Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-10-20
AGOAT FARM.
A New York Lady's Venture Which Has
Proved Profitable.

Three miles from the village of Nyack,
near the Hudson river, is IN Angora
goat farm, which from It's novelty ut
tracts much attention. 1t is looked
upon as ,mething in the nature OF II
farmers ak, like the raising Of bees
or silk-worms. Goats browse and goats
prosper ON this farm ON the heights that
border Rockland Lake rs readily as
they do, on the rocks about Shunty-
town, in New York City. But they are
n different breed OF goats, more ari5to-
cratic than their city relatives rs to
wool, more cpicurcan in their tastes,
and more bluc-bloodcd as to ancestry.
The herd in this somewhat novel farm
Just now numbers seventy-fivc, varying
in age from the tiny object of 3 months
which looks like cross between Il dog,
rabbit and n lady's powder pun, to
the handsome patriarch of the IloIk, II
magnificent specimen of the pure Angora
breed, with immense curling horns.
This handsome old fellow with his wife
were imported by DR.. Agnew, the
famous oculist of New York. from Asia
Minor, and the importation cost Linn Il
heap of money as the price of :: ats
coes, Their present owner is the god
y nan who now runs this goat farm,
AMI who never tires of dissenting upon
the good qualities of her pets, They
kaoN her voice, and answer to their
names when she calls them. Kind and
gentle they appear when visitors are
about, but the fondncss for fighting, as
characteristic of goats as it is of Il
native OF Tippcrary, crops out when the
herd is together and apparently out of
sight of mankind.
A strange fact noticed in the breed
inc of these animals is that the females
do not thrive in this locality MS well as
the males. The hardy female goat of
the ordinary species was introduced into
this flock for experimental breeding pm-
poses, and with marked success. Re-
peated crossings with the common goat
and her offspring has produced APP
parently pure Angora goats, the ten
dcncy being in all cases for the kids to
revert in the texture Of their wool to-
ward the male side. As 4 consequence
the third generation has all the appear
ancc OF its distinguished ancestry, and
in the fourth generation even the best
experts can not tell the purc-1loOdcl
from the grade Angora. lhi, lac! i,
matter of considerable interest 10
breeders Of goats, us an Angora back
costs 800 or over, while the co!AIOn
goat can be had almost Tor the asking
The fccundity of the Angora is not 50
great rs that of the common goat, the
Angora eve giving birth to but one kid
yearly.
As Il source of profit the goats have
turned out well. The wool is from -four
to SIX inches in length, silky and of
beautiful texture. A iull-grOwn animal
will yield four pounds Of wool, wa.Ih
will readily sell at II per pound Just
now the demand for this wool is not
particularly lively, rs the lStrous dress
fabric into which it was at one time
largely converted is out Of VOC, with
fashionable ludioS 1t is therefore used
almost exclusively in the manufacture
OF plush Tor upholstery purposes.
When the kid is 6 months old its hide
uuUItSStN, ~ NDllIl 90, ulli VIII SUI
readily for that amount TO glove manu-
facturcrs. Kids on the farm in qucs-
ton meet with sUddcn death on that
account at about that age with con-
siderable regularity. When it is ncces-
sary to kin them the good lady has
them chloroormed so that she may not
near the death cries OF her little pets.
The milk OF the goat is much sought
after by dyspeptics, by persons suffering
from pulmonary troubles, and by other
wise delicate persons, and it brings II
much greater price than cows milk.
As to their use for food little can be
said, because the goat does not flesh up
WELL but the kid, when killed young,
furnishes fair amount of tender meat
which some people like. 1t will never
become II great delicacy in the market,
or be in sufficient demand to become Il
source of income to the goat-raiser.
There is nothing in the world so cheap
to raise as goats, because they will find
ample food in lots up here where other
animals would starve to death. Acorns
are a favorlto article of food with them,
and as these abound in the woods the
cost for winter fodder is mainly con-
fined to the trouble of gathering the
acorns. IN, T. Times.