Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 58.djvu/299

Rh of the Rhône, which forms the highway across western Europe from the Mediterranean to the northern plains. The Rhône Valley is a narrow one. In the south the culture of silk-worms forms a special industry. At Lyons the manufacture of silk is located. Between these two regions there are detached areas suitable for agriculture. The Rhone is a beautiful stream of transparent blue water and swift current. The Saône Valley forms the northern continuation of the Rhone. It is transitional in character, having in the east the characteristics of the wooded Jura, in the west those of the parched Côte d'Or, and of the vineyards where Burgundy and Champagne are produced. Here also are blended the races and dialects of the north and south of France.

In the southwestern corner of the Republic spreads out the valley of the Garonne. The winds from the Atlantic which blow up this valley are caught as in a sack, and a rainfall is precipitated, which reaches each of the tributaries of the Garonne. Because of this, the river is subject to great variations of depth. It is not amenable to commercial uses, and has been paralleled by a canal. The region about the lower course of the river is devoted to wine producing, the product being named after the market 'Bordeaux' South of the Garonne extends the level barren moor of the Landes, reaching as far as the foot-hills of the Pyrenees. This region is, in summer, a baked steppe; in winter, an almost endless morass. Steps are now being taken to reclaim the soil by drainage and by planting forests of cork oak. The chances are good that it will soon be converted into a habitable country.

From the northern slopes of the Central Highlands flow the waters which form the Loire River. This river flows first north, and then westward, through a long, narrow fertile valley, emptying into the Atlantic south of the peninsula of Brittany. Its course, at Orleans, lies through the grain fields of France. At Angers are extensive nurseries and market gardens, while hemp-growing and manufacture are prominent. On the lower course of the Loire is the port of Nantes, the traditional receiving station for such groceries as are called 'colonial wares' on the Continent.

Preeminent among the rivers of France is the Seine, which gathers the streams of the gently sloping northern plains of France and flows with even tide into the English Channel. Early in its course it passes the centers of manufacture, and is cut up to afford water power. From Paris to Havre the banks are so closely built up that the Seine has been called a river-street. The largest river basin of France is that of the Loire; the most diversified that of the Rhône. The most fertile is the Garonne Valley, and the most densely populated the Valley of the Seine. The Seine has those qualities in a river which render it useful to man. As Michelet says: "It has not the capricious, perfidious softness of the Loire, nor the rough ways of the Garonne, nor