Agriculture in Southern Italy. 



75 



obtainable, at least three hours before milking time, so that 

 they come to the milking place with breath and bodies free 

 from taint, the trouble will be reduced to a minimum. If a 

 garlic - free field is not available, the animals may be 

 brought to a stable-yard, and there be fed lightly with hay, 

 a soiling crop, or any long forage, and allowed to stand an 

 hour or two before being put into the milking place. 



Keeping the cows in the sheds in the spring and autumn 

 and feeding them on hay, or cutting the garlic plants by hand, 

 or scattering salt upon them and turning sheep on to the 

 pasture well in advance of the cows, are said to be among the 

 best ways of avoiding the injurious effects of wild garlic with- 

 out entirely destroying the plants. But these are only 

 makeshifts. Complete eradication of the garlic plants is the 

 only satisfactory method. This is practicable within the 

 limits of an ordinary farm, and although involving much 

 labour, it is probably cheapest in the end. 



Agriculture in Southern Italy. 



Mr. E. Neville-Rolfe, Her Majesty's Consul at Naples, in 

 his annual report for the year 1896 on the trade of that 

 town, states that agriculture in Southern Italy, and particu- 

 larly in the Cam.pagna Felice, in which district Naples is 

 situate, is suffering from depression. Some years ago the 

 importation of foreign wheat brought prices down to such 

 an extent that many landlords transformed their cornfields 

 into vineyards ; but soon after this change the commercial 

 treaty between Italy and France, which enabled the Italian 

 farmer to sell his wines in the latter country at a fair profit 

 cam^e to an end, and the landlords were left without a 

 market for their produce. The difficulties of farmers have 

 been increased by the objection of the peasantry to any 

 changes in their primitive method of cultivation, and also 

 to their neglect to use sulphate of copper as a remedy for 

 the Peronosporay which has made fatal progress, as has the 

 Phylloxera in some districts. The productive qualities of 

 the land are further stated to have diminished, owing to 

 crops such as hemp and maize being constantly taken off it 



