The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-02-06

Got In Switzerland and Followed In
Illinois.
"Three quarts OF rich milk q day at
n cost Of less than five cents is one
OF my household economies" answer
ed an Illinois woman when asked
why the tardy appearance Of the milk
man never ruffied her temper. "No,
don't buy 1t of the milkman, but
get It fresh from the COW night and
morning. II / should go back home
now | dare say / would find that COW
reposing on a 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 arc 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
fancy price, it 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.
bIN ndA 20 Nuhn
have had no experience with goats
to speak Of their looking after Il 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 a dog.
my first knowledge of milch goats
was obtained In Switzerland about
Ave years ago. While out on a tramp
in the mountains | was induced to
drink a cup Of goats milk | was tired
and the milk seemed especially good.
| tried another glass and soon became
u confirmed drinker OF goats milk.
To me it was more delicious Than
cows milk, so when | returned home
| began at once TO look for a milch
goat.
Peggy is the one | found and she
cost MS S35 cash. She was with her
first kid and only gave three pints q
day. BY judicious feeding we increased
the amount to two quarts. With her
second kid we brought her up to an
average of three quarts day.
"As to the food and habits of the
milch goat, everything can be said in
her favor. She is the tidest and daint-
est or animals She Is particular
about her food in that she will not eat
lnything tainted.
"She can pick a good living from
pasture in which COW would starve.
She will eat the vegetable and cereal
eftoyers 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 intelll-
gent and adapt themselves to any and
I'll situations with an ease that is
emarkable. They seem equally happy
when shut up in the little shed which
ny husband built for them in one
orner of our back yard, tethered on
he grass plot in the front yard or
browsing on the common overgrown
With weeds and brushwood. Where
,yer they are let them only hear our
doices and they answer and come at
)nce.
During the bad weather of the win
ter months they invariably come into
The kitchen to be MIXED
"As we live on small lot in small
town where the milk supply is poor
and uncertain the advantage of having
good milch animal 10 depend on is
very evident Our lot is too small to
think of keeping a COW, and the cost
of having 1t pastured together with
the extra feeding would make II too
expensive, but If it hadn't been for my
experience in Switzerland | suppose |
would be as prejudiced against goats
as many of my nelghbors are still
81 suppose the prejudice against
milch 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
stories much exaggerated, and II |
couldn't get a Swiss milcher would
not hesitate to give the native breed
a trial.
81 sholld use Judgment in buying
either a native or Swiss eve, Just as
would in buying a COW or a horse
would look for the eve with large