Here we have two things that many people seem to associate with agriculture, a ploughed field and a tractor. However, though the derivation of the word "tractor" comes from Ancient times, it just meant "to pull", which would have applied to man, horse, and oxen power.
The actual mechanical tractor is a very recent item, starting with steam powered ones, which were usually more of stationary engines, a machine mounted on a solid base which you pushed things into in order to render them smaller or cut them to size. It was not until 1839 that a William Tuxford, of Boston, in Lincolnshire, produced a mechanical device which could travel out and work on items in the field.
This set comprises the following cards :
- Epandage Mecanique du Fumier
- La Batteuse Mecanique
- La Herse
- La Vigne - La Vendange
- Le Fauchage Mecanique
- Le Fouloir
- Le Labourage
- L`Elevage (Bovines)
- L`Elevage (Ovides)
- Le Rateau Faneur
- Le Semoir
- Les Forets
It may not say on them that they were a set of twelve, but we do know that we have already featured two other sets with a "serie" number that were issued by Chocolat Pupier, and they are also of twelve cards. The confusing bit was the wording on the back of the card, below the lower line. That translates to "buy the album from Chocolat Pupier from your supplier which will allow you to collect their new series of 40 images. You could also win some lovely prizes". But the problem is that forty is not divisible by twelve.
Then I had a brainwave and started to record the numbers of any series I could find, and that did the trick, for there are forty sets, numbered and identified as so....
- Serie 1 - Les Jeux d`Enfants
- Serie 2 - Les Sports Modernes
- Serie 3 - Les Sports d`Autrefois
- Serie 4 - Les Travaux a la Campagne
- Serie 5 - Les Instruments de Musique
- Serie 6 - Les Blasons des Villes de France
- Serie 7 - Les Ponts Celebres
- Serie 9 - Costumes provinces Francaises
- Serie 10 - Les Costumes Civils aux Diverses Epoques
- Serie 11 - Les Moyens de Locomotion
- Serie 13 - Les Costumes Militaires aux Diverses Epoques
- Serie 14 - Les Costumes de Divers Pays
- Serie 15 - Les Monuments Antiques
- Serie 16 - Les Habitations Style Diverse
- Serie 17 - Etandards et Drapeaux du Francaise
- Serie 18 - Les Drapeaux Etrangers
- Serie 19 - L`Aviation
- Serie 20 - Les Bateaux Diverses Epoques
- Serie 21 - Les Poissons
- Serie 22 - Les Animaux Domestiques
- Serie 23 - Les Animaux Domestiques
- Serie 24 - Les Animaux Sauvages
- Serie 25 - Les Animaux a Fourrures
- Serie 26 - Les Oiseaux
- Serie 27 - Les Oiseaux
- Serie 28 - Les Oiseaux Sauvages
- Serie 29 - Les Chiens
- Serie 30 - Les Chevaux
- Serie 31 - Les Vaches
- Serie 33 - Les Papillons
- Serie 34 - Les Legumes
- Serie 35 - Les Fruites
- Serie 36 - Les Fruites Mures
- Serie 37 - Les Fleurs
- Serie 38 - Les Fleurs
- Serie 39 - Les Fleurs
- Serie 40 - Les Fleurs
Three are still unidentified, Serie 8, Serie 12, and Serie 32, hence the gaps above. So do please let us know the titles of those if you have them in your collection.