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Rh ground of our country, as long as he was within our natural frontiers, as long as the triumph of right and of liberty over the tyrants was not assured. And we will never treat with that perjured Government to whom treaties are but a scrap of paper, with assassins and butchers of women and children. After the final victory, which will render them incapable of doing hurt, we will dictate to them our will. To their hypocritical overtures France has replied through the muzzle of your guns and by the points of your bayonets. You have been good ambassadors for the Republic; she thanks you."

Capture of Mart Homme, Height 304 and Chaume Wood. The Verdun front remained comparatively quiet until the middle of the summer of 1917, when it was livened up in Aug. with a bril- liant stroke by the II. French Army under Guillaumat. The French command had provisionally given up the offensive on a large scale having as its object the break-through, whether immediate or as a consequence to the slow using-up of the enemy. It contented itself with attacks with limited objectives, having as their aim the improvement of part of the front whilst inflicting on the enemy losses more considerable^ than their own. The French command was able to carry through these local actions with extremely powerful forces, and thus assured their success. The operations on Aug. 20 had as its object the improvement of the French positions between Avocourt and Bezouvaux.

From the I3th onward artillery preparation was begun; 2,400 guns, 1,100 of which were large-calibre guns, were employed. On a front of approximately 20 km. on the Meuse four army corps were deployed, two on each bank, each having two divi- sions in the first line and two in the second. The army kept two divisions in reserve. To meet this attack, so long and carefully prepared, the Germans had six divisions in the front line, three on each bank. The front held by a division was 3 km. on the left bank and 2,800 metres on the right. Behind them were five so- called " divisions of intervention," two on the right and three on the left bank, with one division in army reserve in the vicinity of Montmedy. The defence had 380 batteries (about 1,500 guns).

The French artillery, which thundered for eight days, acceler- ated its fire on the 2oth at 04.00 hours. At 04.40 it lengthened and the infantry assaulted, preceded by their creeping barrage. The enemy did not start his counter-barrage until 12 minutes after- wards. On the left bank the XIII. Corps seized all its objectives in the Avocourt wood and to the E. of Height 304, which fell after open fighting. The XVI. Corps captured Mort Homme and made numerous prisoners in its deep tunnels; the Moroccan division under Degoutte took Cumieres, the Corbeaux wood and the Oie height. On the right bank the XV. Corps captured the Talon height after daybreak and the important position of Height 344, then advanced in the bend of the Meuse as far as Champ and Champneuville. The XXXII. Corps under Passaga captured the German positions to the S. of Beaumont Fosse wood and the outskirts of the Chaume wood.

The rapidity of the advance had disconcerted the enemy; the counter-attacks prepared in advance could not materialize, and the " intervention " divisions contented themselves by remaining where they were. During the night, however, the Germans attempted to react, without success.

On the 2ist the French XV. Corps took Samogneux and the XVI. Corps the Oie height and Regneville.

On the 24th the famous position Height 304 fell. All the French objectives were reached. Seven new German divisions were hastily called up to hold the front, which became definitely stabilized on the left bank on the 24th. On the right bank the XXXII. Corps improved its positions in the direction of Beau- mont and the Chaume wood on Aug. 26 and Sept. 8. On Sept. 9 a violent attack against Height 344 was repulsed. The captures amounted to 9,100 prisoners, 30 guns and 22 mine-throwers. Verdun was to a great extent cleared by this very successful operation. (C. M. E. M.) VERDY DU VERNOIS, JULIUS VON (1832-1910), German general and military writer (see 27.1019), died Sept. 30 1910. VERGA, GIOVANNI (1840-1922), Italian novelist (see 27.-1021), died at Rome, Jan. 27 1922. VERHAEREN, EMILE (1855-1916), Belgian poet (see 27.-1023), produced in 1912 a tragedy, Helene de Sparte, which was performed in German and Russian, besides French. His later poems include Les Rythmes souverains (1910); Les Villes & pignons (1910); Les Fleurs du Soir (1911); Les Plaints (1911) and Les Bles Mouvants (1912). On the outbreak of the World War Verhaeren came to England, where he received hon. degrees from various universities. During his exile he published Les Ailes rouges de la Guerre. He was killed at Rouen while attempting to enter a moving train, Nov. 27 1916.

