Chapter xi 



AN ASCENT OF MONT VENTOUX 



Thanks to its isolated position, which leaves 

 it freely exposed on every side to atmospheric 

 influence ; thanks also to its height, which 

 makes it the topmost point of France within 

 the frontiers of either the Alps or Pyrenees, 

 our bare Provencal mountain, Mont Ventoux, 

 lends itself remarkably well to the study of the 

 climatic distribution of plants. At its base the 

 tender olive thrives, with all that multitude of 

 semiligneous plants, such as the thyme, whose 

 aromatic fragrance calls for the sun of the 

 Mediterranean regions ; on the summit, mantled 

 with snow for at least half the year, the ground 

 is covered with a northern flora, borrowed to 

 some extent from arctic shores. Half a day's 

 journey in an upward direction brings before 

 our eyes a succession of the chief vegetable 

 types which we should find in the course of a 

 long|voyage from south to north along the same 

 meridian. At the start, your feet tread the 

 scented tufts of the thyme that forms a con- 



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