The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-01
OUR FRIEND BILLY.
The Goat Is "a Good Fellow Who
HASN'T Half "a show.
From the New York Trlhune.

From the New York Tribune.
The goat has not had a fair show in
modern times Among the ancients he was
highly esteemed, and figured extensively
in serious literature. Now he is only the
butt of funny photographers whose acqualn
lance with him is confined to tradition
that he eats tomato cans on the Harlem
rocks The children of Israel and the he
roes Of Homer knew him better. The Old
Testament shows the goat as an essential
part of the Hebrews hocks. 1t gave him
milk and meat for food, hair and skins for
clothing, and was his most common sacri-
fee for sin. Encamped before the walls
of Troy, Ulysses and his comrades re-
called themselves with the fat goat roast
ed quarters, and thought themselves spe-
cially blessed of the gods. But we of the
western world have come to despise the
goat as the poor mans cow" a useful
enough animal for the mountaineers of tho
Alps or the squatter sovereigns of unsav-
DRY suburbs, but an inferior creature not
worth the notice of the free-handed own
er of broad American acres, possessed Of
Jerseys, Merinos and blooded trotters, and
above the utilization of a brush lot or a
stony pasture.
Some American farmers, however, are
coming to realize that the goat may be
made one of their valuable domestic ami
mails, not merely a poverty-stricken sub
stitute for a COW, but an addition TO the
farm community, filling a place of its own
and giving a return peculiar TO itself A
Missouri farmer writes TO an agricultural
paper that he finds goats profitable for
rough land filled with weeds and bushes.
He has had them for four years, and they
have destroyed the bushes, sumach and
small persimmon trees.
His hogs have been free from disease
while his neighbors, who did not keep
goats, lost most of their hogs by cholera
He ate the meat of young goats and liked
ii better than mutton. His experience
comedies with that Of farmers in coun-
tries whore the goat is extensively raised
and priced. England is not among them,
owing comparatively to there being COM
paratively little waste land, but Also
according to s. II. Pegler an authority on
the subject, because there 1.-The advantages
of goat keeping are but imperfectly
known" and the American lack of ap-
probation for goats may be inherited In
Ireland, on the contrary, the number of
goats has increased in recent years. OF
course, the goat cannot compete with the
COW the single milch animal for those
able to keep the cow, but it has advantages
in places where the COW cannot be kent
and as an addition to the profits of farm
In the first place, 1t is a great instrument
for extending pasture lands. 1t will eat
by preference and thrive upon forest
leaves. shrubs and weeds that no other
domestic animal will touch, and get a
rough and overgrown field into good condi-
ton for horses and cattle. 1t is hardy
and will live on rough or smooth ground
There is a prejudice against the milk, but
one entirely groundless. 1t is richer than
cows milk, heavier in butter, and much
heavier in cheese, but all experts declare
that it has absolutely no different flavor
or taste from that of the COW. The av-
erage daily yield of a well-kept goat is
said to be three pints, not large quantity
but not an item to be despised in view of
its richness, the size of the animal and
slight cost of keeping it.
Herds of goats in this country would not
only utilize much of the heritage which
now goes to waste, but might also develop
some profitable industries which have not
yet been acclimated here. The manufac-
turer of fancy cheeses in imitation of ex-
pensive foreign varieties in some cases
has been so successful that the domestic
product sells on its own name and merits
In other cases, such as ROquefort the re-
suits have not been satisfactory. Methods
of curing account in part for the failure
but different materials may have much to
do with IL. Many of the finest European
cheeses are made from goats milk. while
the American attempts to rival them have
been made with cows milk. There is
nothing else available in the market. If
there We're, doubtless creameries ma king
fancy cheese would arrange to consume
all that could be had, and the goats would
prove a source of wealth, both to farmers
and manufactures. Nor is the goat to be
despised for food by an over fastidious
race. In the restaurants of Rome the kid
holds an hOnored place. The elderly men,
bers of the tribe are inferior to mutton.
but the kid, properly prepared, is a meat
which will bear comparison with any
other. 1t would be an agreeable variation
of our regimen. The man who makes a
goat grow where none grew before shoEl
have credit with him who makes two
blades of grass stand where formerly one
stood alone BY all means let US learn of
the ancients and grow rich from flocks of
goats.
Foreign papers say that the Queen of
England has painted portrait of the Ger
man emperor which she intends to present