124 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 8, 1883 
FRUIT. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
(1. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
Apples. 
* sieve 2 
Oto7 
0 
Grapes . 
2 
0 to 5 
0 
» . 
per barrel 20 
0 
40 
0 
Lemons. 
10 
0 
20 
0 
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. cloz. 0 
0 
0 
0 
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. each 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Cherries. 
. £ sieve « 
0 
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Chestnuts. 
. bushel 10 
0 
12 
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Oranges . 
. 100 
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urrants, Black. 
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glish tb. 
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Strawberries .. 
.. lb. 
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VEGETABLES. 
8. 
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S. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
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Onions. 
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Cabbage . 
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8 
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Turnips .... 
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3 
POULTRY AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 
GOAT FARMING. 
( Continued from page 105.) 
The milk produce of Goats now requires our attention, as there 
is every prospect of the milk maintaining a paying value, for it is 
at certain times of the year worth 5 s. or 6s. per quart in London ; 
indeed, at ordinary times the price is never lower than 2s. 6 d. up 
to 4s. per quart, and .before proceeding farther we will give its 
chemical composition in comparison with that of the cow and the 
ass, which will be seen by the following table :— 
G-oat. 
Cow. 
Ass. 
Casein . 
Butter . 
Sugar . 
. .. 5.28 .. 
.. 4.47 .. 
.. 6.08 
Salts. 
Total solid matter.. 
. .. 13.20 .. 
.. 12.98 .. 
.. 12.02 
Water . 
. .. 86.80 .. 
* 
.. 87.02 .. 
.. 91.65 
100.00 
100.00 
100.00 
The above table shows Goats’ milk to contain more solid matter 
than the others, hence its nutritious qualities. Its chief value, 
however, consists in its use for invalids, especially consumptive 
persons and infants. The means of keeping up a supply available 
at all times is so far a question of breeding as well as of manage- 
ment. We therefore proceed to make our remarks as to breeding. 
The usual time for the pairing of Goats in this climate is from 
September to November, and the period of gestation being five 
months, the kids will appear about March or April. Young Grasses 
will have then sprung up, especially if we choose a dry soil seeded 
with Italian Eye Grass and Cooksfoot, both of these being very 
early, but the latter is a permanent Grass and highly productive. 
We consider it is an important point that the milking period should 
be made to extend until within a week or fortnight of the time of 
parturition again, although the popular opinion is that the female 
should go dry of milk for two months, for reasons assigned ; but 
where the milk is so valuable the longer it can be maintained 
the better. With high feeding, housing in winter, and careful 
management this can be done, and would be likely to avoid all 
difficulties which sometimes prove fatal at the time of parturition, 
because high feeding up to the time is ofttn attended with inflam¬ 
mation, in the same way as cows are affected at calving time. 
The earliest age at which breeding may commence with the 
most advantage is two years, although, if allowed, the Goat will 
commence breeding at eight or ten months. About the age of 
seven years they will bring their best kids, although they will, if 
required, often breed until the age of twelve years. Feeding 
during the milking period should be liberal, with good hay either 
of Clover or Sainfoin, and roots, such as Cabbage, Carrots, or 
Potatoes, with Oats or bran, but what is better, crushed Wheat 
now it is so cheap, with water and rock salt at all times within 
reach ; but as soon as the animals go dry feeding should be more 
moderate as the time of parturition drawls near. In the case of 
the male animals intended for sale as mutton they should be cas¬ 
trated at about four or five months old, after which they may be 
fed on hay and roots as just stated, except that Barley or Beans 
may be used instead of Oats. 
The instances of Goat-farming upon a large scale are not much 
reported or known in this country, but we have been informed 
that in California one or more companies exist which have made 
the growth and sale of mohair their special objects, and very suc¬ 
cessfully, in consequence of the climate, &c., being so much like 
that of Asia Minor, Persia, and part of India. In this country, we 
are informed by a recent notice in the Agricultural Gazette by 
Mr. H. S. Holmes Pegler, Secretary of the British Goat Society, 
that the experiment of Goat-farming is being carried on in Surrey, 
and we suppose it refers to a Company which we have heard is 
being conducted on the estate of the Earl of Lovelace at East 
Horsely, between Guildford and Leatherhead. It is called the 
Express Company, and that the milk is forwarded to London in 
sealed bottles for a price varying from Is. 6d. and upwards per 
quart, at which price it is said to be profitable. This Company’s 
practice is no doubt the best model we have at present for reference 
as to proceedings, still we have but a simple notice, to which we 
have alluded. 
Our reference to the subject must now apply principally to the 
management of Goats in the hands of the amateur or farmers 
connected with suburban districts, where only a few animals or 
one only may be kept for the double object of the amusement and 
pleasure of the owner, or the finding of milk and cream for a 
family, and where it is inconvenient or impossible to find room 
for even the smallest Kerry or Jersey cow. Under the circum¬ 
stances we have named the Goats kept especially for their milk 
must be of a strain that are celebrated as milkers, but care must 
be taken in their daily management, or they may become very 
troublesome ; and to prevent them doing injury to trees ornamental 
or otherwise they should be tethered at daytime wherever it is 
attempted to graze them either upon lawns, tennis grounds, or 
orchards ; at night, however, for various reasons they should be 
housed in the summer and entirely so in winter. We must, there¬ 
fore, allude to the accommodation for them in house, but it need 
not be an expensive matter, for an unused stable may be made 
useful by making an earth floor 15 inches deep, rammed down 
hard, to every box, which may be partitioned, for we do not 
approve their being tethered in house, but should have the liberty 
of a space each of about 8 feet by 4 feet, and littered with straw 
or peat moss. The earth floor put in dry and being on a level will 
completely absorb all moisture-, and the air will be quite pure. 
In making a small Goat house it may well be a lean-to on the 
north-west side of a wall, and made of iron, which will be secure 
against all weather, and be well ventilated by louvre openings, 
and divided into as many apartments as are required. The 
mangers or feeding troughs may also be of iron, in which case, 
unlike wooden troughs, they can be kept quite clean without 
any trouble. The partitions may be of iron grating, except a box 
for the male Goat, which may be enclosed by galvanised corrugated 
iron, of the same material as we should recommend for the roof 
and frontage of the house. No racks will be required, because 
they are frequently dangerous for horned animals and wasteful of 
the food, which may be given in the troughs either as hay chaff, 
cut roots, vegetable or other leaves, meal or bran, without any 
waste at all; a lump of rock salt also should be placed within 
reach. The north-west aspect for the Goat house is chosen because 
it can be made warm enough in winter and cool in summer. 
Although milk and cream is most important for household use 
in a family, and which may be secured with a supply all the year 
round by having the kids to fall at different periods, even if the 
milch animals went dry for a period ; but in the event of only 
one or two animals being kept it is important to have stock which 
will hold their milking produce for twelve months or longer, and 
by not breeding from them so frequently this may be done with 
the best milking stock and managed accordingly. It is often 
necessary to have some mode whereby fidgety or young animals 
