Vol. VIII. No. 1S4. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



155 



TOGGENBURG GOATS IN THE 

 WEST INDIES. 

 The Toggenbnrg goats that ai\' to be found in the 

 West Inrlies, and which are in most cases the descend- 

 ants of the pure-bred stock imported bj^ the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture in lO^S, are attracting 

 increasing interest fron) stock-owner;?, and it is becom- 

 ing generally recognized that by crossing a good class 

 of West Indian goat with the Toggenbnrg, a hardy and 

 serviceable animal is obtained, and one which possesses 

 superior milking qualities. 



Many enquiries are being received for young Toggen- 

 liurg stock, both at this Department, and by private stock- 

 owners w-ho liave had experience of ttis class of goat in 

 the AVest Indies during the past five years. This increasing 

 demand has naturally led to a rise in value. The general 

 prices for the animals of this breed range from £2 to £4 

 each, but as much as £o has been paid for good half-bred 

 rams. 



At Grenada nineteen Toggenburg goats have been 

 imported, and in most instances these nave proved highly 

 .successful. As a res'ult, there exists a very considerable 

 demand in that island for further animals of this kind. 



In Dominica, the pure-bred ram ' Wallace,' a son of 

 'Bruce' and 'Pauline,' the two Toggenburgs originally 

 imported by the Department in 1903, hiis.been very .successful 

 ill proiiagating tlie breed, as there now exist about fifty j'oung 

 half-bred Toggenburg goats in various parts C)f the islnnd. 

 Jt dfies not ap]>ear, however, that the valiie of these animals 

 is fully recognized at Dominica, as little attention has there 

 lieen given to goats as milk producers — ^the point in which the 

 Toggenburgs exhibit merit. 



The following extracts taken from Bulletin No. ^S 

 of the United States Department of Agriculture may 

 prove of interest in this connexion : — ■ 



The Toggenbuig breed is called the aristocrat of the milch 

 goat family. There are some breeds that are more hardy per- 

 haps, some that are more prolific, some that will show occasional 

 individuals of greater milk-producing capacity, and several 

 that present a more robust appearance ; 'but the ToggenV>urg 

 .seems to combine in itself more of these characteristics in 

 a high degree than any other breed. ' 'i 



This breed is from the ToggenViui>g Valley, a district 

 forming a considerable portion of the t'anton St. Gallen, in 

 the north-east section of Switzerland, and about 70 to 100 

 miles from Berne. Here they have bceil bred for centuries. 



In discu.ssing this breed Hook jioints out an important 

 feature which is applicable to all breeds, namely, that the high 

 position occupied by the Toggeiilnirgs as milk jjroducers has 

 been attained by the careful selection of ipdividnals for breed- 

 ing, and from their oflFspring preserving those only for breed- 

 ing which have jnoved themselves to be good milkers. This 

 practice cannot fail to lead to definitei results if fhe selec- 

 tions are made intelligently'. The Tf>ggenburgs are especially 

 noted for their great milking qualities, ijnd in this particular 

 they probably excel most other breeds, jjn Switzerland there 

 are a goodly number of the more intelligent breeders of these 

 goats who are breeding only the best -jj^kers. liiese goats 

 give from 4 to 5 quarts a day as^a--rule,t;while the best pro- 

 duce from 5 to 6 quarts, and, in extraoi^inary cases, as much 

 as 7 quarts per day. Their persistenipe in giving milk is 

 SI noteworthy characteristic. ,, 



The udder of the Toggenburg when distended is carried 

 high between the legs. The teats are usually very large and 

 Jong. 



The Toggenburg is generally called a hornless breed, I'Ut 

 instances are not uncommon w}|jyre horns are developed. 



Xotwith.standing the lanky-and lean appearance of these 

 animals, the does are quite attractive. The bucks have 

 a harsh and most serious expression, owing principally to the 

 shape of the head, and the large coar.se beard. They are not 

 given to fighting, however, ancF are free to a large extent 

 from the odour that is geiieralfy so objeotionable in males 

 among most other breeds of goafs. 



Mr. Bryan Hook, authoruof ' Milch Goats and their 

 Management, " makes the folfowing observations on the 

 Toggenbnrg goat in England Ji— 



The Toggenburg goat is, ih'my opinion, by far the most 

 valuable, and the best suited to our climate of all the pure 

 breeds that have been introduced into this country, and — • 

 having now become fairly coniiuon and well established with 

 us — is the breed I should unhesitatingly commend to the 

 attention of goat-keepers. 



There is no doubt that in England the Toggen- 

 burg is now recognized as the most economical and 

 profitable of all the breeds of goat that may be kept 

 for milk-producing purposes. The average value of 

 a good milker was recently placed at from £7 to £8, 

 but prices of £12 have been realized for superior 

 animals. A mature Toggenberg should give about 

 2 quarts per day, or slightly more for three months 

 after kidding. An exceptionally good specimen of 

 this breed that was on view at the London Dairy 

 Show same five or six year§ ago, was jaelding over 

 a (jii.irt of milk per day, although it was more than 

 eighteen months since it had kidded. 



It is important that goats imported into the West 

 Indies receive every care and attention, and this is all 

 the more desirable if the animal possesses high 

 economic qualities. It rnufet be borne in mind that 

 even though a goat may belong to a good' dairy breed, 

 and come from the best milk-yielding strain", she will 

 not continue to yield large quantities of milk unless 

 she is well fed and receives ^he best attention. 



It is not judicious or economical to feed a goat con- 

 tinuously on one kind of food alone, since if this is done, 

 the animal will never satisfy its requirements. In the 

 West Indies, in most cases, goats have to be tethered at 

 pasture, and it should be retaembered that it is well to 

 move them two or three times daily. The goat is very 

 fanciful in its tastes, so that it will be necessary to see 

 that all food and drink are clean, as well as the pan, 

 Inicket, or other utensil used in feeding the animals. 



In ebnclusion, it is important to point out the 

 necessity of care in selection and breeding, if Toggen- 

 burg goats are to maintain in the West Indies the 

 excellent milk-yielding quality which distinguishes the 

 breed in Switzerland. Unless this care is duly exer- 

 cised, and indiscriminate breeding prevented, deteriora- 

 tion is certain to result. 



In connexion with this question of improved stock, 

 it may be mentioned that the Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture has under consideration a scheme by which 

 it is proposed to grant bonuses to persons importing 

 goats and other animals of good economic quality into 

 the West Indies. The contjitions under which these 

 bonuses are to be given will be announced later. 



