PROCEEDINGS, JUNE. xi 



once a year. Any staple of over 4in. in length would suffice for 

 manufacturing purposes. Shearing in South Africa was usually 

 conducted in a somewhat slovenly manner, and sorting but inefficiently 

 carried out. Some trouble arose at kidding time, owing to the 

 helplessness of the young, and the want of strong maternal instinct on 

 the part of the dams. The trouble and expense of managing the 

 flock would be less than in the case of sheep, goats being the more 

 intelligent, and less liable to destruction by dogs. Their attachment 

 to home enabled dependence to be placed on their return at night. 

 Their introduction would not encroach on the pastiirage available for 

 sheep ; indeed, the reverse, for Angoras had been found to be excellent 

 pioneers in clearmg up new country for sheep and cattle, and 

 were positively a benefit to other stock, especially sheep. An immense 

 amount of land now valueless could be utilised for good farming, and an 

 important fact was that they did not appear subject to dietetic influences 

 such as were sheep, and appeared to sufifer no inconvenience from, 

 being depastured on country where plants abound which, when eaten 

 by sheep, prove fatal. The climate of Tasmania and Australia had 

 been proved to be peculiarly suitable for goat farming. Islands were 

 specially adapted for farming goats, and one he could recommend for 

 tentative occupation was West Hunter Island, to the north-west of 

 Tasmania, in Bass Straits, obtainable on a 14 years' lease from the 

 Crown for £20 per annum, and which was unsuitable for sheep- 

 farming, as the poisonous tare — lobelia — of King's Island abounded, and 

 invariably proved fatal. If it was found that the goat enjoyed immunity 

 from the evil effects of the plant an illimitable scope for goat-farming 

 was opened up on the unstocked islands of the Straits. The stock 

 regulations at present in force prevented the importation of goats from 

 any place outside Australasia, but prize-bred Angoras could be obtained 

 in neighbouring colonies where small flocks are maintained. He had 

 made enquiries to ascertain particulars of the Angora goats still re- 

 maining in the colony, but these had proved unsuccessful. Possibly the 

 non-success of previous attempts at goat-farming here might be attri- 

 buted to the fact that the goats had been kept on an open grats country, 

 clearly a mistaken policy : rough, mountainous, and scrubby country 

 being far more suitable. 



Mr. Justice Adams pointed out that between Latrobe and Ulver- 

 stone there was a considerable flock of Angora goats in existence. He 

 could not say if they were pure breds. Ee estimated the flock to 

 number between 50 and 60 animals. He had also seen another flock 

 of these goats, but could not call to mind the exact locality. 



Mr. James Barnard confirmed what had been mentioned by Mr. 

 Justice Adams. The flock was owned by Mr. James Smith, of 

 Westwood. 



Mr. A. J, Taylor suggested that the secretary should communicate 

 ■with Mr. Smith for the purpose of obtaining information on the 

 subject. 



CHILD POISONING BY EATING THE TRUMPET LILY. 



Dr. Hardy read a paper describing a recent case of poisoning 

 occasioned by a child eating a portion of the common trumpet flo'ver — 

 Brugmansia sp. The plant he pointed out was allied to the Solanacia 

 family, known to be poisonous. He treated the case in question 

 with success, but concluded the paper by directing attention to the 

 desirableness of an investigation of the qualities of Australasian flora 

 from a medicinal point of view, respecting which at the present moment 

 but little is known. He had little doubt that if this was done the result 

 would be the discovery of remedies for diseases which might be classi- 

 fied as having become peculiarly localised — as for instance typhoid 

 fever and cancer. 



