The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-04-27
An Enthusiastic Stock Farm er.
From the baltimore sum-


From the Baltimore SUM-
Mr.. John 8. Harris, of California,
reached Baltimore, yesterday, by the
steamship Sardinian, from LiverpooI,
with twelve Angera goats, which he
brought all the way from Asia Minor, at.
ter most romantic and difficult jour.
ney.
Angora and Cashmere goats have been
considered Identical; but sample OF
real Cashmere wool, sent to Mr.. Harris
from Madras, disclosed the fact that 1t
was essentially different from the wool
grown on goats called Angoras, which
he aud others owned in this country.
This discovery led the adventurous
breeder to 60 to Asia and see and learn
for himself, as well as to study the hab-
its aud mode Of raising goats, with q
view to making them profitable in the
sierras OF California.
He started April Is, 1875, from Cali
fornIa, via Japan and CHINA, intending
to go overland into Thibet, but found
Calcutta, and, going through India,
reached the Cashmere district, and saw
the animals for which he had made SO
great a journey.
He found the Cashmere goats covered
with rather sparse coat OF coarse, long
black hair, under which Is a fleece OF
extremely white silk-like wool, used in
the manufacture of Indian shawls, and
other goods that are highly priced for
their fneness of texture and capability
OF recel .ing and retaining colors.
The home Of the Cashmere goat is in
the Himalaya Mountains, twenty-five
| thousand Ieet above the level OF the sea,
in q region OF eternal SHOWS.
There are no Cashmere goats in Amer.
ica. The traveller 1ound these goats
could not be protitably aeclimatized in
California. But he gained the informa-
cesstully raised in q high latitude and
low latitude, such as the Sierras Of
Southern California.
MIR. Harris concluded then to go to
Angora, but found he could not proceed
overland, on account ofwar, nor via the
Persian Gulf, on account OF the unset
tied state ofthe country. He, therefore,
returned to Calcutta, and went via Oey-
lon, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and SueZ
Canal, to Port Said, over the Taurus
Mountains, in crossing which he was oc.
cupied twenty-one days and suffered In.
tensely from cold, SHOWS, &C., with no
other food but native black bread and a
kind Of molasses. When, finally, he
reached Angora and bought his goats
two rams and ten ewes-he ran short OF
money, and had TO telegraph to Caliior-
MIA tOr credit at Constantinople. He
borrowed from friendly ecotchman and
started for the coast.
He had nine mules and three donkeys,
on which the precious goats were slung
in boxes, while other of the animals were
loaded with provender and baggage. He
tried to reach Smyrna, but, after floun-
dering in the mountains some days, was
obliged to return to Angora. He then
turned north TO Ismid, Wnere he struck
rail to Constantinople. There he found
money from his partner, paid his debts
and the export duty and "bucksheesh"
demanded by the Turks.
He went from Constantinople to Liv-
erpool, and thence to Baltimore, safely.
MIR. Harris says, that, including all his
expenses since leaving home, the goats
have cost him, thus far, $525 apiece in
gold, or total of $6 300, and he has yet
TO take them across the continent TO Cal
itornia by rail.
MIR. Harris is a middle-aged Scotch
man, decidedly modest, and does not
think he has performed a remarkable
journey in the wilds of Central and
Western Asia. When he lett California
he and his partner had 1,7Oo goats on
their ranges at Hollister, Benito County,
where he has been seventeen years. He
thinks that, by proper breeding, Cali
tornia is especially adapted to produc-
ing mohair wools. The goats on the Sar-
dian are smaller than tne ordinary ami
mails, and have long silken fleeoes OF
white wool. Both sexes have fiat, cor
rugated horns, about eighteen inches
long, that diverge from the front Of the
mead. All are yearlings, and show NO
ill effects from their travels. Several
kids have been born since leaving An.
CORA, one of which, several days old, is
alive and we'll. The goats were visited
by thousands Of people at Liverpool
where Mr.. Harris was a sort of lion. He
has with him specimens of Cashmere
and other wools, together with theiI
manufactured products, obtained il
Asia.
49,