Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 238, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 October 1915 — Kansas City Goat Proves to Be Good Farm Hand [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kansas City Goat Proves to Be Good Farm Hand

KANSAS CITY—The business ability of Oliver Hopps was in question. Oliver, eight years old. traded his bicycle, which was known to have a, cash value of sl2, for a goat, harness and wagon of unknown worth. Crosby

Hopps, who had just motored home to the summer place of the Hopps family, at Seventy-fifth street and Santa Fe avenue, looked askance at his son’s bargain. But a trade is a trade, and thera was the goat, and a nice new tan harness. Also there was the lawn mower and a good start oq* grass waiting his immediate attention. He declared now that it was ah inspiration which prompted him to put them together. The trial was more than sue-

cessful. William, though just a plain scrub goat, is of stock design, and it was fun for him to drag the lawn mower along, and a large area or their fiveacre tract that is in grass ceased to be a cause of dread. * The garden cultivator? Why not? ' ? Here again William loomed more Important as an Investment. A hand cultivator is hard for a person .to push, but for the goat it was easy to pull, and one and one-fourth acres of garden are kept in splendid shape, through the efforts of Mr. Hopps and the goat after business hours. It is fun for Oliver to drive the goat, but Mr. Hopps can manage him alone if Oliver is not available, and the goat walks along about as fast as is essential to careful cultivation, and he never balks nor stalls unless a solid obstruction is encountered by the cultivator. “William is becoming too fat; he does not have enough to do,” observed Mr- Hopps, letting his eye rove over the little farm. “Next year I will have to plan a little more garden for his benefit.”