204 State Board of Agriculture, &c. 



especially in request for cloaks and mantles." Thisindin;ed 

 that extreme assiduity in perfecting the matej-ial for its man- 

 ufacture. Says Youait : " Although the old Tarentine 

 produced a wool unequalled in early times, they were not 

 without their defects, and very serious ones too. They 

 were called l)y the agriculturists of those d-dja pellitte, from 

 the skins and other clothing with which they were covered ; 

 also 7/ioles, not only for the softness of their fleeces but from 

 the delicacy of thcii- constitutions and the constant care that 

 was required to preserve them from injurious vicissitudes of 

 heat and cold. The care bestowed upon the fleece was 

 great. It was frequently uncovered, not only to ascertain 

 its condition, l)ut for the refreshment of the animal ; it was 

 drawn out and parted and combed if beginning to n)at ; it 

 was frequently moistened with the finest oil and even wine ; 

 and was well washed three or four times in a year. The 

 sheep houses were gorgeous and kept with the greatest care, 

 being daily and almost hourly washed, cleansed and fumi- 

 gated. 



" The introduction of silk and cotton fabrics from the 

 East, bettor adapted to the climate of Italy, caused the flocks 

 of Apulia and Tarentum to disappear, to be succeeded by a 

 larger, coarser but more profitable race, better suited to the 

 time and place. 



"InA. D. 41, Coluniella, a distinguished agriculturist, 

 introduced many of the Tarentine breed into Spain. They 

 had gradually spread from Syria and the Black Sea into 

 Italy, and arrived at eminence. They bore a red fleece and 

 were superior to all others in fineness. The Algerian sheep 

 was white with an occasional out-crop of black ; larger and 



