The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-08-02
Fur Farming Is the
Latest Wrinkle

Northwest Farmstead: 1t has fall.
len to the lot Of a Kansas farmer tt
introduce a new industry to the farm.
ing sections of the United States-ful
raising. L. M. Crawford of Chase
county Is the first man in the United
states to produce the expensive Per
sian lamb, Astrakhan and Krimmel
turs for commercial purposes. He has
turned his entire ranch of 1000 acres
n a fur farm, and he expects tc
grow some $4,000 or $4,000 worth OF
these furs this year.
Crawford has proved that the pro-
ductlon of furs can. be accomplished
In this country as we'll as in Russia,
from whence the $4,000, 0OO
worth of Persian Lamb, Astrakhan
ana kr1qnmer pelts imported by the
United States every year. He obtains
these furs by crossing Karakule rams
from Asia on American Lincoln ewes.
The skins from the resulting lambs,
when only a few days old, are worth
o So to $12 apiece. When l visited
the FUR farm, April 6, 1913, Crawford
already had nearly 800 of these lambs
and the Landing season and jut be-
gun. The Karakule is a hardy and
promo sheep, consequently few ewes
will fail to bear one lamb at least
Many of them will have twins. A few
Of the lambs were born dead. but that
did not affect the value of the fur. In
tact, m prematurely born some
times bear the most expensive pelts
as they have tighter curls.
Crawford's experiment at least has
gone far enough to convince breeders
at the Kansas agricultural college hat
a new branch Of farming Of great
economic promise for the United
States has been discovered. An ex-
pert breeder from the college, DR.. r.
4. is cooperating with
Crawford in an effort to develop the
new industry. DIR. Naboursl believes
that-in thee ourse-of a feW~years the.
farmers of this country will be pro-
ducing the $4,000, 900 worth of these
furs annually needed by the United
States. By keeping a few Karakule
rams any sheep breeder might increase
his profits quite materially every year
ny n production of these lamb skins.
1t was a little more than a year ago
that Crawford converted his ranch
into a fur farm. 1t was then that this
Kansas farmer decided to try for a
share of the millions sent out Of this
country for the expensive furs OF
Asia. 1t required faith, but Crawford
had it and he went at his new under
taking in no half-hearted way. He
bought thirty pure-bred Karakules, the
O. H~A SAAS SAAy 14CAu CNSI LII
ported to this country, so far as is
and shipped in LOO Lincoln
ewes from the Gooding ranch in Idaho.
The entire investment was $4,000.
Last fall Crawford, with the advice
of DR.. Nabours, began crossing the
Karakule rams in his herd on.
the LOO ewes. From these crosses
he Is now getting lustrous black lamb.
skins worth So, $40, and $12 apiece.
Some of the lambs come as Persian
fur, which is the most expensive;
others as. Astrakhan, which is a fur
looser curls, while some of the pelts
a gray shade and are known as
fur. This last is less ex-
pensive than the other two kinds.
The Karakule is a desert sheep ma
tive to Bokhara, central Asia. Be-
cause Of the extremehe heat of summer
and the intense cold of winter in that
country these sheep have become in
ured to these hardships and can there
stand much more heat and cold
than any native American sheep. The
vegetation on the steppes of Boz
khara also hav developed the Karakule
into a great rustler and browser. In
hardness only the Mexican goats and
the American mountain sheep can
compare with them. This explains
why the hybrids resulting from al
cross between the Karakule and any
American breed are much harder and
can live on pasture where the aver
age American sheep would starve. No
goat will keep u~nderbrush down more
efficiently than the Karakule, and in |
this and many other respect these
animals resemble the goat more than
sheep. But the Karakule does not
possess the disagreeable musk flavor
Of the goat family, and Of American
sheep. A massive head, a short face
md a nose line greatly bent are char.
of the Karakule. The ears
are large and pendulous; feet thick,
short and very strong. The tail is
.arge and triangular shaped with a
twist on the end. Often 1t, weighs
t~hlrty-fye pounds. Sometimes it is
large that 1T has to be supported
oy a two-Wheeled cart to which the
animal is hitched. The wool is r
.ong and coarse, with occasionally all
soft under wool, which indicates the
presence OF tight-wool blood, and is
desired, except on the front Of
he head and on the rear extremities,
where 1t is black, very l~ustrous and
surly. The young lambs are black and
curly and possess a wonderful lustres
~tight~curled, black skins have
produced on the Crawford ranch
by crossing Karakules with American
and Cotswolds, and Crawford
Alh5 SNAGL GC4a IL
Leicester and Wensleydale breeds will
1--WE fully as good fur, If not better.
The hybrids produced by Karakules on
native sheep are of greatest value as
slr, but they have other qualities
which make them a highly desirable
lype of sheep. They grow much larger
the native animals. Tests made
W packers at TT. Worth, Tex, ana
UGH breeders as Rhome, GOODNIGHT,
.simonson n Crawford proved con-
WOOL sheep (Merinos, RambouilIefs.
;hropsfires and others) are crossed
With Karakules or with Karakule-
1ineolns there is an increase In
weight amounting in some cases to So
er cent. Thirty-f1ve per cent is con-
idered BY sheep buyers as an average
Increase. What is even more inapor-
ant is the fact that, the Karakuie
train seems absolutely to breed out
he Woolly or musk like flavor OF theI
1eat of tight-Wool sheep.
Mr.. Crawford has the co~-operafion
G. the Kansas Agricultural colIaga ~ /