The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-02-13

AZ rect square. The wool is bleached
with rice -four and spun into thread,
which is dyed and then woven.
The skin of tho Angora goat is not
sufficiently tough to be very valuable
as leather, but it is useful for some
purposes, such as the binding Of
books. At the present time the pelts
OF these animals arc coming into ex-
tensive use as robes and rugs, for
which they are exccllently adapted
the fleece being SO beautiful in it's
natural state and taking dyes readily.
Great numbers of them arc utilized,
usually undyed for baby-carriago
robes, and to less extent they are
employed as trimmings for furs and in
the manufacture of wigs for dolls.
Most OF the Angora skins that come
to this country are brought from the
Cape of Good Hope.
The heaviest angora fee,es pro-
duced in this country are grown IL
| Oregon. A cold climate seems best
for the animals, but they do we'll even
in the semi-tropics. 1t is not always
the heaviest fleece that is the best,
however, Gneness of staple being the
prime requisite. The ingenuity Of
manufacturers in working the better
grades into high class fabrics and the
poorer grades Into pushes has opened
way for the consumption OF all the
mohoir that can be produced. Not
only the kind Of dress goods known as
mohair, but also the cost "camel's-
nair'' goods and much Of Che so-oalled
alpaca are woven from the fleece of
this species Of goat. The factories in
this country that use mohair are all in
the East, the principal market being
New York city. But the manufactur-
ing centre Of the world is Bradford,
England, where nearly all of the pro-
duct Of the Cape and the Turkish
dominions is fabricated. The annual
output of the Cape alone is IL 900, 900
pounds Of mohair. One reason why
the mohair industry has Jagged in this
country during the half century which
has elapsed since the introduction of
Angora goats on this side of the water
is that the market has been subject to
caprices Of fashion. However, the
product is nearly, if notquite, beyond
the influence of varying fancy now.
Dame Fashion'is still whimsical in re-
gard to goods made entirely Of mohair,
especially dress goods, but mohair is
mixed with other ibres for producing
fabrics of strength and lustre, aud for
such purposes the demand is enor-
mons. Indeed, as already stated, the
demand in, the United States is vastly
greater than the possible immediate
supply, so that great quantities have
to be imported. whils many American
factories that would be glad to utilize
mohair are driven &c employing c:her
raw material.
Mohair can hs produced at less cost
than common sheep'e wool and, being
far superior to the latter, commands
higher price. The goats are hardy
and prolific, and are both able and
ready to defend themselves against
dogs. In fact, few Of them intro
duced into flock Of sheep will protect
the flock against wolves and dogs. A
flock Of excellent Angoras can be crea-
ted &c half dozen years from !. few
ordinary female goats with the help
Of couple of Angora bucks. Thus
crossbred, with careful mating, the
hybrids develop creditable fleece,
and after little while their descend
ants assume the aspect Of bred
Angoras. Necessarily the breeding
must be carefully supervised always,
inasmuch as only the well-bred ami
mails will produce fine feeces.
An important usefulness of the An
CORA goats is in subiugatiug the forest.
They will desert the finest clover and
grass for weeds and bushes. Where
valuable land is overgrown with brnsh
Ansoras are actually more valuable
for clearing it than for mohair and
meat. In Oregon, where $50 an acre
used to be paid to Chinamen for clear
ing land, goats are now employed in
stoad and do the work better. Sprouts
spring up behind mems work, brS
goats keep them down until they
cease to appear. Angoras have clear
ed hundreds Of acres Of brush land IL
Oregon, and some settlers declare
them to be more profitable thaa aug
other farm animal While employed
coating "a tractof Angoras pay q
profit ipS the shape OF meat and mo /.
u ha ajrs and 4 gfs the land ia cJaored CO..