MANTE de Traité des prairies artificielles

Not in any of the specialized bibliographies (Einaud, Goldsmiths, Kress, Coquelin-Guillaumin).

First edition published anonymously but with the author’s name revealed in the approbation, written by the botanist Valmont de Bomare.

The work, dedicated to the young King Louis XVI (he was crowned in 1774), is divided into 5 main parts. The first gives an overview of the general principles of vegetation, the second gives the principles of artificial meadows, prepared to provide grass and food for humans and animals. This includes details of how to plant a wide variety of different plants (burnet, alfalfa, sainfoin, turnip, clover, parsley, carrot, ryegrass). The third part explains in detail the function and preparation of a pen, while the fourth part is devoted to the natural history of the ewe and its breeding. Finally, the fifth and last part explains how to clear the land, as the “amount of uncultivated land in France could not be put to better use” (p. 186).

The five plates show: two ploughs (one of which has ‘two wheels to reduce friction, and a ‘plough of the best construction for ploughing the land), a machine for chopping straw, a mule (elevation and plan), a sheepfold (elevation and plan), and ploughs (for cutters, and another for removing grass).

In the preface, the author explains that the writing of the book was undertaken “under the auspices of the late M. de Trudaine, who was interested as a true citizen minister in the progress of agriculture”. He then goes on to praise a breed of English ewe, the ‘Romney-Marsh’, which he believes is doing perfectly well and is capable of spending the whole winter outdoors.

A fine copy of this rare work, which may be likened to the ideas of the physiocrats.

Small stamp scratched on the title and last leaf.