CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MALTESE GOAT.

For years the Maltese goat has been regarded by those who are familiar with the goat industry as a superior animal, not only on ac

count of its milk pro

duction, but also as a prolific breeder. The peculiar semitropical climate of Malta must be responsible for this condition, for the pasturage is very scant; but the goats, which are driven out into the streets two or three times a day, seem to find nourishment in places where a COW would slowly starve to death. The population of Malta, numbering about 203,000 people, are almost

solely dependent for milk upon the goat, although a few cows are kept and some condensed milk is' imported.

There is only one breed of goats on the island, although the hair of some is short while in others it is long. They are of all colors, but brown predominates. Quite a number of these animals have horns, but the majority are hornless. The goats are relatively small, the average height being about 2 feet 6 inches and the weight generally ranging from 80 to 90 pounds.

FIG. 37.-Herd of Maltese goats being driven from house to house for sale of milk.

The principal characteristic and main breed peculiarity of the Maltese goats are their very long pendulous ears and very large lowhanging udder with two well-developed teats. In animals above 4 years of age the udder will almost touch the ground as the goat walks, and one with a full udder of this kind may occasionally be

seen moving after the fashion of a kangaroo, carrying the udder forward with her hind legs.

A herd will average 3 to 4 pints of milk per head a day, while some of the best milch animals will secrete a much larger quantity. Mr. Thompson had several of these goats milked regularly under his direction, and it appeared that the average production during the period of lactation of nine months was over 2 quarts daily. Two of the goats gave 4

quarts each, while several others which did not weigh 75 pounds gave only a slightly less quantity.

In Malta these goats are kept in small herds of from 4 to 35, and one "goatherd," usually the owner, has charge of each herd. The animals are driven along the streets and milked directly into the pails of the customers at the doors of the homes where the milk is desired. The milk is purchased only in small quantities as required, since the goats make two or three trips daily. The goatherd stoops behind the goat to draw the milk, and while the position appears awkward, it is the only one that can be assumed with comfort to the animal and convenience to the one who milks.

FIG. 38.-Native method of milking Maltese goat.

The chemical analysis of the milk from six different animals varied as follows:

The high percentage of fat in goat's milk, together with the fact that it seems to be more easily digested than cow's milk, would probably give to it advantages over ordinary milk for use in the sick room and in the nursery. This essential excellence of goat's milk is not a matter of novelty to many persons, and it ought to meet with early recognition by the people in general. But it is not to be sup

posed that the goat's milk is destined to supersede that of the cow, especially for the supply of large cities, although there are undoubtedly numerous instances in which the family supply of milk, particularly for invalids and children, can be drawn from the goat to better advantage than from the cow.

THE IMPORTATION OF MALTESE GOATS TO THE UNITED STATES.

As before stated, the Department of Agriculture, recognizing the need of a milch-goat industry in the United States and the excellent milk-producing qualities of the Maltese goats, undertook to obtain an experimental herd of the best animals that could be secured on the Island of Malta. It was the intention to place these animals at the Storrs (Conn.) Agricultural Experiment Station and at the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station at College Park, where in cooperation with the authorities at these stations the Bureau would conduct experiments to determine their adaptability to climatic and other conditions in this country, and to ascertain the value of their milk, particularly in the manufacture of cheese and as a food for the sick.

In the early summer of 1905 Mr. Thompson proceeded to the Island of Malta for the purpose of collecting the herd. He remained on the island several weeks studying the native methods of handling the animals, during which time he collected a herd of 61 nannies, many of which were prize animals and unusually good milkers, and 4 billies. With these animals and three goatherds he left Malta for Antwerp on August 19, 1905. At Antwerp the goats were unloaded and kept at the quarantine station for five days, when on September 7 they were reembarked for New York. Upon their arrival in the United States on September 23 they were immediately taken to the quarantine station of the Bureau of Animal Industry at Athenia, N. J.

HISTORY OF VOYAGE FROM MALTA TO THE UNITED STATES AND OF PERSONS WHO DRANK THE MILK.

