13
H O M and farm magaztxe se c t io n
Angora Goat Raising in America
not, of courne, the produet 01 ordinary
commercial conditions. It implies a con­
siderable amount of caro and personal
attention.
High Birth Rate.
f
cs-
HE raising of Angora goats in the
United States is now a deuionstrat
ed success, according to a report
Just published by the United States De
part men! of Agriculture, under the title,
"T he Angora Goat,” Farmers’ Bulletin
573. The industry, says the bulletin, is
indeed so well established here that
gTuwerr need not be inconvenienced by
tho action of South America in prohib­
iting the exportation of Angoras, for
tho 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 gTown in South Africa or Asia Mi­
nor, the original homo of the Angora.
Although nearly every state in the
Union now possesses its flocks, the
Southwest and the Northwest are enpe
eially well adapted to the industry, in
particular the large areas recently log­
ged off in the Northwest There the
Angora not only thrives . himself, bnt
helps to dear away the brush which, if
allow»1 to grow unchecked, might easily
become a dangerous fire trap. Thus it
is often seid that the Angora works and
pays for its board at the same time.
Valne of Fleece Increasing.
It is paying more and more, for the
■value of the fleece or mohair is increas
ing steadily. Formerly the use of mo
hair depended so largely upon the pre
vailing fashion that its price varied
widely from year to year. This condi
tion, however, is rapidly ehanging as
new uses for mohair are continually
found, from automobile tops and table
covers, to dress goods and curled false
hair, and today the grower is assured
o f a reason ably 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
the average for Oregon
was found to be S.7 pounds and for Tex­
as 1.85. On account of the greater heat,
however, and the damage of shedding,
Angoras in the Southwest are frequently
shorn twice a year—a fact which must
be taken into consideration in all cal
eulations.
Thin practice of clipping twice a year
Is in many wavs a drawback to the in­
dustry, since it tends to lower the aver
age gTade of American mohair. Mohair
as good as any can be and is grown in
this country, but the average quality is
not todav considered to be as good as the
foreign. About 2,000,000 pounds are an
nnally imported.
Ordinarily this is
blended and spun with the domestic
product. Fix inches is the shortest
length of fleece usually desired, and
because of shearing twice a year, much
Texas and New Mexico mohair falls be
lew this standard. Where the fleece is
allowed to gTow for twelve months, the
average length in 10 inches, and in the
best flocks it is not unusual to get 15
to 20 inches. Romeo, the sweepstakes
hock at the El Paso show in 1910. is an
example of what is possible. His fleece
weighed eighteen pound0, measured
twenty and three fourths inches in
length and sold for *115. Hueh fleece i
The birtu rate is approximately 65 per
cent, but in well managed flocks this
has risen on occasions as high as 120 per
cent. Hince the kids are not baTdy, 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
greatly from that of sheep.
While the Angora goat needs atten­
tion, it is adaptable and as far as tem­
perature is concerned should flourish in
any part of tho United States. In Mon­
tana the flocks face the heavy snow
falls with equanimity as loug as a dry
placo is provided for tuem at night, and
though the heat iu 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 flocks. Dampness,
however, is more injurious than either
cold or heat. High lands is the native
homo of all goats, and they invariably
seek it when left to themselves. Pure
water is also an essential.
Otherwise the Angora is not partirli
lar. It will feed with cattle also. As
a matter of fact, however, the goat pre
fers a certain amount of rough pasture
and is particularly happy when cleaning
up brush land. There is one instance
of a flock of 600 being allowed free
gracing in a California forest reserve in
order to keep tho strips of cleared land,
known as fire-breaks, free from weeds
and vegetation. Settlers in the North­
west find the Angora moet serviceable
in browsing off the brush on their new
lands, and one railway company pur­
chased a flock to keep its right-of-way
clear and attractive. On very rough
land the danger of injury to the fleece
must, however, be kept in mind.
Importations N ot Needed.
As has already been said, the Angora
can be bred sufficiently pure for prac­
tical purposes from the stock already in
this country, and there is no need of
further importations for breeding pur
poses. Some years ago, however, this
was not believed to be the ease, and iu
1881 the Sultan of Turkey endeavored
to preserve for his dominion the monop­
oly of the mohair trade by prohibiting
tho exportation of the live animal. His
example was followed by South Africa,i
but it was too late. Some of the best
blood was already in America and today (
other countries are bnying of us, flocks ■
having been sliipjied recently to Brazil
and the Argentine.
Various associations have already
been formed for the development of the
industry in this country, and the quan­
tity of the annual product is increasing
rapidly.
---------------
N ever w ork a «cam of cotta together nn til
they arc thnrourhly broken, as they w ill
worry each other.
________________
T
•A
A
M alt R ainier is the Pure M alt T o n ic
For M others W h o Require A dditional
N ourishm ent and Strength.
A SK TOUB PHT3ICLAW
f o t Bals by AU Druggist*