The policy of keeping land holdings
small has made the French a nation
of proprietors, «o far as sbeh a con
dition can exist. The French Inheri
tance laws tend toward the equal
treatment of children In wills, so
that in most cases the farm is ac
tually divided into small tracts rather
than sold and the proceeds distrib
uted.
This love of the land, and the se
cretivenesa born of li\ing to him
self, is said by sociologists to be
( hanging. The farmer of today looks
upon his land as the instrument of
fortune building. He will sell it at
a profit, for he can buy more.
Fifty years ago the French farm
er kept as a secret the return from
his crops and the kind and quanti
ty of fertilizer he used. If he need
ed money lie regarded borrowing with
such dismay that he went to a money
lender in another district, often at
night, and paid usurious interest to
c.scape publicity.
The modern farmer, although still
perhaps in the minority, joins co
operative buying and selling organi
zations, discusses the beat methods of
ultivation with his neighbors, and
is proud to tell what good bargains
he has made.
