100 MODERN MILK GOATS 



flicting beliefs is probably quite simple. The native 

 English buck, by all accounts, is guilty of the worst 

 traits that characterize anj^ buck. Strongly as the 

 Nubian infusion has influenced the cross bred Anglo- 

 Nubian, still some traits of both breeds survive, in vary- 

 ing degrees in individual animals. Hence the conflict of 

 opinion. Some people have been lucky enough to own 

 quiet, clean, and fairly odorless Anglo-Nubian bucks. 

 Others have found their Anglo-Nubian bucks noisy and 

 smelly. Tlie fact is that these traits really vary more 

 between individual animals than between tlie breeds as 

 a whole. The short, smooth coat of the Anglo-Nubian 

 buck and his small beard carry less accumulation of filth 

 than the shaggy coat and inunense beard of the Swiss 

 male. This handicap is readily overcome by the use of 

 clippers and scissors, in the early part of the rutting sea- 

 son. In other ways, too, the unpleasant habits of bucks 

 are influenced more by proper care and management 

 than by breed, as will be shown in later paragraphs. 



The sum of this long digression is — choose your buck 

 on the basis of his own individual traits, and not upon any 

 traditional claim for certain bi-eed traits. 



Individual Appearance. — To pass on, then, to the 

 important individual traits — first of all look for every 

 detail in a buck that would indicate a high state of vitality 

 and vigor. This is of all things the most important in a 



