488 OBSERVATIONS Tart IV. 



to loo-livres a hogfhead: and the beil. new .wines fold for only 50 

 livres. The quantity of th'efe fmall wines, which may be compared 

 to thofe of the year iy2^, was not great. 



..-,_-- .-,-t- Fruit. 



t^;- The caterpillars having eaten up all the leaves, and even the buds 

 for the next year's Ihoots, in the autumn of 1755, the trees had but 

 fewbloffoms on them. The caterpillars this fpri'ng deftroyed all that 

 had efcaped thofe of the laft autumn ; fo that there were neither 

 pears, apples, cherries, apricots or plums, and very few peaches, 

 in great gardens. . ^.^v. ••*■*" 



In fmall ones, where conftant care was taken to deftroy the cater- 

 pillars, there was a little fruit, efpecially apples. Wild fruit, fuch 

 as the acorn, the heech-maft, Gfr. failed entirely: but there were 

 nuts and chefnuts in pretty great abundance. 



Nurseries and Plantations. 

 "i-: The' the caterpillars devoured the firfl: tender flioots of trees; yet, 

 being full of fap, they afterwards recovered. 



Saffron. 



This year's crop of faffron was excellent in quality, but very fmall 

 in quantity : for the fame fpace of ground which had produced from 

 26 to 28 pounds two years before, yielded this year but 5 or 6 : 

 and the faffron of this year's growth fold for no more than 1 9 livres a 

 pound j whereas that of two years before fold for 24 livres. 



Distempers. 

 There was no contagious epidemical diflemper this year. 



Cattle. 

 : The larger kind of cattle, fuch as horfes, cows, and fheep, were 

 .apt;fubje<^ to any -contagious diftemper. 



Game and Poultry. 



This year there were great quantities of hares, thruihes, larks, par- 

 tridges and quails. 



Our 



