Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-01-06

good milking qualities will supply an
average family with a fine quality
milk for the greater part of the year.
How Much Milk?
About the first question that per
spective goat buyers ask is chow
much milk will a goat give?" A doe
with an average production Of two
quarts a day for seven or eight
months is considered a good animal.
Three quarts is thought to indicate an
excellent animal. Reliable authorities
say that a good goat will yield ten
times her body weight of milk an
nually. The lactation period covers
from seven to ten months. The milk
has a special value as food for in
fants and invalidS. If a family keeps
a milk goat, it can be well assured of
a supply Of clean, wholesome food,
since it is then possible to control the
sanitation Of the dairy by personal at
tention.
The esteem in which the milk is
held by those who have used it is in
dicated by the fact that it often re-
tails at 80 cents a quart. Goats milk
can be utilized in all ways that cows
milk can, although for some it is not
so well suited. For general use for
drinking, cooking and in tea and cCf-
fee the milk has proved very satls-
factory. 1t is not so good, however,
as a butter-making material. Good
butter can be made from goats milk,
but the operation presents some diff
Guilty due to the fact that the cream
rises very slowly. Cheese made from
goats milk is very popular.
Most of the feeds that are valuable
for the production Of milk by dairy
cows are also suitable for does. The
advantage for the suburban family is
that a smaller quantity of food is re-
quired by milk goat than by COW.
1t is ordinarily considered that from
six to eight does can be kept on the
feed required for one COW. When
does are in milk they should be al
lowed all the roughage that they can
consume, such as alfalfa, CLOVER or
mixed hay, and corn stover. They
should also receive a liberal guam
ity of succulent feed-silage carrots,
parsnips and turnips answer this pur-
pose. Corn, oats, bran, barley, lin
seed oil meal, or oil cake are the grain
feeds best suited for milk-goat ra-
hot no
and approved by the United States
Department Of Agriculture for the
goats milking season consisted of two
pounds of alfalfa or clover hay, one
and a half pounds of silage or tur-
nips, and from one to two pounds of
grain. The grain ration is made up of
a mixture Of 100 pounds Of corn, 100
pounds oats, 80 pounds bran and ten
pounds Of linseed oil meal.
Care in Feeding.
Care shonld always be taken to see
that the food Is clean and of good
quality. Silage, turnips and similar
foods that have a strong odor or flavor
should be fed after milking, and all
uneaten food should be removed
from the trough. A good supply of
fresh water Is necessary, and rock
salt should be kept where the ami
mails can reach it whenever they wish.
In purchasing milk goats it is much
more satisfactory to observe the does
during their lactation period This
gives the buyer an opportunity to
study their conformation when they
are producing, and the udder develop
ment, which is very important can be
better considered. Generally speaking,
the marks and conformation which DIS
tinguish n good dairy COW should ap-
pear in good doe.