The goats were taken aboard the steamship Joshua Nicholson at Malta on August 19, 1905. The ship was on the way from Egypt to London and stopped at Malta only a few hours, none of the crew going ashore. The crew consisted of four officers and nineteen men, in addition to whom Mr. Thompson and the three goatherds were the only passengers. During the voyage to Antwerp, which lasted until September 2, everyone on board used the milk from the goats. At Antwerp eleven of the crew left the ship, and the movements of all of this number remain unknown except one, who went to the hospital with a hernia. The captain later stated that three of this number were under treatment in a hospital in Antwerp with symptoms simi

lar to Malta fever, but this was not proved. The twelve remaining members of the crew proceeded with the ship to London after a twoweeks' stay in Antwerp. Eight of these men subsequently, in the course of a few weeks, developed Malta fever. The four who escaped included the second mate, the cabin boy, and two engineers. The former two drank very little of the milk because it did not seem to agree with them. The two engineers drank the milk regularly but always boiled it previous to use. Of the eight who became ill all showed similar symptoms which were identical with those of Malta fever, and the blood of five of the patients gave a positive agglutination reaction with Micrococcus melitensis. The blood of the other three was not tested. While the goats were at the quarantine station in Antwerp their milk was consumed by a number of other persons, but probably not in large quantity by any single individual. None of these persons became affected with Malta fever so far as is known. The goats were reembarked in Antwerp on the steamship St. Andrew on September 7, 1905, arriving at New York on September 23. The crew of this ship consisted of 30 officers and men, in addition to whom there were 30 cattlemen aboard besides Mr. Thompson and the 3 goatherds. Those aboard consumed the milk, not having heard of the illness among the crew of the Joshua Nicholson. The history of the cattlemen after their arrival in the United States is unknown, but all of the crew remained healthy. In this case it is probable the amount of milk consumed by any one person was small, as there were 64 to be supplied instead of 27, as in the other ship, and the goats had noticeably fallen off in their milk since leaving Malta. After the arrival of the goats in America a score or more of persons tasted the milk, but only two persons drank it in any quantity.

One of these, Mr. Thompson, who doubted the idea of Malta fever being conveyed by goats' milk, continued to drink the milk at frequent intervals. He died rather suddenly early in January, 1906, from pneumonia. His body was treated with embalming fluid before his death was ascertained at the laboratory, and his blood was therefore never tested for the agglutination reaction with Micrococcus melitensis. He had complained of liver trouble to the captain of the Joshua Nicholson, and was never perfectly well after his return to America. On one occasion several weeks before his death he remarked that his ailment might be Malta fever and suggested that we examine his blood, but unfortunately this was never accomplished. It is possible that he may have been infected with a mild or ambulatory form of the disease either while on the island or during the return journey.

The second person, an elderly lady at the Athenia quarantine station, was in poor health at the time the goats arrived. She was given the milk from the goats for nourishment, and as it agreed with her

she used it daily for some time. She was taken with fever and painful swellings of the joints in October and passed through a typical attack of Malta fever diagnosed by the symptomatology and from the fact that her blood gave a positive agglutination reaction with Micrococcus melitensis. The history of this case is absolutely negative as to contact infection, or any other exposure except the infected milk.

The three goatherds remained healthy, but it is probable they all had previous attacks of the disease. The blood of the chief goatherd reacted to the agglutination test upon his return to Malta. The other two were not tested.

THE CAUSATIVE AGENT OF MALTA FEVER.

Micrococcus melitensis, the causal factor of Malta fever, is an aerobic, round or slightly oval micro-organism about 0.4 micron in diameter which usually occurs singly or in pairs, but when cultivated in bouillon appears in short chains. In hanging-drop preparations it shows an active Brownian movement, although according to Gordon this is a true motility due to flagella, which he claims to have stained successfully. The organism is stained by the usual basic aniline dyes, but does not take Gram's stain. Its growth is extremely slow even in the incubator, and it requires a faintly acid medium. In gelatin it grows feebly and without liquefaction. On agar minute transparent or pearly white colonies appear after three or four days, and two days subsequently the growths become amber-colored; later they become more opaque, of a buff color, with granular margins. In bouillon it gives rise to diffuse cloudiness, with a subsequent formation of white flocculent sediment without the formation of a pellicle. In litmus milk the medium is not coagulated, and in ten days to two weeks the milk becomes distinctly alkaline. Indol is not produced. It is pathogenic to monkeys by subcutaneous injection, but, according to Durham, rabbits and guinea pigs are only susceptible to an intracerebral inoculation.

MALTA FEVER IN MAN ON THE ISLAND OF MALTA.

On the Island of Malta there has been endemic for an indefinite period a febrile disease of the inhabitants termed "Malta fever," and also known as "Rock," "Mediterranean," or "undulant fever." It is a specific infectious disease caused by the Micrococcus melitensis discovered by Bruce in 1887, and is characterized by an irregular fever of an undulating type, with frequent remissions and relapses, constipation, excessive perspiration, and joint pains, rheumatic in character. It runs a protracted but indefinite course of from three months to a year, with a low rate of mortality of about 2 to 3 per

cent.