Stall- reeding. 147 



with corn may be regarded in the same light in the 

 diet of a goat as bread and vegetables combined with 

 meat in that of man. There are several kinds of hay, 

 but that preferred by a goat is composed mainly of grass 

 with a few herbage plants, and lucerne hay, made with 

 that plant alone. Sainfoin hay is also good and very 

 nourishing, but more wasteful, as the leaves drop off 

 and fall on the ground. 



Oats. Oats may be regarded as the staple corn for 

 goats, being more frequently given than any other. They 

 are, moreover, the .cheapest of all grain when the quality 

 is good cheap oats are useless, being nearly all husk. 

 Good oats are clean, hard, heavy, sweet, plump, and 

 rattle like shot. The hard pressure of the nail on an 

 oat should leave little or no mark, whilst the kernel when 

 pressed between the teeth should chip rather than tear. 

 Short plump oats are preferable to large long grains. 

 The best weigh from 4olb. to 42lb. the bushel, whereas 

 inferior kinds weigh only 3olb. or 32lb. 



Maize, or Indian Corn. This grain contains a con- 

 siderable amount of nutritive properties, the greater pro- 

 portion of which go to the formation of fat ; but it should 

 be given sparingly, being rather indigestible. In this way 

 a little is good for a change, but given in large quantities 

 and with no other food, it may cause inflammation of the 

 stomach, which often ends fatally. There are two kinds, 

 the large and the small, the latter being the more suitable, 

 though rather dearer. The large kind should always be 

 given crushed. 



Beans and Peas. Both beans and peas, as I have 

 already stated, contain a large amount of nitrogen, and 

 therefore make valuable food for milk production. Given 

 in the form of meal, beans have the character of improving 

 the quality of the milk, but I do not find that goats take 

 readily to this ; besides, it comes rather expensive. Beans 



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