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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (June 25, 1914)
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION 13 Angora Goat Raising in America car"" ' (pv$? i i .. f HE raising of Angora goats in the I United fetates is now a denionstrat cd buccoss, according to a report Just published by the United States De partment of Agriculture, under the title, "The Angora Uoat," Farmers' Bulletin 573. The industry, says the bulletin, is indeed so well established here that growers need not be inconvenienced by the action of South America in prohib iting the exportation of Angoras, for Die quantity of good blood in this coun try is already sufficient to meet all re quirements. In the opinion of experts the' best American fleeces now equal any grown in South Africa or Asia Mi nor, the original home of the Angora. Although nearly every state in the Union now possesses its flocks, the Southwest and the Northwest are espe cially well adapted to the industry, in particular the large areas recently log ged off in the Northwest. There the Angora not only thrives himself, but helps to clear away the brush which, if allowed to grow unchecked, might easily become a dangerous lire trap, Thus it is often seid that the Angora works and pays for its board at the same time. ; Value of Fleece Increasing. It .is paying more and more, for the Value of the flocee or mohair is increas ing steadily. Formerly the use of mo tair depended so largely upon the pre .Tailing fashion that its price varied widely frpm year to year. This condi tion, however, is rapidly changing as new uses lor mohair are continually found, from automobile tops and tabic covers, to dress goods and curled false hair, and today the grower is assured cf a reasonably steady market. The price, of course, varies with the quality, the very best fleeces bringing on an av erage from 42 to 55 cents a pound. The weight of a fleece has a very wide range, in 1909 the average for Oregon was found to be 3.7 pounds and for Tex 6s 1.85. On account of the greater heat, Iiowever, and the damage of shedding, Angoras in the Southwest are frequently ehorn twice a year a fact which must be taken into consideration in all cal culations. This practice of clipping twice a year is in many ways a drawback to the in dustry, since it tends to lower the aver age grade of American mohair. Mohair as good as any can be and is grown in this country, but the averago quality is not today considered to be as good as the foreign. About 2,000,000 pounds are an nually imported. Ordinarily this is blended and spun with the domestic product. Six inches is the shortest length of fleece usually desired, and because of shearing twice a year, much Texas and New Mexico mohair falls bo low this standard. Where the fleece is allowed to grow for twelve months, the average length is 10 inches, and in the best flocks it is not unusual to get 15 to 20 inches. Romeo, the sweepstakes buck at the El Paso show in 1910, is an example of what is possible. His fleece weighed eighteen pounds, measured twenty and three-fourths inches in length and sold for $115, Sueh fleece is not, of course, the product oi ordinary commercial conditions. It implies a con siderable amount of care and personal attention. High Birth Rate. The birtu rate is approximately 65 per cent, but in wU managed flocks this has risen on occasions as high as 120 per cent. Since the kids are not hardy, it is obvious that this means skill and in dustry during the breeding season. The best methods of caring for the flock at this time are discussed in some detail in the new bulletin. Otherwise the man agement of Angoras does not differ gTeatly from that of Bheep. While the Angora goat needs atten tion, it is adaptable and as far as tem perature is concerned should flourish in any part of the United States. In Mon tana the flocks face the heavy snow falls with equanimity as long as a dry place is provided for tuem at night, and though the heat in the Southwest fre quently makes it necessary to shear them twice a year in order to prevent shedding, it does not otherwise affect the health of the floeks. Dampness, however, is more injurious than either cold or heat. High lands is the native home of all goats, and they invariably Beck it when left to themselves. Pure water is also an essential. Otherwise the Angora is not particu lar. It will feed with cattle also. As a matter of fact, however, the goat prc ftrs a certain amount of rough pasture and is particularly happy when cleaning Bp broth land There la one instance of a flock of 600 being allowed free grazing in a California forest reserve in order to keep the strips of eleared land. kaown as fire-breaks, free from weeds ' and vegetation. Settlers in the North west find the Angora most serviceable in browsing eff the brush on their new lands, and one railway company pur chased a floek to keep its right-of-way ciear ana attractive, un very rougnj land the danger of injury to the fleece must, however, be kept in mind. Importations Not Needed. As has already been said, the Angora--can be bred sufficiently pure for prac- j tical purposes from the stock already in i this country, and there is no need of , further importations for breeding pur- j poses. Some years ago, however, this; was not believed to be the case, and in 1881 the Sultan of Turkey endeavored! to preserve for his dominion the monop- j oly of the mohair trade by prohibiting : the exportation of the live animal. His example was followed by South Africa!, ' but it was too late. Some of the best blood was already in America and today , other countries are buying of ns, flocks j having been shipped recently to Brazil and tho Argentine. ! Various associations have already j been formed for the development of the ; industry in this country, and the qnan- j tity of the annual product is increasing : rapidly. i Nam work a team of colts together until they aro thoroughly broken, they vill worry each other. , -?s C M F V : V Malt Rainier is the Pure Malt Tonic For Mothers Who Require Additional Nourishment and Strength. ABE YOUR PHYSICIAN1 -For 0Jo by Ail Drugglsta "f.
