Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-03-31
A GOAT FARM.
A WOnan's Venture which
has Proved Profitable.
Raising Angora Goats and Selling Their
Wool at One Dollar a Pound.

Raising Angora Goats and Selling Their |
Wool at One Dollar Pound.
A Nyock, On. Y.,) letter to the New
York Times, says; Three miles from
this village, near the Hudson River, san
Angora goat farm, which from its nov l.
ty attracts much attention hcreabont
1t is looked upon as something in, the ma
turc of farmers freak, like the raising
of bees or silkwoms. Goats browse and
goats prosper on this farm on the heights
that border Rockland Lake as readily as
they do on the rocks about Shantytown
in New York City. But they are differ
Cnt breed Of goats, more arlstocratlc than
their city relatives as to wool, more epic
urcan in their tastes, and more blue
bloodcd as to ancestry. The herd in
this somewhat novel farm just now mum
bcrs Is, varying in age from the tiny OBJ
icct of three months which looks like
cross between a dog, rabbit, and
lody's powder puff, to the handsome pa
trorch of the flock, magnificent spcci-
men of the pure Angora breed, with i'm
mcnsc curling horns This handsome old
fellow with his wife were imported by
| Dr. Agncw, the famous oCulist OF Now.
York, from Asia Minor, and the impo!-
tation cost him heap Of money as the
price Of goat, goes Their present own
.cr is the good woman who now runs tn
goat farm, and who never tires of dis
canting on the good qualities Of her pets.
They know her voice, and answer to
their names when she calls them. Kind
and gentle they appear when visitors are
about, but the londncss for fighting, as
characteristic Of goats as it is of native
of Tippcrary, crops ont when the herd is
together and apparently out of sight of
mankind.
A strange fact noticed in the breeding
of these animals is that the females do
not thrive in this locality as well as the
male. The hardy female goat Of the or
dinary species was introduced into this
flock for experimental breeding purposes,
and with marked success Repeated
crossing with The common goat and her
offspring has produced apparently pure
Angora goats, the tendency being in all
cases ior the kids to revert in the texture
of their wool toward the male side. As
a consequence the third generation has
all the appearance of its distinguished an
ccstry, and in the fourth generation even
the best experts cannot tell the pure
bloodcd from the grade Angor;- This
fact Is n matter of considerable interest
to breeders OF goats, as an Angora buck
cost 800 or over, while the common
goat can be had almost for the asking.
The fccundlty of the Angora is not SC
great as that of the common goat, the
Angora eve giving birth to but one kid
yearly.
As a source of profit the goats have
turned out well. The wool is from foul
to six inches in length, silky, and oj
beautiful texture. A full grown anima
will yield four pounds of wool, whcl
will readily sell at 81 per pound. JUS
now the demand fer this wool is not par
ticularly lively, as the lustrous dress o.
fabric into which it was at one time
largely converted is out OF vogue witt
fashionable ladies. 1t is therefore usct
almost exclusively in the manufacture o
plush for upholstery purposes. Whcl
tie kid is months old its hide, un
: dressed, is worth So, and will sell rc0dl
II for that amount to glove manu(actur
crS. Kids on the farm IN question NEE
with sudden death on that account a
about that age with considerable regular
itv. When it is necessary to kill then
, the good lady has them chloroformcd 81
: that she may not hear the death cries 0
her little pets. The milk of the goat i
, much sought after by dyspcptics, by per
sons suffering from pulmonary troubles
and by otherwise delicate persons, and il
= brings much greater price than cows
- ciIk. As to their use for food little ca
be said, because the goat does not tlcs
up well, but the kid, when killed young
" furnishes fair amount of tender mea
', which some people like. 1t will ncvc
u become great lclicacy in the market, @
y be in sufficient demand to become
- source of income to the goat raiser
There is nothing in the world so cheap t
raise as goats, because they will find an
t. pie food in lots up here where other an
y mails would starvc to death. ACorns al
\ favogite article of food with them, an
Is as these abound in the woods the cost Ic
d Winter fodder is mainly confined to tn
IN trOuhlr or nthrrnu the aCOrns