El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-15
FARM
FOR KARAKULE
4 SUCCESS
Fur Produced in Ell Paso Is
Superior to That of It's
Native Country.
THIS COUNTRY TO
COMBAT WITH ASIA
Now the United States
Spends $14,OOO,OOO a Year
For These Furs.

4 VI LACioC = u -
Converting a domestic sheep of the
United state into a fur bearing ami
nal that produces an article Of the
value of sealskin, and for which the
United States annually spends S14.-
100000 in Asia, IS the result that DR..
c. G. Young has accomplished in ex-
periments conducted in the FL PasO
valley. 50 successful have his exper-
iments proved that DR.. Young has just
sold a, half interest in his flock Of 81
Karakule sheep to L. NJ Crawford. OF
Topeka, Kansas, for 100000 and they
have established a farm for the ex-
elusive breeding OF the Karakule
hal1breed" in the valley OF the Rio
Grande. u miles north Of FL PasO.
Dr. Young brought Is Of these IA
nous Asiatic sheep to the United
States three years ago and his herd
now totals 81 fulblOOds. From these
he is now breeding the priceless fur
producing animals Dr. Young is being
aided by the United States department
OF agriculture in his work The de-
partment has one OF his rams at Wash
ington and is following the same line
Of experiments as he, checking all his
work The results are 10 be given to
the world IN bulletin by the depart
ment this fall
To stock Ranges With Rams.
Dr.. Young does not purpose to raise
MS sheep for the sale of the fur, but
he expects only to rear the animals
to sell to other sheep men in the
United States because this is now even
more profitable than selling a fur
that brings SO for a piece Just large
enough to make a crown for an or
binary derby hat. He can now sell
more of his rams at $3.50 each than he
can can Procuce, so he has no desire to
slaughter lambs and sell their furs a {
so ap1ece-nOt until he has met the
demand for the fun grown ones. Then
ne may himself enter the fur industry.
ands OF sheep men to be engaged in
the industry, and driving the Asiatio
article completely from the American
market
To Combat AsiGtie Trade.
Dr. Young believes that the close
Of the next 10 years Will see thOus-
ands Of these fur bearing animals be-
ing reared in the United States, ad-
ding millions Of dollars, at a conser-
TauVe estimate. TO the annual profits
from the sheep industry. DR.. Young is
no visionary He has gone into the
work after a careful study in Asia
and has made money from the very
start I did not enter this business
as a matter of philanthropy" he de-
clares, but 1 am sure that what
nave proved, VIII rebound more largely
TO the wealth Of the sheep industry
or the United States than anything
that has ever happened" And Dr.
Young has the proof Of his expert
ments to back him uD. He is now
able to exhibit the skins of '-KarazuIe
haltbreed" lambs that are worth SIS.
Even valuing the skins at no more
than S25, it would cost $1,000 to make
q Woman's coat from this very fine fur
and sealskin coats Oftener cost below
this figure than above. which proves
the real value Of the Karakule fur.
To Use Idaho SEeep.
Dr. Young and Mr.. Crawford have
just ordered 1000 Lincoln sheep from
Gov. Cooling of Cooling, Idaho, for
the purpose Of crossing them with
the karakule rams This crossing
produces the halfbreed, to which they
look to get their returns. The fe-
males Of the halfbreed species will al
so be sold for breeding, but the rams
will be more widely distributed over
the country among other sheep breed
ers- Dr.. Young claims that these half
breed rams when crossed with the or
binary glossy coated Lincoln sheep
viii produce fur Just as fine as any
now imported from Asia
Owing to the fact that they have
no such glossy wool among the com
mon sheep in Asia as are available in
America, the results there are not as
good Then the climatic conditions in
Asia also mitigate to depreciate the
value Of the fur II great care is not eX-
srcised- 1t is the custom in Asia to
Kill the lambs as soon as they are
born to preserve the gloss and other
-aluable characteristics Of the fur; at
lines, the breeders even kin the moth
n sheep to set the fur Of the progeny
lOSure TO the air, and sunlight This
makes the production Of the fur very
expensive as well as barbarOus- In the
experiments that DR.. Young has car
led on in the Ell PasO valley he has
earned that the young sheep can be
allowed to live for month or even
more after birth, and in no way harm
he gloss or fur value of the coat
Better Than AsiutIe Fur
DR.. Young asserts that ne can pro
luce a better fur in the United States
rom One-Quarter blood karaku1e
heeD than Asia produces ordinarily
rom the full blood animal He pre-
lets that within the next 10 or Is
ears. the United States will stop i'm
importing karakule and Astrachan
urs entirely and, instead, viii be ex-
Orting the furs TO the European mar
tets in successful competition with
he original home of the Karakule.
At present. according to government
igures, the United States spends an
ually S14,O00OO0 for these imported
urs and there are hardly enough OF
hem TO supply the market.
There is little il any fullbrOOd Kar-
llule fur in existence, for the full
lOod rams sell for $1,000 apiece; all
he furs are of the half-breed and the
uarter breed.
treatment of the Furs.
The fur of the animals has to be
'eated as soon as the skins are taken
II the carcass, to make them hold
leir color. but once treated thew
ever turn II not treated they would
irn from the original "nigger'' black
the doctor calls it, to brown. al
.CuEh the fine silky curls vOlld re-
ain the same as originally the Won
sr OF the wool and fur Industry OF
e world
There is peculiar pigment in tba
ooG OF the harazule that produces
.e black color of the wool Light
ID ar nave the effect Of fading this