“ Good agricultural land is found in the valleys of the Saône and Rhone, but for the most part the soil is stony and only moderately fertile. Wheat, oats, rye and potatoes are extensively cultivated, but their importance is less than that of the vine, the hills of the Beaujolais on the right bank of the Saône producing excellent wines. Fruit trees, such as peaches, apricots, walnuts and chestnuts, grow well, but the wood in general is little more than copse and brushwood. ”

“ Cotton-spinning and weaving are carried on in several localities. The products of its manufactures, together with wine and brandy, form the bulk of the exports of the department; its imports comprise chiefly the raw material for its industries. It is served by the Paris-Lyon railway. The Rhone and the Saône and in the extreme south the canal of Givors are its navigable waterways. ”

“ Snow sometimes lies in the mountains from November to April, while at Lyons and in the valleys the mean temperature in winter is 36° F. and in summer 70°, the annual mean being 53°. The average rainfall is somewhat higher than is general over France owing to the amount of the precipitation on the hilly region. ”