The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-03-11

The goats are harder than the sheep
and thrive upon 8 much smaller sub
sistenee. There is q profit in raising
grade goats even for fleece. Grade
Wethers have sheaHed as high as 81
pounds per head Messrs. Stockton
and Bnftam, Of Aariposz county, Cal,
a great authority on this question on
the Pacific slope. state the average clip
OF their thoroughbreds at 5 pounds per
head For their whole flock, from
thoroughbreds to seven-eights of pure
blood, the average is 4 pounds. Their
clips of 1874 and 1876. amounting to
l,4S3 pounds, were sold in New York
at IS cents; in 1876 the best pure
bloodAeece brought 80 cents.
Mr.. Bailey is president of a
engaged in the manufacture of robes,
gloves, &C., of Angora skins. They do
not use the fleece to any extent separ-
ate from the skin. They manufacture
robes, ~oyercoats, parlor and carriage
mats, &c. The poorer qualities are
made into gloves which, in strength
and durability, surpass buck-skin
gloves. They make a large variety of
whip lashes, lace, leather betting, &C.,
from the lower grade skins. The belt
ing is very strong and serviceable. The
company uses about 10000 pelts per
annum, and could s double that num-
Der if they were accessible. The num-
Der of hands employed is between 60
and 20.
Thus 1T will be seen that this single
mandatory requires the slaughter of
10000 goats per annum, or 10 per cent.
of the estimated number in the nocks
of the Pacific slope. This shows the
value of home manufacture. The pro-
duction of Angora fleece on the Pacific
coast has been very remunerative.
Mr.. Bailey, who has been fourteen years
in the business of raising these goats,
gets $50 for a thoroughbred buck. He
originally paid $1,000 per pair for thor
oughbreds, and subsequently $500 for
six does, Of the Brown & Diehl impor-
tation.
Mr.. Bailey writes that he will bring
about 1900 goats to Wyoming next
season, arriving about the last Of Sep
TENDER. The animals will not be lower
grades than seven-eighths. and most of
the flock will be ffteen-sixteenths
grades. They will cost delivered here,
from six to ten dollars per head.
Mr.. Bailey says: 81 do not drive
over so much for the purpose of selling
the few goats l shall have with me, as l
do to establish the business of raising
goats in Wyoming, and make another
field for us to go to for our supply of
goat skins"
We are inclined to believe that this
new branch of stock raising offers a
grand opening for capital and enter
prise in this territory, both in the pro-
duction of raw material and in its fab
rication. From those who have had ex-
perience with Angora goats, residents
of Carbon county, who have had about
1000 goats on their ranches during the
past year, We learn that they are very
docile, easily kept, and will generally
take care of themselves. The goats
will start out in the morning, without a
herder, aud invariably r~eturn.to shelter
at night. or sooner if stormy weather
sets in. If the grass becomes scarce,
or when it is covered with snow, they
will browse on anything in sight, and
sustain life when no other domestic an
imal could live. There are many waste
places in our mountain country where
thousands upon thousands of these
goats could be raised, without interfer-
ing with the grazing lands now occu-
pied or liable to be wanted by our
cattle breeders.