Loir-et-Cher — Chambers's Encyclopaedia

Loir-et-Cher, a department of France, formed out of the old province of Orléanais, comprises the arrondissements of Blois, Vendôme, and Romorantin. The Loire flows through it south-westwards, almost bisecting it. The south-eastern portion belongs to the infertile district of Sologne. The Loir crosses it parallel to the Loire farther to the north-west. Area, 2452 sq. m.; pop. (1872) 268,801; (1891) 280,958. The department is almost a uniform plain. The chief products are corn, fruits, wine, beetroot, and timber. Fish, poultry, and bees abound. Principal town, Blois.