1908.] 



Fruit and Vegetable Production. 



421 



previously received for the early Carriere pear and for blue 

 plums. In 1903 another association was formed near Crecy 

 with similar results. In the sandy soil about Melun the 

 potato is largely cultivated, the output of the district amounting 

 to 7,000 or 8,000 tons. The potatoes are exported from the 

 end of August to February or March, and a portion of the 

 supply comes to England. 



Seine-et-Oise. — This Department encircles the Department 

 of the Seine and provides the bulk of the vegetables and 

 forage required for the supply of Paris. Potatoes, tomatoes 

 and asparagus are forwarded to London. In several com- 

 munes special attention is paid to the cultivation of table 

 pears, the favourite varieties being Duchesse d'Angouleme, 

 Louise Bonne, Beurre Diel, Bon Chretien, William, Beurre 

 Hardy and Doyenne. The fruit is sold by auction at Paris 

 or to buyers on the spot, who send it to England and to Russia. 

 An association has been formed at Groslay which makes 

 consignments to England. 



Loir-et-Cher. — This Department is almost entirely agri- 

 cultural. The cultivation of haricots and peas is increasing 

 every year. Peas are grown principally on the hillsides bor- 

 dering the valley of the Loire, and the potato is cultivated 

 throughout the Department ; a large portion is consumed 

 locally and the remainder goes to Paris and London. Owing 

 to the facilities for communication with Paris and other 

 centres, vegetable growing is carried on in most districts. 

 The cultivation of the asparagus only recently introduced 

 now occupies some 3,200 acres, with an output valued at 

 £40,000. 



Holland. 



Owing to the absence of the necessary data, it is impossible 

 to furnish an adequate idea of the importance of the fruit 

 and vegetable industry in Holland, but Mr. Henry Turing, 

 H.M. Consul at Rotterdam, states, as an example, that the 

 value of the garden produce exported in 1905 was estimated 

 at about £1,500,000, of which the bulb trade accounted for 

 £600,000, the principal buyers being England, Germany and 

 the United States. Strawberries, cabbages, cucumbers and 

 apples are largely sent to Germany, while potatoes, onions, 

 cucumbers, pears, cherries, gooseberries, and black, red and 

 white currants come to England. 