VERMONT (see 27.1025). The pop. of the state was 352,428 in 1920 as compared with 355,956 in 1910, a loss of 3,528 or i %. This was the first time that the pop. had been less than in the preceding decade, though several times the gain had been very slight. The movement within the state was distinctly toward the urban districts. Of the total pop. of 1900 22 % lived in cities and villages of 2, 500 and over, in 1920 27-8%, and in 192031-2%. Of the 14 counties only six show an increase in population. The number of towns showing a decrease was 1 86 in a total of 248. There is no radical change in the character of the population, the proportions of native and foreign remaining about the same, with a tendency toward increase of Canadian immigrants. The following are the cities having a pop. of 5,000 or over and the percentage of increase for the decade:

1920

1910

Percentage increase

Burlington. Rutland Barre. St. Albans. Montpelier.

22,779

H.954 10,008 7,588 7,125

20,468 13,546 io,734

6,381 7,856

n-3 10-4 -6-8 18-9 -9-3

Agriculture. The number of farms in Vermont in 1920 was 29,075 as against 32,709 in 1910, a decrease of 3,634 or n-i %, but the acreage of improved land increased from 1,633,965 in 1910 to 1,691,595, a gain of 3-5 %. The value of all farm property was $222,736,620, an increase over the 1910 figures ($145,399,728) of 53-2 %. Of this value $82,938,253 was in land and $76,178,906 in buildings. The average value per farm was $7,661, with $2,853 in land and $2,620 in buildings, respective increases of 72-4%, 59-8% and 58-1 % over the 1910 figures, which were $4,445 for all property, $1,785 for land and $1,657 f r buildings.

In 1919 the leading crops with their yields and values were as follows :

Crops

Acreage

Quantity

Value

Cereals, total Corn Oats Hay and forage. Vegetables. Miscellaneous crops. Fruits ....

133,621 21,186 83,097 991,757

3,916,959 bus. 937,375 2,396,349 ' 1,748,358 tons

$5,171,758 1,687,275

2,396,349 29,581,464

7,387,254 3,622,443

1,957,515

The total number of cattle in 1920 was 435,480, including 14,200 beef cattle and 421,280 dairy cattle. Dairy cows numbered 290,122. The value was $28,502, 803 for all cattle, and $23,027,209 for dairy cows. The production of milk for 1919 was 122,095,734 gallons. The total value of all dairy products, excluding home use of milk and cream, was $27,207,813. For 1917 the reports show a value of dairy products handled in factories of $13,372,838. Vigorous efforts were being made to develop cooperative marketing, especially of dairy products. A decision of the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1916 abolished the leased-car system of shipping milk, and made possible the open-car system. This made it practicable to ship in smaller quantities. A state law was passed providing that any corporation using the word " cooperative " in its business name must provide (1) that voting shall be based on the number of shareholders and not of shares held; (2) that interest or dividends on paid-up capital shall be limited to 6%; (3) that a reserve fund shall be set aside, not less than 16% of the net profits annually, until the fund amounts to not less than 30 % of the paid-up capital stock; (4) that the remainder of the earnings shall be distributed by uniform dividend on the basis of purchase and sale through the corporation by shareholders or the amount of raw material furnished; and (5) that not more than 10 % of the capital stock shall be owned by any one member. Under this law there were, in 1920, 29 cooperative dairy plants incorporated, of which 27 had already begun business. The Commissioner of Agriculture estimated in that year that one-third of the entire dairy products of the state was being marketed through these plants. In addition to this movement there was being organized, in 1920, the Vermont Cooperative Creameries, Inc., a federation of cooperative enterprises for the purpose of securing col-