ITALY. 325 



heavy, white skinned, and easy to fatten. If breeders of this race are 

 desired they should be obtained from Merano and Laiia, in the Tyrol. 

 Some oxen are brought from Emilia to the provinces of Cremona and 

 Mantua, but those of the Tyrol are preferred. 



Although there are no indigenous Lombard breeds, I would strongly 

 recommend the breed of the canton Schwytz as well deserving the at- 

 tention of American dairymen and stock-raisers, if the same has not 

 already been tried in our country. Dairymen and stock experts hero 

 represent it as decidedly superior for the dairy to other Swiss breeds, 

 and it is even claimed by many to be the best in Europe. The opin- 

 ion of these persons should have some weight, when it is considered 

 that the dairy industry is probably as strong in Lombardy as in any 

 part of Europe, and that the butter and cheese product is so large 

 that farmers find it to their interest to renovate their herds exclusively 

 by importations from abroad. The magnitude of the industry may be 

 better understood when I state*that in the province of Milan, which con- 

 tains 1,155 square miles, there are 132,928 cows, according to the last 

 statistics. The butter known as Milan butter is largely exported and is 

 highly prized in London, Paris, and other capitals. The several kinds 

 of cheese known as Gorgonzola, Brintz, Gruyera, Formaggini, and Par- 

 migiano are well-known in the great markets of the world. 



The Schwytz cow is ordinarily of a dun color, weighs from 900 to 1,100 

 pounds, lias short horns, which are black and white, and costs in the can- 

 ton about $ 130. She is a hearty feeder, and, if well nourished, gives milk 

 a longer term of years than any other cow known here. A peculiarity of 

 the Schwytz is the long, light, coffee -colored hair growing from the in- 

 terior of the ear, which is a conspicuous object in contrast with the dark 

 coat of the head and neck. 



Great attention has been given to the milking breeds of other coun- 

 tries by the Lombards, and their comparative merits are well understood ; 

 but at an important exposition of cattle held at Lodi in September last, 

 the committee in charge of the subject unanimously recommended dairy- 

 men to replenish their stock from Switzerland, and the Schwytz breed 

 received the first mention. 



The form of the Schwytz does not present the smooth and delicate out- 

 line of the English breeds. It is thick and ox-like. I inclose a cut of 

 one exhibited at the Milan National Exposition of 1881, and which 

 secured the gold medal. The best route for the transportation of 

 Schwytz breeders to the United States would bo by the 'St. Gothard 

 Hail way to Genoa, and thence by steamer to New York. The railway 

 expense is about $5 per head. 



CATTLE BREEDS OF NORTHERN ITALY. 



There are in other parts of Northern Italy types of cattle which are 

 native or acclimated from time immemorial. Such is the breed of Pied- 

 mont, known as the Piedniontese or Carmagnolo race. This is a dis- 

 tinct type, tall of stature, short horned, grayish-red color, and with a 

 conformation, especially the cranium, closely resembling the Garonne 

 breed of France. It is essentially a stock for beef or farm work, and is 

 fattened and largely exported to France, where, as beet, it is rated as 

 inferior only to the beef of the best French stock. Cattle of ihis breed, 

 or of sn bracks closely allied to it, are found in every part of Piedmont. 



Emilia, in its northern part, about Piacenza, lias a specific type of 

 oxen called Bardigiana, red or mottled with white, and long-horned. 



