THURSDAY MORNING, MAROI 10. 1921
3
The Salem District Raises the Finest Angora Goats Produced in the World, arid
Our People Are Keeping More and More Milk Goats, and Still More Are Needed
"THE CASE FOB TIE GOAT 111 OREGON."
no-
SALEM
BY A. C. GAGE, PUBLISHER OF THE
re PAPER
ALL CHAP
OF
There Are 133,000 Goats In Oregon, and This State Has Been Producing Breed
ing Stock For Thirty Years, and It Is An Industry Yet In Its Beginnings Six
Million Yards of Mohair Plush Travel the Country As Covering For the Railway
Sleeper Seats The Growing Milk Goat Industry A Doe That Gave Twenty-four
And a Half Times Her Weight in Milk in a Year.
Jhe Cow Boys WhotRide the Ranges and Participate
In the Round-ups Get Their Fancy and Distinctive
, Adornments From the Skins of the Angora .Tanned
And Made Beautiful in the Capital City of Oregon.
THE OREGON STATESMAN. SALEM. OREGON
IS
PRACTICALLY
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(The following article was
kindly furnished lo The States
man for it Salem slogan issue on
Goats by A- C. Case, publisher of
tbe Angora and" Milk Coat,.Ioi!rn
,1 n international! publication
devoted 'to goats, with headquar-i
ten in the Hoard of Trade build
ing in Portland. Oregon, lie is
m authority on everything per
taining to gtat breeding. The ar
ticle follows:) !
One hundred and thirty-three
thousand goats in Oregon. This
i. iha nnmher acreaueu uv in?
rensus, 1920. Le3 than in 1910,1
It must be conceded, but there
are reasons. i
Principal among the reasons I
the lack of care given to goats as
compared to sheep. In the ye.irs
cf pioneering: with goats in Ore
! gon, it was common to hear a
farmer say, "Let them have the
i r-n f thn timber and the slash-
Inns they will take cars of them
iielTei." Even now some of the
InM-timers In Polk, Marion aJid
Linn counties will argue this
point with emphasis and convic
iinn In fairor of the non-herding
!iTtem. i , .
j it la not the present purpose to
disfruM this Item, out to indicate
that the most successful Angora
men have decided in favor of bet
ter care. Losses resulting from
Improper handling have caused
numbers of Angora nocks to bi
discontinued.
1 Other flocks have been used in
brushing, finished the joband been
old for meat or shipped out ot
the state. The prime Importance
of Angoras, at least In Oregon, U
In helping the farmer to bring
new acres under '.the 1 plow. JKd
Carey, Jersey cattleman anl a
member of the legislature, says
the best eleariug he had eter had
done was- done by Angora goats.
He had employed Uufsians. Ital
ians and other races'; of men to
slash and grub new j land, ills
goats did the work better and
more thoroughly, at the same
time fertilizing th soil and grow
ing a crop of hair.
Market conditions have given
the industry a bump In the past
year, along with the jolt in the.
sheep business, but the future ot
goat-raising in the northwest is
not in doubt.
Perhaps the most needed ef
fort In the Interest of goats is an
educative campaign to make the
products of goat raising more
widely known. There are almost
endless lines of fabrics made of
goat hair. It is used in wig3.
both theatrical and judicial. Mi
lady's coiffure often - owes, its
beauty and lustrous quality to the
fleece of the hu sable goat. From
overcoatings to finest dress goods,
the hair of the goat (mohair) is
employeV Imitation fur trim
mings, bo near the reality of fur
that (hey are often believed to be
th pelts of animals, adorn the
coat collars of fashionable wo
men. Sir million yards of mohair
plnsh travel the country as cov
ering for the railway sleeper
seats.
One of the makers of this plush
told the" writer some years ago,
that the mohair plush gathers up
the lint and dust from the cloth
ing of travelers, and that the vac
uum gets it at trie end of the ran.
So other iiiateriat so completely
J comes up to requirements. "We
ikeep on experimenting." he add
ed, ""because if any other fabric
supplants mohair in this nse. we
want to be the ones to do the sup
planting." Oregon has been producing
breeding stock for 30 years that
is in demand from other mohair
growing states. It Is an industry
yet in its beginnings and is cap
able of much increase on tbe cut
over areas of the northwest.
Milk goats have taken perma
nent place in Oregon. Salem hai
a number of creditable ht;rds.
Portland has a milk goat dairy
and several smaller herds supply
goat milk to consumers.
