Sarthe

Sarthe, a dept. of France, north of the Loire, formed out of the old provinces of Anjou and Maine. Area, 2396 sq. m.; pop. (1866) 465,615; (1891) 429,737. The Sarthe flows south through the department, and the Loir west along the southern border. The department is fairly level, and the soil fertile. Essentially an agricultural department, it produces wheat, oats, barley, and potatoes, sends its geese, chickens, eggs, cattle, and swine to Paris, is famous for its breed of horses, and makes every year nearly 4 million gallons of wine and 15½ million gallons of cider. Coal is mined, and there are manufactures of hemp, linen, and cotton textiles, paper, glass, leather, machinery, &c. The arrondissements are Le Mans, La Flèche, Mamers, and St Calais; capital, Le Mans.