The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1879-07-17
TOPICS FOR PRIMERS.

The Reward Of Enterprise.-Great
efforts have been made for some years
past 30 make the culture of the Angora
goat profitable. Goats have been kept and
bred, but not one in a thousand has paid
with its fleece for its feed. The fleece
has not met. with q stable market; and
where. but few Of the animals have been
kept, the vnohair was found unstable
and worthless. Competition with a
foreigA and Imported article, which came
to hand IN moro preseutAble shape than
the naXkx6 prodnct and the neglect Of
thu &A1ufacEnrers Of mohair goods and
braids, Md to be contended WITH At
hst those Who had invested large sums
Of money in goats and pastures became
determined to find way out of the
difficulties with which they were sbeset.
and as there was a will there was wav.
A factory was established in Sam jose
California, which in few yeau passed
from an experimentste 8 success, and
the Angora Robe and Glove Company
has an established business, and employs
fifty operatives; half Of which number
are women. Atannery for dressing goat
skins is connected with the factory, and
this has made market for the skins,
which heretofore were without value,
be cause thereSwas no use for them.
This successful effort at combination,
to utilize. an agricultural product, is
worthy Sof mote, and emulation. We
greatly need aSdiversity of products,
and 70 secure home markets for these as
well. There are many promising ven
turesjust now in allegiance. Sumaefs an
article of general use, and our native
product, if gathered about this time and
properly prepared, is equal to the best
foreign. We have some native textile
plants of the most valuable kind, but
none seems Inclined to experiment on
their growth and manufacture. We can
make beet sugar if we will, and we can
do many other useful things proftably
The enterprise and the money are
needed; the latter can be had if the
former is forthcoming.
Our Birds. takes a good deal d
agitation to make the farming scoR,
munity understand what some Of fheil
most important interests are. Timbel
planting, for instance, was written abou
| and talked about for years before any
thing was effected, and even now the
majority of the farmers are only JUS
/ beginning to realize its Importance
There is another subject of vast imVor
tarice to the farmer on which little il
ever said; namely, Birds. Farmers art
aware that they have to contend agains
insect enemies innumerable, but they
cannot realize how mnch the birds assis
them in keeping such pests down, Be
cause they have never been Wfthou
such aid. Some idea, however, of tn,
number Of insects destroyed by a single
j pair, may be form ed by watching then
] while feeding heir young. Men thiH1
7 that the robins, for instance, speF9 Z
good deaf df time in their ysmallsffui
gardens, or among theif chefries (ano
teVen here they do bs& .cohfne thei
I attention to the fiuih ;but they Ga,
Y well afford teespsreB from theirk sban
dance what fen the birds take for tn
sake Of thefrs assistance in fghting in
sects! Prof. Cook says that, afte
knumereus examinat ipns>of their stom
achs, made with the greatest care, he
convinced that" birds, not exceptin,
even the robin and jay, are the farmer
friends,"A The blackbird. ,thS much
abused crow, the woodpsekA aud al
kotr' common songstefs afe valuable
aids in combating insects but they ais
destroy great quantities of weed seed
Let any one watch flock of bird
gather about patch of dried weeds lat
in the fall and he will be convinced O
this.