214 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  30,  1900, 
Tlie  Paris  Exliibition  Agriculturally  Cousidered. 
We  have  often  regretted  our  school  days.  We  were  not  exactly 
idle,  but  we  might  have  been  more  diligent,  and  we  now,  when  far  too 
late,  see  our  errors.  We  had  French  enough  to  just  pull  us  through 
certain  exams,  but  not  enough  to  make  us  at  ease  when  with  or  among 
French  peojile.  Perhaps  none  but  those  who  have  really  lived  abroad 
ever  do  get  thorough  command  of  the  Gallic  tongue.  The  French  are 
more  vivacious  than  ourselves,  and  we  find  it  hard  to  follow  them  in 
their  rapid  utterances.  We  have  just  had  great  reason  to  wish  our 
French  were  better  rubbed  up,  and  the  reason  is  not  far  to  find.  We 
wonder  how  many  of  the  visitors  to  Paris  from  July  1st  to  July  7th 
had  any  idea  of  the  great  agricultural  congress  then  being  held — 
only  the  initiated  we  expect.  These  international  congresses  are  not 
new  things.  M.  M41ine  established  the  first  in  Paris  as  far  back  as  1889, 
since  when  there  have  heen  five  meetings.  The  Hague,  1891 ;  Brussels, 
1895;  Buda  Pesth,  1896;  Lausanne,  1898;  and  this  year  of  grace  at 
Paris.  M.  Meline  was,  we  may  add.  Minister  of  Agriculture  some  time 
back.  M.  Jean  Dupuy  being  the  present  minister.  We  were  represented 
by  Sir  E.  Clarke  of  the  “  Royal,”  Mr.  R.  A.  Yerhurgh  (of  village  bank 
fame),  Mr.  Long,  and  Mr.  Lloyd  (we  need  not  add  their  qualifications), 
and  Mr.  Ernest  Godfrey.  American  and  Canadian  agriculture  were 
well  represented.  The  various  countries  of  Europe  sent  their  repre¬ 
sentatives  and  exhibits. 
Meetings  and  lectures  filled  the  time  well,  but  nevertheless 
there  were  many  excursions  to  be  made  to  places  of  interest, 
and  also  large  private  tanners  fraternising  with  the  visitors  were  most 
kind  and  hospitable.  It  is  always  pleasant  to  see  new  modes  of  work, 
and  nothing  could  have  been  of  greater  interest  than  the  visits  paid 
to  these  French  farmers.  It  was  here  we  wished  we  had  paid  more 
attention  to  our  French  grammar  when  at  school.  There  were  so 
many  questions  one  would  like  to  have  asked,  so  many  observations  to 
make,  and  the  courtesy  of  friends  is  tried  when  we  stumble  along 
and  eke  out  by  signs  our  very  poor  attempts  at  colloquial  French. 
Well,  what  was  there  in  the  exhibition  itself  of  interest  to  us  as 
farmers?  There  is  a  cheese  now  pretty  well  known  in  England  as 
Camembert,  and  it  is  mada  in  great  quantities  at  the  little  Norman 
town  of  Orbeck:  here  are  made  6000  cheeses  daily,  and  in  the 
exhibition  was  a  model  of  this  cheese  manufactory.  You  see  all  the 
procesfes  from  the  curd  to  the  fully  ripened  cheese,  and  Professor  L  mg 
thinks  we  English  might  take  up  the  work,  and  so  considerably 
increase  our  revenues.  Of  course  a  venture  of  this  sort  would  have 
to  be  on  the  co  op  native  plan.  Then  there  was  a  model  of  the  farm 
of  Grande  Villiers  en  Brie,  from  which  the  milk  of  175  cows  is 
delivered  direct  to  Paris  iu  wide  mouthed  sealed  bottles.  Then  there 
is  another  exhibit  of  articles  in  imitation  of  ivory,  but  made  of  the 
caseine  of  milk.  The  best  disposal  of  old  milk  has  been  a  puzzle  to 
many.  One  man  advocates  young  pigs,  another  would  use  it  in  the 
manufacture  of  bread,  and  another,  again,  by  adding  cod  liver  oil 
would  make  an  excellent  and  nutritious  food  for  calves, 
Naturally  in  France  < ne  expects  to  hear  of  Beet  and  its  vaiious 
uses  suaar  and  alcohol — and  the  influence  of  manures  on  the 
production  of  sugar  and  alcohol.  Then,  again,  the  Paris  Cab  S^miety 
have  heen^ ^trying  experiments  with  regard  to  the  rations  for  their 
horses.  I  hey  have  not  got  down  to  the  proverbial  straw  a  day,  but 
they  appear  to  have  hit  on  the  best  proportions,  and  there  is  no  feeding 
at  random.  Russia  sends  specimens  of  wholesome  and  diseased  food. 
