Agriculture, Botany, $c. 45S 



favourite food is gorse {tTlex europae v a), which they devour eagerly, with- 

 out being annoyed by its prickles. They damage young plantations, but 

 not more than other goats or deer will do. They breed very early : three 

 of Mr. Tower's goats this year produced kids before they were themselves 

 a twelvemonth old. A few produce brown wool ; but that of far the greater 

 proportion of the goats is white, and this latter is more valuable than the 

 other. The coat is a mixture of long coarse hair and of short fine wool : 

 this latter begins to be loose early in April ; and is collected, easily and 

 expeditiously, by combing the animals two or three times with such a comb 

 as is used for horses' manes. A good deal of the long hair comes oiF at 

 the same time, but the manufacturer has found no difficulty in separat- 

 ing it. The produce of a male is about 4 oz., and of a female 2 oz. : 2 lbs. 

 of wool, as it comes off the goat's back, may be estimated to make one 

 shawl 54 in. square. It will, therefore, require ten goats, male and female, 

 to furnish materials for one shawl. Mr. Tower has this year had three 

 shawls made of his wool, one of which was examined by the committee 

 of manufacturers. The yarn was spun by Messrs. Pease of Darlington, 

 and was woven by Messrs. Miller and Sons of Paisley. Mr. Tower's 

 shawl was compared with one made in Scotland, of French shawl-goat 

 wool, to which it was evidently far superior. It was also compared with a 

 shawl of M. Terneaux's own make ; and was considered by very competent 

 judges to be superior to this also. (Trans. Soc. Arts, vol. xlvi., as quoted 

 In Ency. ofAgr., 2d edit. § 7340.) 



Mr. Tower's goats were visited by Mr. Riley this present summer, and 

 he declares them to be the most interesting specimens of the pure breed 

 he has ever seen. The flock, consisting, in 1823, of two bucks and two 

 does, now (1832) consists of 51 animals. Mr. Riley found them "grazing 

 promiscuously with other stock in the park, and appearing extremely 

 docile. The climate of England renders it necessary that, at night, they 

 should be protected in sheds ; and, in winter, fed with hay," &c. " The 

 down was at this time taking from them by a girl, with a common horse- 

 comb ; and, on comparing it with some specimens I had procured in France, 

 received through Russia, I found not the slightest degeneration : but, on 

 the contrary, from its very clean state, and the small proportion of hair, I 

 should sa}', it would realise in Paris a much higher price than any I had 

 seen. Mr. Tower has had some shawls made from the produce of his 

 flock, one of which he presented to his late Majesty. It was greatly 

 admired, and considered to rival those of Cachemire. Mr. Tower states 

 that his flock produces an average of 2f oz. of down annually from each 

 animal." (p. 42.) 



FRANCE. 



Poiteau and Vilmorin: Le Bon Jardinier : Alnianaeh pour l'Annee 1832. 



Paris, 12mo. 



We are here presented with an entirely new edition of this most valu- 

 able work, which, for a resident in France, forms a complete encyclopaedia 

 of garden culture. We have spoken of previous editions of the same work 

 highly, and more at length (Vol. II. p. 52.). 



Jacquin, M., sen., Member of many French and Foreign Horticultural 

 Societies: Monographie Complete du Melon. 8vo. Paris, 1832. 



This work is to be completed in six numbers, each of which is to con- 

 sist of two sheets of letterpress, and of five or six plates of coloured 

 engravings. The price of each number is 9 frs. or 6 frs., according to the 

 paper. The writer introduces his subject by stating that the melon is 

 not cultivated in the private gardens of the French gentry so perfectly, so 

 generally, or so successfully, as it may be. The cause of this defect he attri- 

 butes to a mistaken devotion to economy; many of the French proprietors 



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