Though the area in forests is said to comprise 7,500.000 acres, the timber supply is deficient and large quantities must be .imported from Scandinavia and North America.
The breeding of domestic animals was once of great importance. in Spain, but the industry has retrograded. The most famous domestic animal is the fine-fleeced merino sheep, now not so numerous as formerly. Though Spain raises more sheep in proportion to population than any other country of Europe, the number has been reduced from 23,000.000 to 10.500.000 since MO; and the famous fine-wool merinos have been largely re placed by coarse-wool breeds. In the mountain dis tricts about 2.600,000 goats are reared for their milk, flesh. and skins. A single peasant in Sierra Nevada sometimes owns as many as 3000 or 4000 goats. The best horses, originally of Arab stock, are raised in Andalusia and Asturias; but horse breeding is much neglected in favor of the highly prized mule, the kingdom containing only about 400,000 horses. On the other hand, there are 1, 521,000 mules and asses, which are bred with great care in most parts of Spain. The number
of cattle amounts to barely 2.217,000 head. They are most numerous on the pastures of the northwest, where the rain from the Atlantic is abundant. To this region dairy farming is confined. The wild cattle spe cially raised for bull-fighting are obtained from the Sierra Guadarrama and the Sierra Morena. Hogs, about 2.000.000 in number, are reared chiefly in the mountainous parts of the kingdom, especially in the north and in Estremadura. Silkworm culture is only one-tenth as large as half a century ago. and is chiefly confined to the regions around the Gulf of Valencia. The yield of cocoons. in 1901 amounted to 2,190.000 kilo grams. Most of the raw silk is sold to France and large quantities of silk goods are imported. The sea fisheries are important. The home indus try does not begin to supply the demand and much fish is imported from Norway. The total number of boats engaged in the industry in 1892 was 14.726; fishermen. 67,197. The chief catches are sardines. tunny, and end.