4 The Book o/ the Goat. 



As regards goat-keeping in England it may be urgeu, 

 and with truth, that this country is not so well adapted 

 to the animal as are many parts of the Continent, on 

 account of the climate and the large area of land under 

 cultivation. The naturally roving disposition and well- 

 known mischievous propensity of the goat are its great 

 drawbacks, placing it at a disadvantage in a closely- 

 cultivated country like ours as compared with other stock, 

 it being impossible to pasture them in herds like sheep 

 and cattle unless in charge of a goatherd, on account of 

 the damage they do to trees and hedges. 



Goats are accordingly only met with to any extent in 

 mountainous regions and tracts of land adjoining these. 

 This accounts for the large number in proportion to the 

 population in countries like Norway, Switzerland, Spain, 

 and Portugal, though according to the returns they are most 

 numerous in Greece and the Ionian Isles, where, if the 

 figures given may be relied upon, there exists very nearly 

 one goat to every head of population. 



The above objection to goat-keeping has refer- 

 ence, however, only to their maintenance in herds, and 

 does not equally apply in cases of two or three, for when 

 this number is kept they can easily be tethered, and are 

 thus prevented from doing injury to surrounding fences. 

 There are many miles of grass by the roadsides in 

 England, which at present is made no use of, but which 

 might be turned to good account for pasturing goats 

 belonging to cottagers living close by. It is, in fact, in a 

 private way almost entirely that I have advocated goat- 

 culture in this country, for although goat-farming as a 

 business has been attempted, it has never yet been suc- 

 cessful, owing to the fact that there is no commercial 

 demand for thr milk of the goat as there is for that 

 of the cow. 



