70 EURAL ECONOMY OF ENGLAND. 



of our soil deducting three millions of hectares occu- 

 pied by roads, rivers, towns, &c. a gross production of 

 100 francs per hectare (32s. per acre), cultivated and 

 uncultivated lands together. The minimum is to be found 

 upon the uncultivated lands and forest grounds, which, 

 taking the one with the other, probably yield from 15 to 

 20 francs : the maximum is in the gardens, the most 

 esteemed vineyards, the lands bearing flax, hops, mulberry, 

 tobacco, and madder, the gross produce of which rises 

 as high as 1000, 2000, 3000 francs, and even more ; but 

 striking out these two extremes, we find for the greater 

 portion of the cultivated land say about thirty-two 

 millions of hectares the general average of 100 francs 

 per hectare. 



Dividing France into two equal portions, north and 

 south, we find an average gross production of 120 francs 

 for the northern division, and 80 for the southern. 



This disproportion is the more to be regretted, since 

 the southern region ought to be the richest. In some 

 localities, as in the environs of Orange and Avignon, the 

 vineyards of Cognac and Bordeaux, the districts pro- 

 ducing oil, silk, &c., the returns are magnificent ; but 

 the landes and the mountains cover a fourth of the 

 soil, and in the greater portion of the remainder farming 

 languishes without capital and without intelligence. The 

 north surpasses the south for the same reason which 

 makes England superior to us namely, because good 

 farming is there more general. 



If we compare the departments one with the other, the 

 most productive prove to be always those of the Nord, 

 Pas-de-Calais, Somme, Oise, and Seine-Inferieure, where 

 the average gross production is 200 francs per hectare. 

 The department of the Nord produces at least 300 francs; 

 but this is the only one so high. On the other hand, 