Many  a  young  housekeeper  would  be  sadly  non-plussed  had  she  to  distin¬ 
guish  between  best  and  moderate  meat  and  fre.-h  or  stale  fish  We  hope 
our  inspectors  keep  diseased  meat  out  of  the  shambles,  but  we  still  lat  cy 
there  is  a  good  deal  of  meat  sold  “  ut  der  the  rose  ”  which  would  not 
bear  stri(  t  investigation.  'I  he  American  representative,  Major  Alvoid, 
brings  witli  him  dairy  ap  pliances,  and  examples  of  damy  production. 
It  appears  milk  is  now  utilised  in  the  manufacture  of  weatherproof 
paint,  and  thrre  is  also  a  large  working  model  of  the  Libby  packing 
house  at  Chicago,  tiny  men  killing  and  cutting  up  tinier  animals. 
From  Hanover  Square  is  a  collection  of  cereals,  and  photographs 
and  plans  illustrative  of  the  Rothamsted  experiments.  Messrs.  Garton, 
of  Newton-le- Willows,  Lancashire,  are  also  exhibitors,  and  the  British 
Dairy  Farmers  send  cheese.  There  are  other  models,  most  interesting 
and  instructive,  aino  g  which  we  may  mention  the  works  of  Huntley 
■and  Palmer,  Guinness  of  Dublin,  and  Colman  of  Noiwich. 
Ju't  a  word  before  we  pass  on.  It  is  practically  decided  that  the 
Royal  Show  is  to  take  up  permanent  quarters  in  or  near  London.  Now 
with  fixed  buildings  there  ought  to  be  something  in  the  form  of  a 
museum,  a  place  where  models  of  interesting  ])roce8seB  might  be  s^en. 
The  worst  of  it  is  that  such  a  building  wou.d  have  to  be  elastic.  The 
idea  once  started  would  grow  like  a  Mushroom,  but  would  bo  as 
enduring  as  an  Oak.  Living  object  le.s'^ons  are  always  valuable,  and 
we  hope  to  see  the  day  when  the  “  Royal has  a  museum  only  excelled 
by  the  “  British.” 
The  Congress  met  to  talk,  and  they  managed  to  hear  and  discuss 
something  like  ninety-eight  papers.  The  subjects  were  divided  into 
seven  heads.  1,  Rural  Economy  ;  2,  Agricultural  Instruction ;  3, 
Agricultural  Science ;  4,  Live  Stock  ;  5,  Agricultural  Industries ; 
6,  Southern  Cultures  ;  and  7,  Useful  and  Injurious  Animals.  Our  Sir 
Ernest  Clarke  gave  an  address  on  British  Breeds  of  Live  Stock,  which 
was  greatly  appreciated,  for  he  not  only  spoke  in  French  but  illustrated 
by  means  of  the  magic  lantern.  We  must  not  forget  the  pleasant 
excursion  to  the  great  sewage  farm  on  the  outskirts  of  Paris,  where 
ba  1  sandy  land  has  been  turned  into  a  veritable  Eden.  Then  there 
was  the  visit  to  the  large  corn  and  Sugar  Beet  farm  in  the  Canton  of 
Long  Jumeau;  but  perhaps  the  best  outing  was  to  the  home  of  those 
noted  seedsmen  Messrs  Vilmorin,  Andritux  et  Cie.  Mons.  Philippe 
represents  the  fifth  generation,  and  there  w^as  much  of  the  deepest 
interest  to  see  in  the  experimental  plots.  The  proceedings  wound  up 
by  a  banquet  given  under  the  presidency  of  M.  Meline  at  the  Hotel 
Continental,  and  the  Congress  broke  up  with  mutual  expre.-sions  of 
good  will  and  fellowship. 
