Buffon's Natural History. Volume 05 (of 10): Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, of the Brute Creation, and of Vegetables, Minerals, &c. &cBuffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de
History
Buffon's Natural History. Volume 05 (of 10): Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, of the Brute Creation, and of Vegetables, Minerals, &c. &c
Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de
Natural history
When kept among sheep they do not mix with them, but always precede
the flock. They prefer feeding separately, are fond of getting upon
the tops of hills, and even upon the most steep and craggy parts of
the mountains. They find a sufficiency of food on heaths, barren and
uncultivated grounds. Great attention is necessary to keep them from
corn, vines, and young plantations as they are great destroyers, and
eat with avidity the tender barks, and young shoots of trees, and thus
prove fatal to their growth. They avoid humid and marshy fields, or
rich pastures: they are seldom kept on flat lands, because it does
not agree with them, and it makes their flesh ill-tasted. In most
warm climates goats are raised in great numbers and never put into
the stables. In France they would perish if not preserved from the
inclemency of the winter. It is not necessary to give them litter in
the summer, though absolutely so in winter; and as all moisture is
very hurtful to them they should never be suffered to lie upon their
own dung. They should be taken out into the fields very early in the
morning, while the dew is on the grass, which, though hurtful to sheep,
is very salutary for goats. As they are untractable and wandering
animals, the most active and robust man cannot manage more than fifty
of them. They should never be suffered to go out during snow or hoar
frost, but be kept in the stable, and fed with herbage, small branches
of trees gathered in autumn, or on cabbages, turnips, and other roots.
The more they eat, the greater is their quantity of milk; to increase
and preserve their milk still more, they are made to drink a great
deal, and they mix sometimes a little nitre or salt in their water.
They may be milked in fifteen days after they have brought forth, and
will continue to give a considerable quantity twice a day for four or
five months.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account