GOATS 405 



is about two feet and six inches in height and will often 

 weigh 100 pounds. It is usually hornless, and the pre- 

 dominating color is white, although there are many other 

 colors, as red, brown and black. The ears are moder- 

 ately long and horizontal. The body is low and stocky. 

 It is said that the milking quality of the breed has been 

 so perfectly developed that neatly every doe kid becomes 

 a good milker. The udder is large and is carried low, and 

 yields two to four quarts of milk daily. In Malta it is 

 asserted that Maltese goats never do well when exported. 



The New Mexican goat. By this somewhat arbitrary 

 name is distinguished the only native American breed of 

 goats known. They are common in New Mexico, Texas 

 and the Southwest, where large numbers of them are kept 

 by the Spanish-speaking populace. They are not uni- 

 form in color and size, but have the reputation of being 

 fairly good milkers. 



The Spanish-Maltese goat. B. H. Van Raub, of Van 

 Raub, Texas, is the most prominent breeder of this type, 

 and his efforts in improving and developing this variety 

 are said to have given to the United States the first pure- 

 blooded breed of milch goats of its own. Thompson indi- 

 cates that these Spanish-Maltese represent several varieties. 



The Toggenburg milch goats (Fig. 83) are one of the 

 oldest and best known of the numerous breeds of milch 

 goats in Switzerland. They are hardy and hornless, and 

 their slender bodies are covered with silky hair of varied 

 length and of a peculiar brown color. The males carry 

 a heavy, coarse beard. The legs and ears are white, the 

 latter of medium length and well carried. The breed is 

 further distinguished by two white stripes on their heads, 

 running parallel on each side of the face from the ears to 

 the mouth, and also by two peculiar small cartilaginous 



