- 

 stood, lands subject to common pasturage, are so 

 much subject to ihe will of the communities, that 

 these sell them at pleasure. Formerly the inha- 

 bitants appropriated to their own use, by inclosure 

 and cultivation, what portions they pleased ; but 

 this obtains no longer; at present the communi- 

 tiea sell these wasies, and fixing a price on them, 

 nearly to their value, new improvements are not 

 60 common as heretofore. 



Languedoc. — Narbonne to Nlsmes. — This 

 vale, which is by lar the richest of Languedoc, 

 in productions, is of no considerable breadih, yet 

 the quantity of waste neglected land in it is very 

 great. 



Monrejau to Lann- Muison. — Vast wastes, co- 

 vered Willi lern ; the soil good ; and land projecting 

 into it cultivated to advantage. 



JBagneres de Bigorre. — These immense fern- 

 wastes continue lor many miles, wiih many new 

 improvements in tliem. Tiiey belong to the com- 

 munities of the villages, which sell fjonions ol 

 them to any persons willing to buy. The price 

 most common has been 20 liv. the journal, ol 12S 

 Cannes square, the canne 8 pans ; ihe pan 8 inches 

 and 4 lines, 4 journals, niiiking an arpmt. The 

 method of improving lias been, firsi ;o burn all 

 the lern and rubliish, then to maiiock it and sow 

 rye, which is pretty good ; then oais lor six, seven, 

 or eight years, according lo cirrumsiances ; afier 

 that they summer-f.illoiv and take vvheai. Some 

 they leave to grass and weeds, alter those einhi 

 cro()s of oats ; a detail of the husbandry of bar- 

 barians ! They have all a right of commonage 

 on the wasie?, as lung as these continue uihuclus- 

 ed ; consequeiiily can keep cuttle, and e.*[)ecially 

 sheep, to any amount in summer ; yet, in their in- 

 closed improvements, they give not a ihouglu lo 

 raise winter Ibod ! Such siupidiiy is detestable. 

 The parish ofCavare has 104,000 arpenis of these 

 wastes, without one metayer ; all are peasant 

 proprietors, who buy morsels as it suits them. 

 The improvements are exempted from tithes lor 

 ten years ; but not at all from the King's taxes, 

 which is shameful. 



Be ARN. — Pau to Moneins. — Vast wastes ofrich 

 soil, covered with an immense product of fern, to 

 the amount of five or six wagon loads an acre. 

 Vol. VIII.— 76 



St. Palais to JJnspan. — Vast wastes ; belong- 

 ing to ihe communiiie.'^ of the parishes, that sell 

 ihem to whoever will buy : a common price 120 

 liv. per arpeni ; but afier ihev aie biouylu inio 

 culiure, they sell (br at least ."00 liv. The advnn- 

 tai;es of this system, which extends ihrouirh the 

 whole reifion of the Pyrennee.^, is prodiirious: it 

 excludes the rights of commonage, becaut^e all is 

 inclosed as fast as bought; and enables every in- 

 dustrious man liiat saves a litilc money, to become 

 a land proprietor, which is the greatest encour- 

 a^ement to an active industry the world can pro- 

 duce; it has, however, one evil, that of too great 

 a population. 



Bayonnc to St. Vincents. — Tn this line I came 

 first to the landes of Bourdeaux, because they 

 extend from the gates of Bayonrie lo those of 

 Bourdeaux, and of which I had read so much, 

 that I was curious to view and examine them ; 

 they are said to contain 1,100,000 arpents*. They 

 are covered with pinrs, cork trees (only half the 

 value of pines), broom, whins, ling, and furze ; the 

 soil sand, but Ihe growth of trees shows a moist 

 bottom. There is a good deal ol cnliivaiion mixed 

 with the waste this fir&t siage. 'I'here is much 

 land also under water, a sort of sandy len. Pass 

 a great space, without trees, covered wiih dwarf 

 furze, linjr, and (em. Oihers lielore Dax ; one of 

 them of five or SIX miles lon<r, by two or three 

 broad: much rou^h grass and ling on a : but none 

 of these tracis appear half slocked. 



tJax to Tartiis. — This district is a deep white 

 sand, Ihe whole of wiiich has evidently been lande, 

 but part of it inclosed and inproved ; much is, 

 however, yetruugh. — Singular scenR of a blowing 

 sand, white as snow, yet oaks growing in it two 

 leet diameter ; but a broken iriound discovers a 

 bed Ol" white adhesive earth, like marl, which ex- 

 plains the wonder. 



Learn at Tanas, that these immense wasies, 

 the landes, without pines or wood, are to be pur- 

 chased, at all limes, very cheap indeed, ol ihe 

 king, the great lords, and of the communities of 

 many parishes, even so low as 3 liv. per arjjenr, 

 Willi an exemption irom liilies, and liom taxes (or 

 twenty years. But every one here reckons them 

 so bad, that all the money ppeiit would be sure to 

 be lost; yet it is admitied that there is a bed of 

 marl or clay under all the coumry. This ojiinion 

 is chiefls' lounded on ihe atieinpis of iVJuns. Rol- 

 lifr, o( Bourdeaux, having made a trial of culiivat- 

 ing them, and succeedeil very ill. I guessed how 

 sLch improvements liad been aiientpietl, ami lold 

 my inlormants what I supposed had been done ; 

 and my guess proved exactly right : corn — corn — 

 corn — corn ; and then the land pronounced good 

 for nothing. It does not signify telling such peo- 

 ple, that tlie great objects in all improvements of 

 wasies, are caiile, and sheep, ami grass, after 

 which corn will be sure. Nothing of this kind is 

 comprehended Irom one end of France to the 

 other. 



As I shall here take my leave of these landes, 

 I may observe, that, so tiir as they are covered 

 wiih pines, they are not lo be esteemed washes j 

 but on ihe comrary, occupied wiih a very profita- 

 ble culiure, that does not yield less than (iom i5s. to 

 25s. an acre annual revenue. Of the very exten- 



* De la Necessite d'occuper tous lea gros Ouvriers, 

 .8. 



