The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-03-01
ECONOMY or eoAre NIX

OF my household economies" answer
ed an Illinois woman when asked
why the tardy appearance of the milk
man never rufiied her temper. "No,
don't buy It Of the milkman, but
get IL fresh from the COW night and
morning. II l should 30 back home
now dare say | would find that COW
reposing on rug on the sunny end
of my back piazza with my three
year-old daughter plating her beard.
My daughter and Peggy are great
chums.
peggy is the name Of the COW
which we are now using There is an
other out at pasture, and we call her
Nancy. They are both goats, register
ed Toggenburg ewes, and would not
exchange them for the finest COW to
be had.
Peggy is the older. We bought
her something over four years ago at
a fancy price, 1t Is true, but she has
paid for herself many times over in
milk, not to take into consideration
the convenience of having her always
within call and her companionship
with my baby.
1T may seem odd to persons who
have had no experience with goats
to speak of their looking after child
but, do you know, / would rather
trust my little daughter on the street
with one of our goats than with any
dog ever saw. They are fully as in
telligent and watchful as dog.
MY first knowledge Of milch goats
was obtained in Switzerland about
five years ago. While out on tramp
in the mountains | was induced to
drink cup of goats milk. | was tired
and the milk seemed especially good.
| tried another glass and soon became
a confirmed drinker Of goats milk
To me II was more delicious than
cows milk, so when returned home
/ began at once to look for milch
goat te
Peggy is the one / found and she
cost us $35 cash. She was with her
first kid and only gave three pints a
day. BY iudicious feeding we increased
the amount to two quarts With her
second kid we brought her up to an
average of three quarts a day.
"As to the food and habits of the
mllch goat, everything can be said in
her favor. She is the tidest and daint-
lest or animals. She is particular
about her food in that she will not eat
anything tainted.>
"She can pick good living from a
pasture in which COW would starve
She will eat the vegetable and cereal
leftovers with an appetite that leaves
no doubt about her enjoyment. She
will not eat scraps of meat, either
cooked or raw, but both Peggy and
Nancy seem to enjoy buttered bread
"They are both gentle and intelli-
gent and adapt themselves to any and
all situations with an ease that is
remarkable. They seem equally happy
when shut up in the little shed which
my husband built for them in one
corner OF our back yard, tethered on
the grass plot in the front yard or
browsing on the common overgrown
with weeds and brushwood. Where
over they are let them only hear our
voices and they answer and come at
once.
During the bad weather OF the win
ter months they Invariably come into
the kitchen to be milkeo.
"As we live on small LOT in a small
town where the milk supply is poor
and uncertain the advantage Of having
a good milch animal to depend on is
very evident, Our lot is too small to
think of keeping a COW. and the cost
OF having it pasturei together with
the extra feeding would make it too
expensive, but If 1t hadn't been for my
experience in Switzerland | suppose
would be as Drejudiced against goats
as many Of my neighbors are still.
81 suppose the prejudice against
mil2h goats is largely due to the dis
agreeable habits imputed TO our native
stock. Now that | have had experience
with my two ewes believe these
| SlOIleS HluCH eAdbbtl dtNus anu u !
couldn't get a Swiss milcher would
not hesitate to give the native breed
trial.
81 should use judgment in buying
either a native or 4 Swiss eve, just as
| would in buying cow or horse.
would look for the eve with a large
deep stomach, wider and deeper al
the hind quarters than across the
chest. Such a eve will have meagre
body with protruding hipbones and to
the unframed eye will have the APP
pearapce of being quite thin. This
thinness is no drawback If the goat
eats heartily.
"A healthy Toggenburg goat carries
her head erect, her eyes are bright and
the expression of her face is intelli-
gent, with sort Of cheerful inquis-
itiveness. The breath should be sweet
the nose dry, the nostrils moist and
the mouth and gums as fresh and
vivid as those of a young girl. The
safest way to judge of the amount
and quality OF the milk is TO see the
eve you think of buying milked twice
In the evening and again the next
morning. t