414 Europe : — a popular Physical Sketch. 



* 



west side. In the south-west peninsula of England (Corn- 

 wall, 50° to 51°) neither apricots nor grapes arrive at perfec- 

 tion, and yet, in consequence of the mild winters, myrtles, 

 laurels, and other trees,* which do not thrive in a much 

 more southern latitude on the continent, are found here 

 in the open air. The effect may be traced even on 

 the grain ; the eastern part of England is much more cal- 

 culated to ripen wheat than the western, for which rea- 

 son a corn trade is in England carried on from east to west, 

 while cattle are carried from west to east ; and while wheat 

 succeeds exceedingly well on the east side of Scotland, the 

 northern part of the west side grows almost exclusively oats. 



Wheat constitutes in England the predominant kind of 

 grain, and the most common bread ; barley, however, (for 

 beer) and oats (for cattle) are also grown ; rye is exclu- 

 sively cultivated in the northern provinces. 



The east side of Scotland produces wheat and barley ; 

 the Highlands and the west side, oats. In Ireland potatoes 

 and oats form the chief objects of agriculture ; wheat and 

 barley are less common. 



Although Horticulture is in some parts of Great Britain 

 brought to the highest degree of perfection, this art is upon 

 the whole not very common, because vegetables and fruit form 

 no considerable items among the articles consumed by the 

 mass of the people. Of fruit, apples and gooseberries in 

 particular abound. 



The breed of cattle is far advanced, particularly in Eng- 

 land ; the damp and temperate climate is, as before observed, 

 very favourable to the enterprise and love of improvement 

 innate in the British nation. Cattle, sheep, horses, swine, 

 and in Scotland goats, are the common domesticated animals. 



The wolf and the bear are extinct in Great Britain. 

 Agriculture and grazing form the most important occupa- 



* Camellia japonica, for instance. 