Coat milk is richer in butter-
fats than cow milk. The av?rage
goat will give probably one quart
daily, but the selected animals
often produce a gallon a day
There are individual goats which
under sworn test and inspection
have given daily yield of over 16
pounds (two gallons). The best
recorded production of a milk doe
shows 4 07.1 pounds of milk in 341
days. This doe was owned by
Winthrop llowland of Redlands.
California. Tha figure aie frcm
the Angora and Milk Goat Jour
nal. Portland.-for March. 1921.
A do owned by" the University
of California farm at DaTls, Cal..
gave twenty-four and one-half
times her body weight of milk in
one year, on official test records.
Bringing the milk goa; into
the scheme of domestic economy
is one of the educative problems
nf the future in Oregon. The
Oregon Milk Goat association Is
preparing resolutions asking the
Oregon Agricultural collage di
rectors and faculty to establish
a demonstration herd of milk
goats at Corvaliis.
lurr Inil Toggen burj; Milk Gout.
W. D: GILLIAM OF DALLAS
HIS
He Has Found by Experience That It Pays to Have Pure
Bred Angoras and to Give Them Good 'Attention
Great Individual Yields of Mohair by His Silver FIcccv
cd Favorites. ,. ., r
Editor Statesman,? ' .,
I have beon in the goat jndus
try tor the past 33 years and have
kindled both the common and
lira blood Angora goat, and
Ure found that tdoes not pay to
kep anything bat' the "very best
lad breed for th. betterment of
tie flock, which U well worth the
energy.l i
At te time L started to raise
Hoati they were very poor as to
the quality ot mohair. At that
time little was thought of the
walltf, a It seemed the only val-
with a lot more to boot.
No farm should be without
goats, as they are a labor! saving
animal. They destroy all kir.ds
of weeds and thistles, keep the
brush land cleared, which ivs
many dollars for hand labor of
slashing, etc. Nothing is better
for your stump land, as they keep
the. sprouts trimmed otf the
stumps, which has a tendency to
cause decay, and within a few
years the stumps can be easily re
moved. Why not get the best of Angor
as to do this work and save extra
expense and labor and see the big
returns they bring net to you.
Some people think that the
pure blood goats are more care
than the common stuff; but that
is a mistake, as I have raised both
and know from my own exper
ience. In lots of cases. I tind
that the kids are much stronger
than In my flock of years ago, and
that they do not require as nnch
care when they are btrong this
way.
W. D. GILLIAM.
Dallas, Or., March 7. 1921. '
n r 'mats had wan for grubbing.
but all the same I purchased the
best bucks I could find to head
my, small flock, as I thought
there was a chance for improve
ment.. - About 1903 I purchased my
first resistered doe, then I strive!
harder than ever to get better
bucks, as the does themselves
were not first class, but were
good for that time. My motto in
breeding has been good constitu
tions, also density and fineness of S
fieece free from kemp, and I feel
.XL
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live months old doc kUN owned bjr W. I. Gilluini, Dallas Orrson,
that I have not worked in vain.
I find that it Is cheaper to keep
the best, as the scrub goat eats
just as much as the pura bred
and the care is about the same,
but at 'the time of sale, a great
deal more is realized from the
pure blood. Hefore I bred up my
Hock, my does sheared from three
to five pounds, which was not or
the best quality and not much
length; now my yearlings shear
from five to nine pounds with al
fo a good length of staple; my
does shear as high as 11 pounds.
I have a doe that tookjirst and
grand champion at the state fair
at the age of 4 years, and
this year, at the age of 7 years,
she sheared 11 pounds. (12
months growth.
My stud buck at the age of 3
years this year sheared me 17
pounds (12 months growth),
which-goes to. show what pure
bred Angoras will do.
The Willamette valley is well
Adapted to the goat industry, as
the winters are not severe and
there is always feed throughotu
the year. 1 During the winter
months I leea ciover nay wuu
oats and provide a warm dry shed
for themduring the kidding sea
son a little more care Is given the
does, but the kids are strong lit
tle fellows, and the most import
ant thine Is to see that the udder
has been opened, and the k,id
will do the rest. I keep the kid
in the shed until tbout two weeks
old; after that they are able to
follow their mothers and take
care of themselves. When about
six weeks old they are turned out
to pasture, where they learn to
grub and be real goats. Goafs
take very little extra care for the
big profit they bring to their own
er. The common goat would be a
thing otN the pant if the buyer
would demand the best of stock
and improve, their ftocks by pur
chasing, the best of sires. It
seems a little expensive at the
time, but with good stock you
soon make back all you paid out.
