546 
Rural Economii of France since 1789. 
In 1856 there were 75,000 acres of land drained in France, and 
out of that surface only 5000 belonged to the south-western division, 
and yet the nature of the soil is eminently argillaceous, and there 
is no part of France that would derive greater advantages from 
drainage, on account of the sudden and heavy falls of rain, which 
at times deluge the land without finding any other means of 
escape than a slow evaporation. 
The science and practice of agriculture have scarcely advanced 
since the Romans ; the only rotation known is the biennial whe;'.!, 
and dead fallow ; the plough used is still the rude aratrum of 
the Romans, and every other means and practice is equally pri- 
mitive and inefficient. Of course, this does not apply to the 
neighbourhoods of Bordeaux and Toulouse, where the cultiva- 
tion of the vine, which forms the staple produce of the land, is 
carried on with all the appliances of modern science and mecha- 
nical skill. This, indeed, is the principal source of the riches of 
that district, which comprises alone fully one-third of the vine- 
yards of France. The department of the Gironde alone contains 
no less than 312,500 acres of vines, yielding an annual produce 
of more than 55,000,000 gallons of wine. It is a remarkable fact 
that it was during the English rule in Guyenne in the four- 
teenth century that the ex]!ortation of Bordeaux Avine assumed 
its principal development. Froissart, in his ' Chronicles,' men- 
tions an English fleet of 200 sail which went every year to 
Bordeaux to be freighted with wine for the English market. 
Of these vineyards the most celebrated, because the most 
valuable, are those of Medoc, a narrow strip of land situated 
between the Gironde and the sea. These vineyards cover an 
extent of 50,000 acres, out of which 12,500 only are of superior 
growth. It is in that small district that the "celebrated Chateau- 
Margaux, Laffitte, and Latour, together with their lesser but 
still brilliant satellites Brannes-Mouton, Leoville, Larose, &c.,are 
situated. The high price of these Avines is not solely due to 
their excellence, but also to the excessive cost of their culture 
and preparation. The average produce of Medoc exceeds 
800,000/., which gives about 16/. an acre. The plantation of 
new vineyards is also very costly ; it takes four years before any 
produce can be gathered, and then the total amount of disburse- 
ments has reached at least 6/. 10.9. an acre, besides the rent. Of 
late years the disease known under the name of Oidium has 
greatly diminished the produce both in quantity and quality. 
6. — Centre Division. 
We come now to the last and poorest region in France. It com- 
prises the desolate Sologne and the mountains of Auvergne and 
