Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-03-13

Ing the sewers II IS III @ pens proHd
ed for the pu., pose and ountine theu
as they pass out by the aid of an In
strument that registers every hundred
A flock Of $500 can be accurately count
ed In ten minutes. It should also bt
noted here that. while goats are moi
nearly as much subject to scab and kin.
dred diseases as sheep, an extensive dip.
ping plant is provided, and each flock is
dipped once year in solution of sui.
phur and lime heated to a temperature
OF ITO degrees. This frees the animals
from ticks and scabs. Three thousand
can be dipped in a day.
TRAINED DOGS.
The services of the trained dogs In
handling and protecting these flocks are
indispensable. They seem to realize
their duties and responsibilities about
as fully as do the men. and in rounding
up the flocks at the watering places and
driving them into the pens to be count
ed they show more activity and quite
as much intelligence as the herders.
The Scotch collies are found to be the
most useful in handling the f1ocks, but
native dogs are the best protection
against the cowardly yet destructive
| coyotes. Goats are very much afraid of
the cars, and are liable to stampede at
the approach of a train. This fact is so
we'll known to the collies that when a
hni IN hor i,, -
troughs near the railroad track, and
the warning whistle Of locomotive Is
heard, the dogs of their own accord i'm
mediately station themselves at inter-
walls around the frightened flock and
move rapidly back and forth in semi
circles, thus holding the goats in a COM
pact bunch until the train passes. Re-
Gently one Of these faithful dogs safely
brought into the home ranch a bunch of
ITS goats that had been cut out of the
main flock and strayed away.
THE FOREMAN.
Manager Onderdonks first lieutenant
in the management and operation of
this extensive ranch Is his foreman,
Frank Plomteaux, who has had thirty
years experience in handling flocks Of
sheep and goats. and Is both capable
and trustworthy. He is In the saddle
the greater part of the time looking aft
er the scattered focks. A fence rider Is
employed most of the time. Right here
it may be mentioned that much of the
practical information contained in this
article was obtained by interviewing
Mr.. Plomteaux.
AN ASSURED SUCCESS.
Mr.. Onderdonk Is not only sanguine of |
the complete success of his experiment |
at Lamy, expecting to have at least 25,-
600 native and improved goats grazing |
on his ranch, and on the public ranges
adjacent before another year rolls
around, but believes that the industry I
is certain rapidly to grow in other Sec
tlons of the territory His reasoning is
clear and practical. Goats are better
feeders and better climbers, are easier
handled, are harder, and have more vi
tality, will endure a shortage of grass !
and water longer, can travel further to
water and multiply faster than sheep.
They are at home on the plains or in
the mountains, and, being less destruct-
i've, do not require more than half as
much range as sheep. They partake Of
the nature of the deer In their tendency
to browse. Again they resemble deer in
the fact that the natural increase al
most universally comes In the form Of
twins.
A COMPARISON.
Native goats are chiefly valuable for
their pelts, which are worth more for
purposes than the pelts Of i'm
proved animals, but the experience of
the past few years has demonstrated |
that much greater profits may be ex-
pected from breeding up the native
goats to half and three-quarter blood
Angora than from the sale Of pelts.
Two reasons are given for this. First,
bred Angora goats will
produce an average of pounds of mo-
hair per year, which Is worth in the
eastern markets at present 35 cents per
pound. In this connection 1t Is pointed
out that the mohair grown in New
Mexico--of course, meaning that which
ls sheared when it has the desired lus-
ter, Is pronounced as good az the Turk
lsh article, which has long been regard
ed as the best produced In the world.
So ready, top-price market for New
Mexico mohair can always be depended
upon.
USE OF GOAT PELTs.
1t should be noted In this connection
that the hides Of Angora goats are COM
Ing into general use as fur robes. There
Is no domestic animal that can so we'll |
supply this great and increasing de-
nand of the human family as the An
CORA goat, inasmuch as the skins can be
taken In such variety Of stages. When
the hair has one months growth 1t can
hardly be distinguished from the astra-
khan when dyed black; and, when ta-
ken at later periods Of growth 1t can be
made to represent the polar or black
bear robes. Most Of the buggy robes
now sold as wild animal fur are merely
goat skins dyed. Much of the fur used
for muffs, cloaks and trimming comes
from the same source. For these and
kindred purposes fine Angora goat
skins sometimes bring as much as SO
and sl2 in the manufacturing cities.
ADVANTAGE OF ANGORAS.
Second. the three-quarter blood An
Ioras not only weigh y per can't more
than the native soats, but the meat 70
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