he United
States Department of Agriculture, consists of 2 pounds of alfalfa or
clover hay, 1-1/2 pounds of silage or roots and from 1 to 2 pounds of a
concentrated grain ration, composed of 100 pounds of corn, 100 pounds of
oats, 50 pounds of bran and 25 pounds of linseed meal. In the summer when
pasture is available they should be fed 1 to 1-1/2 pounds of the grain
mixture. Data from experiment stations indicate that the annual feed cost
of a milk goat is about $11 and the feed cost per quart of milk produced,
about 1-1/2 cents.

Good milk goats bring good prices and in most instances will cost almost
as much as a cow. They are much more prolific, however, permitting more
rapid additions and offering greater revenue from the sales of young
animals, wherever there is a market for them. The two principal breeds are
the Toggenburg and the Saanen, both originating in Switzerland, and the
Spanish Maltese whose original home was in the island of Malta. Goats are
thoroughly domesticated, are contented with a small grazing area and may
be easily handled. They are subject to stomach worms, indicated by loss of
flesh and weakness, and to Malta fever, which can be transmitted to man,
in whom it is evidenced by recurring high temperatures. The former can be
controlled by using, as a drench, a copper sulfate solution of 1 ounce to
3 quarts of water. Where the latter trouble is present the milk should be
pasteurized or scalded before it is consumed. As an economical source of
easily digested milk, the goat is recommended, especially to those
families with rather small acreage. They can make the most of poorer
pasturage, are clean in habits and docile.

_Do's_

Use milk freely for its food value to every member of the family.

Make sure of the quality of the milk purchased.

Acquiring a family cow is the best and cheapest source of an adequate milk
supply.

Management of the right kind will make the family cow an invaluable asset.

Learn to use surplus milk in nutritious and palatable ways.

Determine the possibilities of securing from the goat an adequate milk
supply for a small family.

_Don'ts_

Don't use canned milk except as supplement to liberal, fresh supply.

Don't overlook the need of pasturage for economical milk production.

Don't supply family with milk of doubtful sanitary quality.

Don't neglect to have a veterinarian make health tests of the cow or
goat.

_Chapter_ XII

MARKETING FARM PRODU