The French Peasant-Farmers Seed Fund. 333 
partly in consequence of the destruction of tlie autumn-sown 
wheat by both the war and the weather, and partly in conse- 
quence of the exhaustion of the country in materials available as 
food for the people. The first purchase of seed-corn was 
ordered, as already stated, on February 4th, viz. 300 quarters 
of spring wheat, to be distributed in the Department of the 
Somme from a depot at Amiens, by Mr. C. Sartoris, of VVilcotc, 
Charlbury, Oxfordshire ; but the operations of the Fund assuming 
an importance not originally contemplated, Mr. Sartoris soon 
found it necessary to avail himself of the assistance of Colonels 
Cox and Berington. Afterwards, Mr. Sartoris being obliged to 
return to England, Colonel Cox was placed at the head of the 
Amiens depot, and Colonel Berington distributed in the adjoin- 
ing department of the Pas de Calais, from a depot established at 
Arras. The area of distribution was further extended, at a more 
recent period, to the Department of the Aisne, in an easterly 
direction towards the Ardennes, where Mr. Bullock had been 
distributing " The Daily News Fund." Thus, the original area 
was, step by step, extended in every direction until it reached 
the boundaries of districts that were either supplied from other 
depots subsequently established, or, as in the case of the Ardennes 
and the Meuse, the confines of regions that were under the 
special charge of the " Daily News " and the " War Victims' 
Fund " Committees, to whom grants of money were made by 
the Seed Fund for the purchase of seed-corn. 
The quantities distributed in the departments of the Somme, 
Aisne, and Pas de Calais, were, in round numbers, 1000 quarters 
of spring wheat, 1450 quarters of oats, 1050 quarters of barley, 
and about 100 tons of potatoes sent by the English Seed Fund. 
In addition 168 sacks of wheat, 1060 sacks of oats, and 1536 
sacks of potatoes, sent from Scotland by the Edinburgh Com- 
mittee, were distributed chiefly in the Pas de Calais. One 
hundred quarters of vetches, 1000 half-pecks of haricot beans, 
1000 quarter-pecks of turnip seed, 1000 two-pound packages of 
carrot seed, and 1000 quarter lbs. of onion seeds were also sent 
to the Department of the Aisne. The total number of occu- 
piers relieved in these departments is as follows : — 
1 Departments. 
Seed Com. 
Potatoes. 
Total. 
li ,012 
4401 
15,413 
\ Pas de Calais 
2,083 
850 
2,933 
! Aisne (approximate) .. 
8,000 
Total (approximate) 
26,. 346 