S5 S
Agl Angori iloe that won first nd granl eliampion at the 1918
Orvgon State Fair, at the ae of four year. . Thi spring, at the
ase of evrn years, hhf slieared rleven ixtund- (12 month' fleece).
IlreI aiid'vned by W. I. Gilliam. Dallas Oregon, lit.
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' Ture 13 red Nubian 3Iilk -Goat.
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Merle Gilliam Ilobling Kid Angora
IIIDI!
"BILLY" EG1 HAS BEEN A GOAT
- . BREEDER NEARLY HALF'fl CE
The Senior Member of the Family Which Holds Forth
At tAl View .Farm in the Rich Bottom Lands Below
Salem, Pays a Tribute to the Beautiful Angoras
Resources Arc Semi-Ann ual.
(Tho familiar name by which
ho te known to bis intimates of
Hon. W. II. Kpan has no reference
to thi male members of his An
gora herd. He is "Rilly" to them
becatist; his firat baptismal name
is WiH'atut A year ago. Mr. Kgan
paid nil epistolary trib'ite to the
beautiful Angoras, which, with
especial reference to the beginner,
the-writer believe, will bear repv-
tition in this Salem tlejjan issue
Fol
of The Statesman on Goats
lowing is the letter: )
Kditor State.sin;m:
That much abused .nnd slander-
I ed I t tie animal- -
That beautiful creature with its
loim silken -spirals
That biu;y lit tie fellow that
works Tor nothing and boards him
i'lf; that transforms the brush
and vinelauds o tract. of verdant
Mfcculent gr.vsi; tha changes the
tanrled wildwt"d: 'lo woylland
parks, and plays tbe part of a
busy scavenger in holding down
or cleaning up the Canada thistle
and other obnoxious weeds and
shrubs, deserves an honored place
in tbe animal kingdom.
I have kept from CO to 250 An
gora goats for tbe past 43 years,
and feel that I owe a few words
of defense in behalf of this valu
able animal, and a word of encour
agement to my fellow farmers
who have vine and brush land you
wish to reclaim.
There is as unwarranted preju
dice spread by careless or inexper
ienced farmers against the goat,
statin; that no fence will hold It;
that it will go over any fei.ee;
that it will go over the top ot a
barn, and almost climb a tree;
that it is so troublesome that it
will not pay to keep it on your
farnv Such talk as this coming
froinj a farmer who has had goats,
has intimidated many persons
from giving the animal a fair
chance, consequently thousands of
acres of our fair state are yet in
bruh and worthless shrubs and
vines that should have been for
many years in cultivation, and
have thus retarded the progress of
our great state.
To the enemy of the goat may
I ask you: Will tbe fence that
holds your bull, hold your old hen
and chickens; or will your poultry
fence hold your bull? Will the
feuce that turns your hogs hold
old' Dobbin from the cornfield?
Some may say the goat is so de
structive when he gets out! Yes,
they are, but not more so than my
cows or horses when they get into
the cornfield or orchards. How
ever, there is always someone
ready to apologize for Dossie or
the horse, but vengeance only for
the goat.
The resources from the Angora
are semi- annual. Tbe fleece.
which brings from $1.50 to $5. ac
cording to the grade of tbe animal
and demand for mohair. Tbe in
crease of wethers affords the pelts
lor gloves and valuable rugs
while the flesh is healthful and
not unlike venison.
Defore concluding I shall ven
ture to offer a few suggestions re
garding proper fences and care of
the animal.
The goat does not require as
strong a fence as many other ani
mals, but it must be perpendicular
yes straight up and down. My
preference-is a panel fence 16 feet
long ol lxi-liich stuff, six pieces
with four strips of same kind to
support panel, firbt space at bot
torn three inches, and increase
spacing so the top board will be
five feet high, after which stretch
a light barbed wire six or eight
inches above the top piece. My
preference for this fence is be
cause the goat never gets his head
fastened as it sometimes does in a
wire fence. Moreover, the latter
;a more extensively used, and if
properly built will always turn the
goat. The rail fence requires much
more skill in Its construction.
Duild the rails directly over each
other. Have the butts of the rails
even that face the pasture. Build
it at least 5 1-2 feet high with six
foot stakes in the corners fastened
with wires at top and bottom. Re
move all logs, stumps and leaning
boards or rails from the fence you
build of any style named. It you
do not remove the stump or log,
build a backstop on the fence
equal to the elevation of the log
or stump.
