93Q 



Demand for Live Stock in Italy, [march, 



These "are nearly all geldings, mares being unsuitable in a 

 country where so many working horses are entire. 



"Cattle. — Cattle breeding is on a different footing. Even 

 on the large estates of the nobility, cattle are not bred 

 in any great numbers, and anyone wanting to buy, say, 500 

 head of neat stock, would have to go from farm to farm 

 buying five or six beasts at a time. A herd of pedigree cattle 

 would be an absolutely new departure, even in the case of 

 local breeds, which one would expect to be kept more or less 

 distinct. No Italian cattle breeder is likely to start a herd 

 of shorthorns or Herefords or Scotch cattle, though in some 

 parts of the country the last-named would seem especially 

 adapted to his requirements. The expense and risk of im- 

 porting pedigree stock would be quite prohibitive. Dealers 

 will only buy what they are accustomed to buy and fight shy 

 of novelties. 



"Sheep. — Sheep are on a different footing. Rams are much 

 more easily imported, and their influence in a flock is much 

 more sensible than that of a single bull in a herd of half-bred 

 cows. Italian breeders might wisely buy Lincolns or obtain 

 Merino rams from such of our Colonies as are in direct com- 

 munication with Italy, notably from Australia, whither there 

 are direct steamers every few days. The milking of sheep 

 has been so long discontinued in the United Kingdom that 

 it is questionable if we have any breeds which we could 

 confidently recommend as 1 milkers.' 



"Goats. — Much might be done in improving the goats. 

 Greater size and quality might be obtained. The difficulty 

 in the way of this is that goats are rarely seen in the important 

 cattle shows in the United Kingdom which alone are visited 

 by foreign buyers, and also the owners of flocks of goats in 

 Italy are chiefly poor peasants with no money and less 

 initiative. Another fact which will lead before long to the 

 reduction of the number of goats is that they will certainly 

 be excluded from the streets of the towns before very many 

 years are past, and then the sale of their milk will decline 

 to vanishing point. 



"Donkeys. — We are more likely to buy donkeys of Italy 

 than she of us. On visiting a donkey stud farm in the 

 United Kingdom anyone who knows what a donkey can be 



