young’s TRAVELS IN FRANCE.

57 6

framed of Piedmont, by thofe who pafs through it from Mont Cenis, and quit it forMilan or Tortona, without feeing it from Turin to Coni ?

Savoy. —In the mountains of the Alps , by Lanefburgh, &c. they mow their wateredmeadows once only, but in the plain twice.

From this detail of the irrigation of Lombardy , it mull be apparent, that for want oflaws fimilar to thofe which take place fully in Piedmont, and theMilanefe, and partiallyin the republic of Venice , no fuch exertions are ever likely to be made in a free coun-tiy. We can in England form no navigation, or road, or make any trei'pafs on privateproperty, without the horrible expenfive form of an aft of parliament; we cannot eveninclofe our own property, without the fame ceremony. Nor is it only the expence offuch applications, but the neceflity of them generates oppofnion at every fcep, and a manmud fight his way through country-meetings, through attorneys, agents, counfel, wit-nelfes, and litigation,—in a manner odious to every liberal feeling, and at a ruinous ex-pence, before he is at liberty to improve his own eflate, without any detriment to others;every idea of fuch works, therefore in England, as we have feen common in Lombardy ,is vifionary and imprafticable ; and we mud continue to view, with eyes of envy andadmiration, the noble exertions which have been made and perfefted in that country,and which, in truth, very much exceed any thing we have to exhibit in any walk of agri-culture in this ifland :—an example to hold up for imitation, and an ample field of prac-tical ftudy.

Sect. II .—Of Cattle.

Piedmont. —Nice to Coni .—In this part of the Alps , the breed of cows refembles theAlderney , in horn, colour, and fize. They are ufually cream-coloured, or pale yel-low, but with black around their eyes, black tail, and fome of them legs alfo, like thePoitou breed in France .

Turin .—Price of a plough ox, 150 livres to 300 livres. A good cow, 110 livres.

The method of fattening in the plain, the cattle called ?noggie, from the mountains ofSuza and Bufiolino, as given by the Agrarian Society , deferves attention. They beginby putting them in airy dables, healthy, and well lighted, bleed once or twice, anointthe bodies of the cattle, drefs them well at lead twice a day, give water mixed with rye-flour, in the evening feed with a certain mixture called condut , compofed of elm leaves,with fome hay of the fecond or third cut, or clover-hay, to which they join a mefs ofwell pulverized walnut-oil-cake, on this mixture they pour fome boiling water, wellfaded, and dir up the whole together, and mixing at the lame time an eymenaof bran,according to the number of moggie ; the pap, thus prepared, is turned into a tub, andfome h. urs after it is given to the cattle, who eat it with an avidity that marks a delici-ous food ; continuing this method fome time, they cad their hair, grow fmooth, round,fat, and fo improved, as to fell frequently at double the price *.

Milanese.— Milan .—Examining the ox-dalls of a farmer near the city, I found his{landings 6 \ feet wide, and made almofl: like my own at Bradfield, except that indeadof a flep and gutter, he has a trench at their heels, in the Dutch method. I thoughtthe houfe too clofe and hot, yet there were air-holes, but all flopped, the farmer fayingthat a cow gives more milk for being kept hot, but in fummer the Iheds are open and.quite cool. They begin to work their oxen at four years old, and continue till ten,fometimes till twelve, but after ten they do not fatten fo kindly. They all draw, as in

* Memorii della Societa Agrar'ta, vol. i. p. 73.

Piedmont,