Selecting a Milch Goat. 103 



someone on whom you can rely, it being essential to ascer- 

 tain the respective qualities of the parents. 



Frice-f of Goals. 



In the earlier editions of this work I gave the prices 

 at which goats could or should be obtainable, but experi- 

 ence has shown me that such information is bound to be 

 unreliable. The prices at which goats could be procured 

 twenty -five years ago would be of little use now, whilst 

 different breeders have different prices, and the more a 

 certain stock is in demand, the higher are the prices asked 

 for specimens. 



The following story, which, by the way, is no romance, 

 illustrates the demand for good goats and the prices 

 such goats may fetch. A certain enthusiastic fancier, 

 wishful to emulate the well-known success of a more 

 experienced and popular breeder who had some stock to 

 dispose of, made a lengthy journey by night from the 

 Midlands, arriving on the goat farm early next morning. 

 In selecting the goats he was anxious to buy he exhibited 

 a judgment which somewhat surprised the owner of the 

 herd, choosing some of his most valued stock. Pointing 

 to one of 'these, the traveller enquired the price. " How 

 much money have you brought with you?" asked the 

 other. "Oh! I came prepared," was the rejoinder. 

 " Here is a twenty-pound note; I suppose that will buy it 

 and more?" ''Oh, no, that's no good," was the dis- 

 comfiting remark; " I could not let one of my best goats 

 go for that ! " The enthusiast was not to be discouraged, 

 however, and eventually bought the goat by promising to 

 send another 6. On the other hand, the charming Tog- 

 genburg which won the milking prize at the Dairy Show of 

 1908, having changed owners several times previously, 

 was once sold at the low price of 155. These are, of 

 course, extreme cases, but goats that are very satisfactory 



