Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-03
FAMOUS sNOWDEN TRACT
Part of the Crown Grant Made by
King Charles II.
TO BREED FINE MICH COWS
Herd Of Mich Goats From Georgia
Also to Be Kept on the
Place.

Department of Agriculture Of tract OF
land north Of Washington for new
experiment station. The deal was closed
on the last day of the expiring fiscal
year and secures to the government
piece OF property belonging originally to
the English government. The tract just
bought was part OF grant OF land
made to the Snowden family by Charles
II, so by the present sale it returns to
the crown. but not to the same crown.
The tract Is to be used as dairy
farm and by the division of animal
husbandry. both under the bureau of ami
NAL industry. There is about AIS acres in
the two farms that comprise the tract.
The most Of the land is cleared. but
there Is a good sized tract of valuable
oak timber on one part of it. and about
an equal tract of second-growth pine
on another.
The work of fencing the tract will be
commenced at once. and then topo-
graphic survey will be made to see how
1t can best be utilized for the two sta
tons. 1t is so soon after the deal has
been finished that it has not yet been
determined just what buildings will be
put up. There will be model buildings
for the dairy work. however, and the
department will see II it is possible to
Utilize the power OF a SIndll stream OH
the, place for generating electricity.
Modern Sanitary Methods.
There are some experiments that the
department wants to make In breeding
dairy stock, and there will be a demon
stration of producing milk and butter
under sanitary conditions. The chief in
terest that the place will have for the
60 ,trfk = I, AL@A =
will show the most modern and sanitary
methods Of handling and housing cattle
and handling milk products. 1t has been
suggested that the department was aim
ing at breeding cows that would yield
pasteuriZed milk and butter already churn-
ed. and that the horses to be raised would
be developed by artificial selection into a
race that were fiyproof and that would
live without feeding, but there was no
official confirmation given to these re-
ports at the department.
There will be herd of milk goats kept
there. however. and from this there may
develop some things of interest to people
who have invalids and young children to
is exceptionally valuable as infants and
invalids' diet and is sometimes ordered
by physicians and would be ordered often
er except for the extreme difficulty in get
ting 1t.
The department has wanted for several
years to raise a strain of mich goats and
put the industry on commercial basis in
this country Some years ago a large
herd of very fine mich goats was i'm
ported from Malta, but Malta fever was
imported with them and at least one
death resulted All the goats finally had
to be destroyed.
This spring arrangements were made to
import a large lot Of Swiss goats, and
some private parties were arranging to
take advantage OF the knowledge of the
department expert who was going to
Switzerland and were going to import a
commercial herd at the same time. This
scheme was negatived by an outbreak of
foot and mouth disease in Switzerland at
that time and the work had to be aban-
doned. The greatest trouble that the de-
partment has experienced in importing
animals from Europe is the danger of i'm
porting disease with them.
Mich Goats From Georgia.
The plan now Is to bring here a strain
Of mich goats from Georgia and try to
breed up a lot OF goats that will be as
satisfactory milk producers as the Inn
ported ones and at the same time will
have the advantage Of being aoclimated
and free from disease.
Aside from the strain OF mich goats
there will be section devoted to chicken
raising. Experiments will be made with
trap nests, increasing egg production,
systems of feeding and the like.
1t is also intended to move the ZebrOidS
and their parents from that experiment
station at Bethesda to the new quarters
The department is very well pleased with
the results of the zebra cross.
1t will be remembered that some time
ago the experiment station at Bethesda
crossed a zebra and two burros that were
in the station. The question was. wheth-
er the new hybrid, which was known as a.
zebroid, had any points of advantage
over either Of its parents. 1t seems that
1t has The two zebroids are decidedly
larger than either the zebra or the burrO
and they are not only very handsome
but are gentle and promise to make valu-
able harness animals.
May Be Due to Feeding.
The department is not sure whether
the increase in size is due to the cross
entirely or to better feeding and general
conditions. The burros were originally
brought from the southwest when the de-
partment was doing some experimenting
in serum making several years ago. The
present burros are the offspring of the
original imports They are a good deal
bigger than their ancestors and the ze
broids promise to be bigger than either.
There will be some horse breeding done
at the new station, but the most Of this
is carried on in New England and there
will be no speciality made of 1t. But
there will be enough work done after the
station gets to running to make 1t an
interesting place to visit.
The sale of the tract to the govern
ment was made by P. ]. Walshe on be-
half of the Hall estate.