GOATS FOR THE PEOPLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 72, 28 March 1921, Page 2

GOATS FOR THE PEOPLE.

lr ' | NEW MOVE BY AGRICULTURAL £ j DEPARTMENT. k. ,g' MILKTNG HERD TO RE BOLT I"P. » The Agricultural Department is about ,jj In embark upon a new venture in the ,1 shape of gnat-raising. There are goat? -c ■ and {roats, as an officer of the Depart'p ment remarked to a "Dom'nion" reh : orter. The gouts which the Governk ment are importing are of a specially '£ selected milking strain, chosen from the , r best herds in the Old Country. "The til primary object of the (Government is to ie build up a herd of milking goats, and to Jg this end the pioneers of the herd have h already arrived at Anckland by the L s I'iak.i. in charge of Mt. Rowland Hill, a 'I well-known Whangarei settler. They I consist of five full-grown rroats an_ six ■ kids. The ultimate obie.'t of the Depart--1 ment is to give people living in the 0 suburbs and in small towns the oppor- | tunity of acqnir'ng a goat for the piir--1 pose nf obtaining an assured supply of i' milk for the household purposes. Coats, ' it was explained by an officer of the Live j Stock Division, may be kept on small | r ! sections— a quarter of an acre plot \ 'I would suflice. 'When it was considered I JJ that the goats which tlie Department is ~ importing were capable of producing up n lo six pints of milk per day it would '■ readily be seen that once The herd was lj built up the animals would be in large! , demand. 1; was not intended to com- j if j mercialise the goat or to build up! ,' I another source of supply for the milk ._ | factories. They were intended for ] J I purely domestic nse. I The Government first took the matter „I up about two year.-; ago, and ilr. TI"11 ] ai was so impressed with the idea that he; v I undertook to purchase some animals on j /'its behalf. Last year he proceeded to! .-, 1 England on his own account, and while | '. ■ there assisted in buying a number of! " goats for the Department. JnviJenially c he purchase.l a small number for himself. >'-_'■■ lie is br'nging the latter out on the boat u ion which he is travelling, along with i- part of the Government purchase. The particular species which the Department are importing are the "Anglo-Teg-genhurg," ihe "Anglo-Nubi-an." and the '''Anglo-Nubian Swiss." Tliese represent the best breed of milking strain. Of all goats, the "Anglo-Nub'an" is said to "igive tne richest milk, and the "AngloI .Nubian Swis-"' tlie greatest quantity. The Government will breed the goats for sale in small lots, doubt ess jndivii. dually at the start, and will try the ! expedient of "Tossing them with t!_! ) unaristoerat'o breed of goats alrea-i '■ I domiciled ;n the Dominion, so that t'nei.j numbers will b,. built up more rap : dh I I ban would otherwise be possible. Already the Department lias some goats ll located at Wuilaceville that it is holding 2 -back for that purpose. In order that ■'j there w'll be an interchange of blood, Mr. Hill is importing a diflerent drain of gnat-, fro'iu those consigned to the Depart ment.