On the Agriculture of Spain. 
353 
these there is a longer distance to travel, and then the serious 
inconvenience of the greater length of voyage. I apprehend no-, 
thing but steam will ever answer for this purpose, nor will our 
navigation be complete for this and many other uses, until by 
the Archimedean screw, or other simple propeller, and machinery 
to take up little room, and the help of sails, these voyages can 
be made at little cost. Nearly every superior race of animals 
we possess is exotic, and the result of judicious crosses with the 
native breeds ; and there appears no reason why the cattle of Spain 
should not in our hands attain even greater excellence than in those 
of their present proprietors, with their scanty and insufficient 
pastures. There is no doubt that our dairies might be improved by 
the cows from Gruyere, and the mode of making butter by adopting 
some of the jilans followed in those of Holland, where the best 
butter is cured in the heat of summer, at which period we cannot 
effect it. 
With respect to the cattle from Estremadura, they should be 
purchased in the neighbourhood of Badajos, and probably Merida, 
at the end of May or beginning of .June, and driven to Ayamonte, 
or some place on the coast, for embarcation. Hiose of Lower 
Andalusia, where vast herds are bred below Utrera, and at 
Medina Sidonia, would probably be better embarked at Cadiz or 
in the vicinity. A curious ground for observation on the results 
of feeding these animals will be the effect of moist and succulent 
food during summer. In the vast tracts they roam over, in the 
southern and central districts, the forage is extremely dry and 
scanty during that period, the water forming a great part of their 
subsistence. It is by no means improbable it may lead to a great 
and permanent improvement in them. 
The. laws respecting the Mesta or Merinos are still in force, 
but the proprietors of the lands over which they have a right of 
pasture are daily finding out methods of curtailing the nuisance 
and loss this absurd mode of protection of a particular branch has 
entailed on the whole country. I have not the least doubt that, 
before any long period elapses, the whole system will follow that 
of the convents and be numbered with the relics of past ages. 
There are two points to attend to in this important question. 
The pasturages of Estremadura, which serve them in winter, will 
require other stock, whilst those who live in the lofly mountains 
between the Castiles, where the sheep cannot remain in winter, 
must find the means of providing them with winter quarters 
nearer home. This I conceive there would be little difficulty in 
managing. They begin to talk of turnips and other winter pro- 
vender in different parts of Spain, but any considerable change 
from ancient routine is yet far distant. The most important alte- 
ration I observed was the partial introduction of hedges and en- 
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