8 FARMERS' BULLETIN 920. 



In a project carried on cooperatively by the Sea View Hospital, 

 New York, and the Bureau of Animal Industry, the value of goats' 

 milk for tuberculous patients was investigated. The cases treated 

 were all pulmonary tuberculosis varying from quiescent with slight 

 infiltration to active, far-advanced cases with extensive infiltration 

 and cavitation. Adolescents were preferably chosen, irrespective of 

 sex, and in order to have as many as possible under treatment at the 

 same time, some were accepted as low as 6 years of age. A control 

 was selected for each case whose condition closely resembled the one 

 under treatment. 



The results showed that the goats' milk cases and the controls pro- 

 gressed about the same. Ten. of the sick cases under treatment 

 showed a definite improvement, while 11 of the controls were im- 

 proved. The bed cases were not weighed, but the ambulant patients 

 were weighed weekly and showed that the treated and the controls 

 gained about the same weight. These results are therefore entirely 

 negative. 



The question of the transmission of a passive immunity to tuber- 

 culosis by the transfer of natural antibodies from goats' milk to very 

 young infants or from the use of this milk over a much longer period 

 is a subject of investigation at present incomplete. 



GOAT DAIRIES. 



During the past few years a number of goat dairies have been in 

 operation in different parts of the country. These dairies have been 

 established both for the purpose of producing milk and the manufac- 

 ture of cheese. The largest goat dairy in the country, however, is 

 devoted to the manufacture of condensed milk. If only a few goats 

 are kept it is not necessary to have much in the way of equipment, 

 but if a considerable number of does are milked it is best to have the 

 proper equipment for handling the work advantageously. This does 

 not mean, however, that expensive buildings must be provided. Any 

 clean, dry quarters free from drafts may be used. 



The essentials of a dairy are facilities for the proper handling of 

 both the goats and the milk. This means that the building should 

 have proper ventilation, plenty of light, and arrangements made so 

 that each goat can be properly fed and handled. The illustrations 

 given of the dairy of the Bureau of Animal Industry, located at Belts- 

 ville, Md., give a good idea of how to handle a medium-sized herd (see 

 figs. 1, 2, and 3). As will be noted in looking over this plan, there are 

 pens where the does may be handled together and stalls where they 

 can be fed individually. The does have leather collars about their 

 necks and are tied to the mangers in the stalls by means of a short 

 rope with a snap on the end which fastens to the ring in the collar. 

 At kidding time small temporary pens are easily made by the use of 



