22 OCTOBER 1948, Page 18

The Ambiguous Goat ' Cornwall offers another example. At the

moment it is urging a revival of the goat with ingenuous zeal. Now the goat is said by his- torians to have destroyed at least two civilisations on the Mediterranean, by skinning surface vegetation and so producing denudation. - Contrari- wise the salvation of England is promised by the Cornish branch of the excellent and most efficient County Garden Produce Committee, fathered by the Ministry. Just listen to this:

" We are spending £5,000,000 a year on goat skins imported from abroad. It might all be produced in this country, and -look at the milk and goat meat that we might have to supplement the ration. If only country people could be assured of the necessary food we might have kid for shoes, an abundant milk supply, more cheese and a good supply of more palatable meat." The goat, or poor man's cow, is in fact re- appearing generally on English commons.