Let me impress it on you to
carefully observe these precau
tions, for if ou fail. Uilly-goat
will take advantage of you, and
credit hi outing to your careless
ness. They are very observant lit
tic animal', and can delect a pig-
bole in the fence as readily as a
stump or leaning board. If care
fully bandied the goat i.i a very
docile animal, but it can be scared
until it acts like a wild deer or
nervous Jersey cow.
Your barns should le furnished
with racks for hay or straw. The
base of tbe rack should be at least
one foot wide to protect the little
J ki l that will creep under it to go
to sleep. The baseboard of the
goat shed should be at least one
loot nun to prevent the joung
ktd from going out until it
Most readers of The Statesman'
Lave admired in more or less de
gree the "chaps" of the cowboys
who ride the plaint and pasture
after the elusive ' slick-ears" and
participate In tbe round-ups of
the cattlemen, or who Imitate
them in less exciting riding after
the beeves of the butcher?, or who
participate in tbe show round
ups such as the one held annually
at Pendleton.
Well, practically all the skins
of all tbe ''chaps' that cover the
legs of all these real or Imitation
or show cowboys are tanned and
piepared In Salem, Oregon.
Quite a distinction, is It not?
And quite a distinctive Industry.
C. Lachele, of tbe Angora Rag
company, was the pioneer In this
industry.
Tbe Angora Rng company has
its office and factory at 1230
Ferry street, where Mr. Lachele
has been In business for IS years.
He really created the demand for
Angora skins. He formerly pur
chased large sqlns here as low as
75 cents each. He Is now paying
$3 to $3.50 for extra choice skins.
These are mostly used for the
chap trade cared In the natu
ral color and various other col
ors, mostly black.
Salem has aln!ost a monopoly
of the chap-skin industry and sap
plies 4000 to 5000 skins anna
ally to that trade; a large pro
portion of them being shipped to
Canada.
The Salem output furnishes
practically the entire consump
tion ot North America.
Last year.- 1920,' Mr. Lachele
was not able to seeure nearly
enough - skins showing a ready
market for a larger production ot
Angoras.
Th$ business has enjoyed a
steady, healthy growth.
The Angora Rug company buy
hundreds ot live Angoras; has
them slaughtered and tbe neat
shipped to Portland, but tome Is
consumed In Salem. It Is regard
ed as a delicacy by many people.
The meat brings from 5 to 1
cents a pound wholesale.
Mr. Lachele was in the tannine
business In Santa Crux. Cal.. for
15 year before coming to Salem.
He also cleans and tans An
gora and other skins and makes
them Into rng. robes, furs. ete
for local patrons. 'The maklng of
auto robes from Angora skins hat
become quite a business.
Not Knoaxh Ski a Here. ' '
A Statesman- reporter, visit In r
the place ot Mr. Lachele on Mon
day, found that gentleman and
his helpers busy taking ont the
kinks ot Angora goat skins that
had been shipped to him from
long distances ,
Because he cannot get enough
Angora skins suitable for his ises
near at home. So be must pre
pare inferior ones brought from .
long distances, purchased in east
ern markets, to look as much liks
the superior Willamette Taller
An cora skins at la pos'lbye.
He would much, prefer skins
only of the Angoras raised here
In this valley for he. takes a
pride in his work, and the local
skins are much better for the
uses of his far-flung trade.
He thinks the people ot the Sa
lem district ought to raise great
many more Angora goats, an 4
that they would find profit In do
ing so. The best - Angora goats,
raised In the world are. bred right
here. This Is by nature tbe bert '
Angora goat district In the world.
Additional Slogan :
Matter on Page 4
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strong enouuli to follow th nan
nietJ. Lare should w taken to
bank Jhe outside ot the board so
the kid can easily get back. The
shed should be in tho pasture so
that the i;oat ran at any time seek
ita shelter. Th nannie. like
cow. nurses her Iittl one. puts it
to sleep and then goes off to feed
Angora Yearling. Knowing Full Klerre. 1 Moath Old.
(Continued on page 4.)
PRIME ANGORA SKINS
AND MOHAIR WANTED
We pay the highest market price for these
products; also for other raw furs.
AUTO ROBES, RUGS J
and FURS v
We lanv clean and dje furs, and "make them
up into auto robes, rugs and furs. We aUo
tan beef hides and horse hides for robes.
These raw bkins are very cheap now, so this
is a good time to have them made rap. Ilring
us your custom work. Our prices are reason
able and work guaranteed.
ANGORA RUG CO.
Tanners of Furs and Leather
1233 Ferry St.
SALEM, OIL
Phone 6S3
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