JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
84 
[ January 25, 1883. 
within which they will obtain all that is required. Breeders must 
have a determination to overcome all difficulties, and our best 
encouragement will be found in following the example which has 
been so successful in the cross-breediDg of sheep, and which has 
given us some of the most valuable stock in England. 
Before we proceed farther let it be understood what we require 
in the Goat of the future, to afford us not only what we think 
necessary in production by the animal in milk, meat, and mohair, 
but also the objections in detail which we wish to avoid and 
exclude in the animal. First, we wish to exclude entirely the 
objectionable smell or odour which is found in some species. Nor 
do we require horns, for we can only consider these as required 
by the amateur, who may reasonably be pardoned for estimating 
them as a point in the beauty of the animal. As, however, we 
are now stating the objectionable points in a Goat required only 
for farming upon profitable and commercial principles, we shall 
endeavour to get rid of horns in the animal of the future, as they 
are by no means necessary or contributing to profit. It must, 
however, not be forgotten that in seeking to obtain good fleeces 
of mohair upon our milking animals, that some objection is taken 
to long-haired species, as it is said to be in the way in the act of 
milking ; but the hair, however long, may be shorn off near to 
the udder, so as to facilitate milking, whether done at the rear or 
flank. We cannot, therefore, allow a matter so easily overcome to 
impede our operations in the attempt to raise mohair upon animals 
which may be the best for producing both milk and meat. 
There is one question which must be carefully attended to, as 
it is quite clear from the statements we have made that no breed 
at present exists which offers all we require in the same type. We 
must therefore seek to produce it by crossing, for in making 
selection of the best milking variety we may take and choose 
from the best hornless English Goat, and also the Maltese or the 
Nubian breed may be selected if hornless animals can be found 
amongst them. Either of these breeds may do for crossing with 
the object of obtaining milk and meat. Now, without a name to 
the animal as to breed, we noted that at the Dairy Show in 1880 
the first prize in the polled class was awarded to Mr. J. Arnold’s 
Brown Kate, carrying a splendid udder with long teats. This we 
consider a very good specimen of the kind we are seeking for to 
cross with Angora blood, which is the only animal from which it 
is likely we shall ever obtain a full fleece of mohair. But we are 
told by our experience in cross-breeding sheep that we can get 
rid of the horns peculiar to the Angora, if the same results are to 
be expected in the mating of Goats as with sheep, and we cer¬ 
tainly can see no reason why it should not be so. The chief 
difficulty, however, may be overcome in time by careful selection 
without doubt, for in sheep it is no matter whether a polled ram 
is mated with a horned Dorset ewe, or vice versa , for the result is 
the same—polled lambs are obtained as a rule. 
Our reason for stating these matters is to show the importance 
in other respects as to which of the sex we take for producing 
certain characteristics, for in this the object would be sure to be 
obtained almost, as a rule, based upon our well-known practice 
in cross-breeding—namely, that the female furnishes the internal 
formation and qualities, like milking and the constitution ; whilst 
the male is expected to furnish the outward form as well as 
colour and size. The chief benefit, it may be anticipated if the 
Goat progeny followed that of the sheep, is that we may expect to 
get rid of the horns after one or two generations, if not in the first 
cross, the produce of mohair would be surely inherited. There¬ 
fore the only difficulty which can arise would be doing away with 
the horns, which, if the horns occurred in the first cross o_ after¬ 
wards, they must be got rid of by careful weeding, time, and 
selection. We do not see any doubt but that our requirements 
would be obtained as regards milk and meat by selecting the 
best females for the purpose, and gradually by selection obtain 
the mohair skin and covering through the influence of the Angora 
ram, as this is the only source from which it can be derived. It 
is of great importance when it is known that a herd of females 
will yield 7 or 8 lbs. of mohair each, generally worth from 2s. M. 
to 3s. per lb., at the same time, too, where our sheep yield about 
the same weight of wool only worth from 10rZ. to 15d. per lb. 
