:4»o '^OBSERVATIONS Part IV. 



trec5 iliared the fame fate. We had few pherries, but quan- 

 tities of apricots and-peaches. The beech trees,' and the chefnut and 

 v/alnut trees in our neighbourhood, yielded Ukewife but lictle fruit : 

 but in feme other places there was abundance of nuts. 



Nurseries and - P l A"N t a t i o n s . 

 :i: The drought of the fpring and fummer was by no means favour- 

 rabie to nurferies .and newly planted trees. The caterpillars which de- 

 voured the tender fhoots, did them a great deal of harm. 



...... Saffron. 



-'• Tho' the crop of laffron was very fcanty, it did not fell for above 

 twenty livres a pound. I have been affured that the commillioners 

 of Petiviers brought the faftron of the Gatinois into difrepute, 

 by wetting it, in order to increafe its weight ; which made it fer- 

 ment. 



. . Insects. 



r.l'^fhere was a prodigious .quantity of all forts of infeds, and efpe- 

 tu^Ry caterpillars, which devoured the verdure, and eat up the 

 tender fhoots of plants, not yet ftrong enough to refift them. They 

 attacked moft kinds of fruit, and even fell upon trees which they 

 generally fpare, fuch as the vine and peach tree. I o'bferved that 

 they eat the violet peach rather than any other, and that even the 

 leaves of that tree did not efcape them. I muft however except the 

 cabbage caterpillar, which did no mifchief this year. There were 

 but few gnats, and very few cantharides. 



Distempers. 



There were no epidemical or contagious diftempers in the courfe 

 of this year. 



Cattle. 



Neither {heep, cows, nor horfes, ^were attacked with any con- 

 tagious diftemper. The fcarcity of fodder lafl year, made butcher's 

 meat, and particularly veal, very dear : buttec- too kept up at a 

 higher price than ufual, 



G'ame. 

 We had plenty of patridges and hares; but few quails and larks. 

 The lafl year's fnow had deftroyed prodigious quantities of them. 



Bees. 



