El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-10-26

dOre Roosevelt. brought five rams ana
ten ewes to Texas on December 4
1908. This flock has increased to "a
head and tests are in progress
throughout the country to prove that
American breeders not only can com
pete with Asiatic In raising Persian
lamb. Astrachan and Krimmer furs,
but can excel foreign rivals The de
parCment Of agriculture already has
begun the final experiment, and Dr.
Young himself is receiving the assist
ance Of the American Breeders assO-
clifton.
INTRODUCING the Karakuls desert
sheep into the United States marks
4 the beginning Of a new era in the
sheep fur raising Industry. Tests made
by various breeders all over the cOun-
try, especially near I'll PasO, in Texas
prove cOnClUsively that we can not only
compete with Asia in the production Of
such fUrs as Persian Lamb, AStrachan
and krimmer for which we are spend
ing millions annually, but that we can
actually excel that country by far, and
with much less Karakule blood. This
is due entirely TO the 1acr that our
silky long wool sheep, such as the Lin
coins. COtsWOlds and LeiceSters possess
Infinitely more gloss than any Of the
long wool sheep OF asia As luSuer Is
the principal thing IL the raising Of
commercial Karakule furs It is evident
that England and the United States are
destined to furnish the world in years
b
Government Experiments.
What the AngOra, and Mexican goat
viii give, IS as yet hard to predict as
we are not through with our tests
which are now being conducted by the
government at Washington, and various
breeders in the southwest, but we have
reasons to believe that the results viii
be splendid. providing no obstacles pre-
sent themselves in crossing Karakuie
rams with goats on large scale. In
our opinion the Barbadoe is Tar closer
related to the goat than TO the sheep
family and whist we nave 1aQ only
one cross with an AEgOra, the depart
menr OF animal industry reports a
number Of successful crosses with Bar
BADGE ewes, as viii be seen from the
following letter from the United States
department Of agriculture, bureau Of
animal industry dated September To-
1911.
MY Dear DR. Young: You viii be
interested to know that the first half
bred Karakule lambs came this week
The first one was a very small lamb
but with a very curly fleece; the fleece
IS curly right down TO the hide The
hair does not seem. however, TO be very
lustrOus. The second lamb came yester-
day; its fleece is not curly but inclined
to wave, very much the kind of a fleece
BarbarOs eve. This fleece is very
much more lustrOus Cnan the first one
and the lamb Is fully twice as large.
Both are black as ink without a single
white hair, and are out Of pure bred
Barbadoe ewes. The lambs viii be
killed according TO your instructions,
and / trust when we have q dozen or
so skins on hand, We viii be able to
have you come up to confer with US
4u regard to the matter. Things look
very hopeful indeed,
Geo. II. Rommel,
"Chief Of animal husbandry div"
Skins Bring SO Each.
The skins which We produced so far,
brought an average Of about $40 each, /
and as there is no objection to letting
a eve lamb twice year, as the lambs
are killed a few days after the birth
one can figure on two TO three skins
from each eve annually, that viii bring
from $4,000 TO s25,0 900 profit from 1000
ewes, and this viii give our breeders
an idea Of the wonderful money max
ing possibilities in the raising Of furs
As 1t took us years 10 bring the first
herd OF IS head Of karakule sheep to
This country at ruinOus price, a Ques-
ton naturally arises as to where the
great. number of full blOoded bucks
that VIII be necessary, viii come from. [
Experiments up 90 date show that q half
blood Lincoln or COtsWOld buck when
crossed TO Lincoln and Cotswold ewes
viii give us practically the same fur
as full blood karakule buck in other
words a p percent Kara1ule Lincoln /
lamb skin brings the same price as a
so percent, and the only difference be- /
tween IS percent lamb skin. and a
90 OF 25 percent is In the tightness Of