72 AGRICULTURE 



The stables and sheep-houses are very spacious, as both 

 cattle and sheep are housed every night. The lambs 

 are always kept in the house, and the ewes are brought 

 home to them three times a day. The lambs appeared 

 all of the same size, and must all have been dropped 

 within two or three days of each other. The wool was 

 not of a quality that would be reckoned fine in New 

 South Wales; and yet, Mr. Durand says, there is 

 nothing finer in this part of the country. At the rate wools 

 were selling in August this year (1831), it would bring, 

 in London, about I8d. a pound. It is at present only 

 worth about Kid. here, though two years ago it sold for 

 20d. A good wether will bring 10^. or 12s. They do 

 not milk the cows, but allow the calves to suck them. 

 There is no such thing known in this country as a dairy 

 farm. Oil is the almost universal substitute for every 

 purpose to which butter is applied with us, and milk is 

 seldom or never used. There are, perhaps, few pre- 

 judices stronger than that of the English against the 

 general use of oil, which they are accustomed to consider 

 as a very gross kind of condiment ; and perhaps there 

 is no prejudice more unfounded. For surely the pure 

 vegetable juice of the olive is far from being inferior, in 

 delicacy, to butter, the animal fat of the cow ; and there 

 can be no doubt, that oil is also more wholesome and 

 congenial to the human constitution, in a hot climate, 

 than the latter. This district is not celebrated for the 

 quality of its oil, but they do not, as in Spain, consider 

 rancidity a merit ; and in the hotels it is furnished of 

 very good quality, while the olives are quite delicious. 

 Mr. Durand's working oxen are fed during the winter on 

 hay of excellent quality, and are all in the highest con- 

 dition. They have also potatoes, and sometimes turnips 