Before  we  close  these  few  notes  we  should  like  to  mention  a  fact 
that  has  recently  come  to  our  knowledge.  How  manv  of  our  readers 
have  seen  the  ponderous  tomes,  well  bound  and  well  illustrated,  issued 
by  the  American  Agricultural  Department?  They  are  a  vast 
improvement  upon  anything  English  that  we  have  seen,  and  it  appears 
5000  copies  are  printed  and  distributed  gratis  among  leading  agri¬ 
culturists  of  this  and  other  lands.  We  do  nothing  ro  public  spirited, 
for  the  books  are  of  great  value,  and  form  in  themselves  a  perfect 
encyclopedia  of  agr  cultural  knowledge.  The  full  account  of  the  Paris 
Congress  is  also  printed,  and  has  been  sent  to  English  friends, 
excellent  reading,  but  slow  work  with  only  a  dictionary  to  help. 
P.S. — A  word  to  the  young.  Gain  what  knowledge  you  can  of 
foreign  tongues,  and  do  not  let  your  knowledge  get  rusty  for  want 
of  use. 
Work  on  tlje  Home  Farm. 
Five  beautiful  sunny  days  have  given  excellent  opportunity  to  get 
on  with  harvest,  and  nearly  all  the  crops  are  now  out.  Very  little, 
however,  has  yet  been  led,  and  a  day’s  heavy  rain  has  now  come  to 
cause  further  postponement.  Not  so  much  harm  was  done  to  the 
sheaves  by  the  previous  wet  weather  as  we  had  thought,  but  being 
tightly  bound  with  string  they  have  dried  slowly,  and  the  middles 
of  them  are  only  just  getting  into  condition.  The  rain  has  cleared  off 
and  there  is  a  brisk  wind,  so  we  hope  to  soon  see  the  waggons  again 
on  the  move.  The  crops  that  have  been  led  have  bulked  in  a  very 
disappointing  fashion.  The  5  and  6-acre  fields  of  the  smaller  holdings 
have  produced  miserably  small  stacks,  and  opinions  as  to  the  yield  are 
of  a  very  despondent  nature.  Barley  must  fall  far  below  expectations. 
With  a  small  bulk  and  thin  steely  grain  the  yield  will  be  small,  and 
crops  of  2  to  3  qrs.  will  he  far  too  common.  Wheats  are  better ;  the 
straw  has  cut  up  fairly  well,  although  the  sheaves  are  short,  and  the 
grain  being  plump  and  heavy,  previous  anticipations  may  be  realised. 
Self  binders  have  worked  wonderfully  well  where  good  work  was  in 
any  degree  possible,  but  some  fields  were  so  much  broken  and  laid  by 
the  storms  that  mowing  by  hand  would  have  been  the  most  suitable 
way  of  reaping  them  had  the  requisite  men  been  available,  but  in  the 
default  of  the  necessary  man  we  have  had  to  do  the  best  we  could  with 
the  reapers,  and  by  dint  of  fetching  some  and  running  round  only  two 
sides  of  other  portions  we  managed  to  get  the  work  done  somehow. 
The  stubble  is  not,  however,  so  neat  and  tidy  as  we  should  like  to  see 
it,  but  we  must  not  worry  ourselves  with  looking  at  it. 
A  satisfaction  is  the  very  prosperous  condition  of  the  young  Clover 
plant ;  this  is  far  better  than  that  of  last  year,  and  is  really  very  good 
indeed.  Poorly  set  pieces  are  as  few  and  far  between  as  good  ones 
were  then.  As  seeds  may  easily  vary  30  per  cent,  an  acre  in  value, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  difference  to  the  prospects  of  the  following  crops, 
we  think  we  are  justified  in  classing  them  as  the  most  important  item 
on  a  mixed  farm.  Lambs  are  doing  well  again,  and  will  do  so  if  the 
weather  keeps  fine  and  dry.  Cabbages  have  increased  greatly  in  size 
since  the  wet  weather,  and  will  take  a  great  deal  of  consuming. 
Thousand-heads  are  simply  immense,  and  will  not  be  fit  for  stock  for 
some  time.  They  are  too  rank  and  washy  at  present.  Turnips  will  be 
above  the  average  in  many  places,  and  there  is  already  a  boom  in  the 
sheep  trade.'  Store  sht  ep,  especially  breeding  ewes,  will  be  very  dear 
after  there  have  been  liberal  threshings  of  corn.  Farmers  were  hard 
hit  last  season,  and  ready  money  is  scarce.  Coal  keeps  getting  dearer, 
and  wise  were  those  who  laid  in  a  supply  last  month  sufficient  to  cover 
winter  ri  quirenients.  On  a  modern  farm  steam  occupies  such  an 
important  place  that  the  coal  bill  is  no  insignificant  >tem. 
