THE GOAT. 217 



where there are so many vacant lots aud commons where they can browse on 

 the coarsest of food aud herbage, or that which is left or refused by the horse, . 

 cow, or sheep, is this the case. 



The goat, in fact, is an indiscriminate feeder, cropping even poisonous plants 

 with entire impunity and relish, as there are comparatively few plants or weeds 

 that are either injurious or poisonous to it, and no herbage, leaves, or grasses 

 seem to affect the quality of its milk, only rather to give it flavor ; and in trav- 

 elling through Asia, Africa, and parts of Europe, it was quite common to have 

 the goat brought to the door, tent, or camp, and milked for our use in our 

 presence, whenever milk was required, giving us the assurance that the milk 

 was genuine as that of goats. It is much lased both by travellers and fami- 

 lies, and especially by the inhabitants of the tropical, low, marshy, bilious, 

 and fever countries as a preventive and cure for those and other diseases inci- 

 dent to such countries. The medicinal qualities of goat's milk have long been 

 known and acknowledged, especially in the Old World, and in some portions 

 of this country, it being not only very wholesome, but less likely to curdle on 

 the stomach ; and by those who have tested the different kinds of milk it is 

 much esteemed and preferred for tea and coffee, and is largely used for chil- 

 dren's use, the making of whey, and the various medicinal drinks for invalids, 

 especially at the various hospitals, watering places, and institutions of Europe, 

 and a few of our own where it has been duly appreciated. It is also said to be 

 highly beneficial to consumptives, dyspeptics, and other like invalids. Still an 

 undue and unnatural prejudice has and does exist in the minds of many people 

 of this country against both the animal and the use of its milk, but without 

 any good reasons. 



Valuable varieties of the Asiatic goats have been largely introduced into 

 Europe, Avhere they are quite extensively raised and used for the producing of 

 wool, from which the finest fabrics, shawls, worsteds, de laines, silk velvets, 

 and other fine articles are made, while from the milk, butler, cheese, and whey 

 are made to a considerable extent. They are not unfrequeutly harnessed to 

 small wagons or carts for marketing or pleasure purposes, or made to pack small 

 loads as beasts of burden. Their use and importance have thus become valua- 

 ble and indispensable over large portions of Eiu-ope and Asia; but notwithstand- 

 ing varieties of these goats have been imported into the United States by emi- 

 grants and people of this country for their own use, the animals have been sub- 

 sequently neglected, mainly on account of the cheapness of cows and the easy 

 facilities of pasturing them upon the extensive public domains, cheap pasture 

 lands, or commons. But as the land has become occupied and more valuable, 

 the expense of purchasing and keeping cows has increased, and the value of 

 butter, milk, aud cheese is enhanced by the enlarged demand, the attention of 

 thousands of our people, especially of the poor and laboring classes, has been 

 turned to the breeding and keeping of goats ; their milking qualities have been 

 greatly improved, and their value so increased that we have recently seen com- 

 mon milking goats bought and sold at the price of an ordinary cow a few years 

 ago, namely, from $10 to $25, and any ordinary milking goat is valued at $8 

 to §10. Most of the milkers give from two to three quarts per day, especially 

 if well fed, tethered, and milked three times daily. 



General J. S. Goe, at Brownsville, Pennsylvania, reports an Assyrian goat 

 in his possession milking a gallon per day after the weaning of its kid, A sim- 

 ilar goat, noAv in the Avriter's possession, is reported to have yielded twenty 

 dollars' worth of milk during the season, after selling two kids at three dollars 

 each. The milk was mainly sold to physicians for patients at ten and twelve 

 cents per quart. A number of the famed Maltese milkers which we examined 

 Ave were assured yielded nearly the same results, and we have obtained ten 

 cents per quart for some from our Maltese and Cashmere grades for medicinal 

 purposes. Thus around the suburbs of our large cities, in many of the smaller 



