New-York tribune., 1912-02-14

There is doubt in my mind as TO whether
have a gift of provision or fact is
pla giarst. Before | came cityward l had
made acquaintance with goats-knew how
good they were for food, how useful In
translating waste herbage, cumbering tan
gle, into terms OF flesh and leather, good
to the use of edifying. Goats full grown
we did not eat but kids of the goats out
ranked even early lamb with our epicures.
The goats had infusions of Angora blood;
II varied from one-eighth to seven-eighths.
Thus, the skins, home tanned. with the
long, curly hair upon them, made beaut-
ful hearth and carriage rugs. And the
wool. with difficulty sheared and spun on
the flax wheel, gave US fine. stiff, shiny
yarn that wore splenddly in socks and
mittens, provided one did not mind the
wiry feel
Yet it was mainly as field scavenGers
that the goats proved themselves valuable.
Grassland overgrown with sassatras ana
briers was paradise 10 them. Ihey
browsed by preference, nibblinG the grass
only when they had borne down and
nipped off the leaves and buds OF every
shrub no matter how thorny. Yet, II put
upon clean grass, they grazcd II with
beautiful evenness that loft 4 Ike velvet
Out Of these memories 'here came 10 me
the thought that hock of goats not 100
big. and we'll herded, would be q good
thing in any suburb or upon big country
place. The cost Of keep would be no more
than the herdpr's wages, for which the
herd would make returns in milk and
meat, but returns not 10 be named beside
tho general betterment OF roadsides, waste
places and small commons ovcrrun with
the coarse "footpath plants that seem
TO prove human touch a dehlement The
thought got itself written down, and passed
on, seriatim. to editors who deal with out
door things. Each gave II back TO me,
with a kindly. superior smile, which said
what their lips were too civil to frame,
I'VE are not dealing in chimeras." Judge.
then. my Joy TO read a little later In a
million circulation magazine Of man in
California who is growing rich by my plan.
Only he has sheep In the main-just few
goats-and pastures them on the roadsldcs
in bands OF a few hundred Each band
has a herder. They cover a certain terri
tory, within which no Ill weeds or rank
growth flourishes. For this service the
flock owner gets pay-no great sum- but
enough to pay his wage account. Also. he
gets the keeping OF his flocks absolutely
free. Thereby he makes himself pres
ent Of the wool clip and tho annual in
crease. which is about equal to the flock
| strength.
So l am returning TO the charge. in the
Interest OF humanity and horticulture. You
may never have thought of Il, but road
sides and waste spaces are the breeding
haunts Of treo and garden plaques. What
avails 1t TO fight the San Jose scale with
might and main when the growths no.
body owns or cares for are left untouched.
ready TO reinfect your carefully nurtured
paintings? 1t is the Same With other IN
sects. caterpillars especially As for nox-
'ous weeds and i'll herbage in general. II
is lord paramount over no-man's land
From this coign Of vantage IT attacks and
ravages every mans garden. There would
be profit in preventing the ravages, IL there
were nothing else.
There can be easily very much else. Tho
pioneer brave enough to start a goat dairy.
with say. three animals in milk, may be