The Shepherdsville Times: Goat Power
That grass just grows and grows! What Jerry Selby needs is a couple of goats.
Goats. That’s the answer. I need a couple of goats. The power of Enlightened Laziness strikes again.
Mowing is one of my chief activities in the spring. At least it has been since I moved from a subdivision to the country back in 1977.
I don’t mind mowing, usually, but it’s like keeping house. There is never an end to it. Especially in the spring. By the time I get my 2 1/2 acres mowed, it’s time to start mowing again. When I lived in town, I worked hard at seeding, fertilizing, and watering my lawn, to encourage it to grow thick and healthy. No more! Whatever grows, preferably slowly, and keeps mud and dust to a minimum, is fine with me.
When I lived in town, I spent as many spring weekends as possible fishing, or camping, or just out relaxing in a lawn chair. Now I have given up fishing, for lack of time. And my relaxing is done on a mower seat.
For country people, a large lawn is a relatively new thing. It wasn’t until after WWII that rotary mowers came on the scene. Before that, you had your choice of reel-type push mowers, sickle-bar mowers, or such good old boy-powered implements as sickles, scythes, or weed-whips.
Most people mowed just enough to discourage small critters like snakes, skunks, and mice from hanging around the yard where Mom was hanging clothes or disassembling a chicken for Sunday dinner. Also, it was considered prudent to keep the grass short enough so as not to present a fire danger to the buildings.
One of the most common solutions to the problem of keeping grass in check was the biological method. Specifically, sheep, calves, or goats. Most rural people had livestock of some sort. A 15 foot rope or chain, a collar or halter, a tie-out stake, and your lawn mower was in business.
Sheep and calves have their uses, but they present some problems. Sheep are dumb, to be blunt about it. They have to be fenced. They have to be protected from your neighbor’s dog. And sooner or later, they have to be sheared. Calves soon quit being calves, and turn into steers or heifers, which are inconvenient as lawn-mowers. And of course calves leave large calling cards, which are bothersome, especially if you are out walking your dogs at night.
Goats are ideal for ecologically friendly lawn maintenance. Especially neutered male goats of one of the smaller breeds. They can hold their own with most dogs, they can be as tame as your other pets, and they don’t make a large, objectionable mess on your lawn.
The short haired breeds of goats don’t need much in the way of grooming. They don’t require an inordinate amount of space for shelter, or a great deal of time and expense to care for.
They will get along reasonably well with your dogs and cats, if any. You can. If you like, break them to harness and use them to pull your lawn cart, or hitch them to a wagon to amuse your grandkids.
Goats are quite happy to mow in the rain. I’m not. A wet goat doesn’t smell any worse than a wet dog. And he doesn’t expect to spend his leisure time in your living room.
If this sounds familiar, you have a good memory. It’s part of a column I wrote back in April 2000. I’d forgotten, but it’s still true.
