31 
Caper Industry in France—The following interesting account, 
taken from La Co-opération de Production dans Agr iculture 
by the Comte de Roc equigny, is dace from the Journal of the 
oo tbe of Agricniivte (vol. iv. PP- 2: d 
of the re Pen of a locality for the ques of its produce. The 
caper producers of Roquevaire and o me other neighbouring 
localities have, ii 8 stated, combined in iie se to an economie 
necessity, in order to counteract the continual eh per ane of prices 
induced by the action of the local trade, which m gerian 
and Spanish capers of inferior quality with thibee pem in 
Provence. The producers of these localities have accordingly 
determined to take the trade into their own hands, and have 
s: ed gucci into a syndicate for that purpose. Roquevaire 
tains some 3,000 inhabitants, and nine-tenths of the caper 
Nb. of. die commune (who alone are eligible to the associa- 
tion) have engaged to deliver their whole diis gren amountin 
to some 220, 000 Ibs. or more, to the syndicate. The experiment 
is said to have proved completely successful. 
“ The caper is the floral bud of a bush (Capparis spinosa) which 
has been cultivated from time immemorial in Provence. This 
bud is picked when very small, as its EF deteriorates as it 
grows larger. The labour of picking the buds devolves upon the 
members of the association. Tt is usually done by women, at 
intervals of five or six days during the season, which lasts from 
the end of May to the beginning of September. When gathered, 
the capers are put into wine vinegar (provided by the syndicate at 
cost E ice) so as to be only just “covered, and steeped for two or 
t months, after which they are de liver ed to the assoc ociation, 
by whom they are sifted, and then replaced in vinegar in the 
society’s cellars, being kept in barrels until sold. The producer 
is credited with the weight of the capers furnished by him, and** 
the quality of the buds as determined by the sitting (at which he 
can be present if he chooses) is also noted. Some detur women 
are usually employed at the association's headqua 
six months in tegres É operation is performed i hand with 
the aid of a metal s 
“ The capers are laste in six qualities, the finest being worth» 
in 1894, about £4 per cwt., and the inferior sort about 10s. The 
net produce of the siye after deducting the general expenses of 
the syndicate, is divided among the members proportionally to 
the amount and quality of. their deliveries. Thus the money 
foooived from the sale of first puse or is divided solely 
Moon those who have delivered that grade, and the 
mbers scili accordingly an interest in qg i er the quality of 
ihe produc 