The method to be pursued in cross-breeding must now be 
referred to, the details of which are of the most important nature, 
because in securing all the points which we require in the new 
type of animal which we wish to obtain, is only to be obtained 
by the Goat farmer who has the means and the opportunity in 
consequence of the numbers in the herd. The first object is to 
obtain maiden animals of two years old, for when the females 
have never bred to any other ram we may expect to secure the 
full influence of the ram which is used. We therefore propose, 
in case only one person should engage in the raising of new breed 
or type, that three selections should be made of females of five or 
six each of hornless animals from three or more breeds known to 
be of good milking and meat-making character, such as the best 
English, Nubian, and Maltese or others which the breeder may 
desire to try in this experiment, but at the same time select those 
having the longest hair, as in crossing these would nick better 
with the Angora ram so celebrated for the growth of mohair. 
Let each selection of females, five or six in number, form separate 
families with their produce, each having bred to three separate 
Angora rams, if possible obtained from different sources, yet each 
exhibiting fully the required character as to mohair. In these 
separate families we have an excellent opportunity for selecting 
for breeding purposes in the future from the offspring, and in 
mating the animals a change of blood can be secured without 
deviating from the cross of the object in view ; and if the offspring 
of each of these separate families are marked in the ear or other¬ 
wise it will prove of some consequence in the future in various 
ways, for it is necessary that all defective females or males in 
each family should be withdrawn, and that the best and most 
robust male animals only should be selected for use, keeping 
steadily in view the object to be attained. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour. —Wheat-sowing is still going on, so much land 
having been left unsown at the usual period in consequence of adverse 
weather, and, in fact, some which has lately been sown has been got 
in with the land in a better state than much which was done in the 
month of November and December. It is even now not too late to 
obtain a good crop of Wheat where the land works heavy; but in 
case the weather should change to dry suddenly and the land work 
too light we should prefer to sow Oats, Barley, or drege, according 
to the nature of the soil and its condition as to fertility. We note, 
on referring to our work during this month, that in January, 1862, 
we had at this time just completed sowing Morton’s Red-strawed 
White Wheat, some of which sort we have sown this season, it being 
a good yielding sort, very stiff-strawed, and well adapted for late 
sowing in any of the eastern, south-eastern, or home counties, as we 
find that upon the mixed soils on the vale farms it gives grain of ex¬ 
cellent quality. The Wheat we have j ust referred to was sown during 
the latter part of December and first fortnight in January, being, 
after stubble Turnips, fed off by sheep eating oilcake and hay, and 
a heavy dressing of box manure applied in addition, the former crop 
having been Early White Canadian Oats ; and we have found for some 
years that Wheat, if sufficiently manured, succeeds well in this rota¬ 
tion, although sown in January, if the land is not too light. In fact, 
we have found that Wheat after Wheat, with stubble Turnips fed in 
the same way, with ample manuring, has also succeeded well. The 
only two points to be considered is heavy manuring and a favourable 
season for the summer growth. Carting dung to heap in readiness 
for Mangold and Potatoes has been continued at intervals when the 
plough was impeded, otherwise ploughing has been continued for 
land intended for early white Oats, and will when the time for sowing 
arrives most probably be found mellow and stale, so essential for their 
successful growth, as compared with recently ploughed land in the 
month of March. 
Hand Labour .—The employment for men will now be hedging, 
banking, trenching in the meadows, filling manures in process of 
carting to heap, also forking out couch grass and weeds from all the 
fallow surfaces, whether in fallow or on the root land, in which 
latter work the women will assist, and as the season proceeds this 
work will be continued on the land intended for Mangolds and 
Potatoes, early Peas or Beans, or on the Wheat stubbles intended 
for Oats, the ploughing following the forking of couch as fast as 
completed. 
Live Stock .—Sheep generally have not done so well as we could 
wish, the land being made heavy and cold by successive rains. 
Having recently stated the mode of feeding early lambs, we must 
now state the method of feeding and management of the ewes with 
lambs at side. Upon the vale farms when sheep are very dear, as 
they are now, we think it a good plan to separate the flock into two 
