Cross-bred Goats.-$9 



there is always a run on stock that are successful as prize- 

 winners (especially on milking- prize winners), there is 

 generally a certain relationship between the best strains, 

 so that when a cross-out can be obtained with some good 

 milkers, such as the Toggenburg or Alpine, the result is 

 generally a marked success. 



Crossing tufth the Angora Goat. 



I cannot help thinking, and I believe I am not alone 

 in this idea, that it would be quite possible, by carefully 

 crossing some of the best milking strains of the common 

 goat with the Angora, to produce an animal that would 

 embody in itself the qualities of both breeds, and whilst 

 giving a plentiful supply of milk would yield mohair of 

 sufficiently good quality to be marketable, thus making the 

 cross doubly profitable. Such a cross, however, would be 

 of little use in England. Regarding this question, the 

 following remarks, contained in a letter from Colonel 

 J. W. Watts to Colonel R. Peters, which I extract from 

 Dr. Hayes' book on the Angora goat, are extremely 

 interesting : 



" I began with the milk goat, had two varieties the 

 long, rough-horned Maltese, and the short-haired South 

 American. About the year 1872 I came in possession of 

 three Angoras one billy and two nannies. ... I bred 

 this billy to my milk goats, the result being a beautiful 

 lot of large, well-formed half-breeds, showing no fleece. 

 He was bred to his kids the next fall j this produced a 

 pretty animal with considerable fleece, which grew to be 

 about 3in. in length. Those descended from the short- 

 haired goat had a much more uniform fleece than those 

 from the long-haired goat, and some of those retained their 

 long straight hairs through the fourth and fifth crosses. 

 The length of fibre is about 3in. on the second cross, and 

 continues to increase in length on each cross until five 



