HeGoats and Goat-Carriages. 255 



I am well aware that the efficacy of this practice is also 

 scouted and scoffed at by many people, and especially by 

 members of the veterinary profession, who can see no 

 possible explanation for it. As in the case of goats and 

 horses, however, it has been found beneficial by so large a 

 number of people all over the. country, and instances are 

 so numerous of the success that has attended the adoption 

 of the practice, that I have no hesitation in giving space 

 to the matter here. The following is one case amongst 

 many of which I have personal knowledge. Mr. Sam 

 Woodiwiss, whose name as a goat-keeper has been several 

 times mentioned in these pages, breeds on his farm, 

 amongst other stock, pedigree Red Polls. The farm 

 proper, where the bulk of these cows are kept, is 

 situate about half a mile from the house, whilst at the 

 stud farm a few only are retained for domestic use. 

 The goats are located in the latter establishment. Now, 

 at the former, as at all his neighbours' farms, abortion is 

 more or less prevalent, but amongst the cows kept at the 

 stud no case has ever occurred during the nine or ten 

 years that the place has been the present owner's 

 property. 



It had always been my impression that it was the scent 

 of the male goat which had the supposed quality in 

 question until one day I chanced to meet a large breeder 

 and exhibitor of longhorn cattle a great believer in the 

 utility of the goat as a preventive of abortion and he 

 surprised me by saying it was always a she-goat that he 

 had running with his herd. On one or two occasions when 

 such a goat died and no other was available, abortion 

 reappeared, but so long as a goat was there he was never 

 troubled in that way. One of the theories advanced 

 to account for this is that a goat pastured with cattle 

 eats with impunity some kind of herb or grass which is 

 the cause of abortion amongst cows, and if there be any 



