191 1.] Notes on Agriculture Abroad. 



861 



thrifty state"; and taking this condition as represented by 100, it is 

 this year a fraction over for horses, milch cows, and poultry, and a 

 little under for sheep, swine, and horned cattle other than milch cows. 



Cauliflower Cultivation in France. — Some interesting information has 

 been forwarded by H.M. Vice Consul at St. Malo regarding the culti- 

 vation of cauliflowers in that district. Cauliflowers usually follow early 

 potatoes, the varieties planted being known as " Choufleur de Naples " 

 for the bulk of the crop, and "Choufleur d 'Alger " for the earlier 

 marketing. In 1910 the prices were from 45. to 8s. per 100 heads, 

 f but on the occurrence of a frost in the United Kingdom these prices 

 are stated to have risen from 165. to 205. per 100 heads. A good 

 cauliflower crop is thus almost as valuable as the preceding potato 

 crop. The land under cultivation is planted by hand in July after a 

 single ploughing, and is hand and horse-hoed. As evidence of the 

 profitableness of the industry, the larger farmers are stated to be 

 constantly buying land. 



Opening for Seed Potatoes in Monte Video. — A report of H.M. Vice- 

 ; Consul at Monte Video, forwarded by the Board of Trade, states that 

 there is a very considerable market for good seed potatoes in that 

 country. At present the bulk of those imported come from France, 

 being in some cases described as grown from English seed. Should 

 the first imports of English seed potatoes prove satisfactory, a consider- 

 able trade would probably develop. The name of an individual desirous 

 of importing seed potatoes from the United Kingdom may be obtained 

 on application to the Commercial Intelligence Branch of the Board of 

 Trade, 73 Basinghall Street, E.C. 



The Roquefort Cheese Industry. — Roquefort cheese, which is widely 

 renowned for the remarkable delicacy of its flavour, is made from the 

 milk of ewes fermented at a temperature of about 45 0 F. Analyses 

 made at Roquefort during twenty years show that the composition of 

 this milk is as follows : — Casein, 5 per cent, to 8 per cent. ; fatty 

 substances, 6*5 per cent, to n'5 per cent.; lactose, 4 per cent, to 5 per 

 J cent. ; mineral salts, o'8 per cent, to 1*2 per cent. ; water, 76 per cent, 

 to 84 per cent. The cheese is unpressed, and of a fatty consistency, and 

 derives its name from its being manufactured in the caves near the 

 village of Roquefort in the . Department of Aveyron. The industry is 

 over 2,000 years old, and the cheese is mentioned by Pliny the elder 

 as enjoying a great popularity with the Romans. Towards the end 

 of the seventeenth century about 5,000 cwt. were manufactured annually, 

 but by 1908 this amount had grown to 180,000 cwt., representing in 

 value ^1,200,000. The supply of milk is furnished by 450,000 ewes 

 in the seven months December to July of each year. The manufacture 

 of this large amount takes place in some 400 factories within a radius 

 of fifty miles from Roquefort, and the cheeses are now brought to 

 Roquefort solely for ripening and preserving. (L'Industrie Laitiere, 

 October 23, 1910.) 



Mouse Plague in Bavaria. — A serious plague of mice has occurred 

 in Bavaria. The first indication of the pest was its appearance in 

 considerable numbers in the spring of 19 10 in Lower Franconia and 

 the western parts of Middle Franconia and Swabia. In spite of the 

 unfavourable weather experienced during the summer, the plague 

 spread eastwards over Bavaria, until only the district in the extreme 



