The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-01-25

kuI With Her Lamb.
from Karakul-grade Persian crosses
on the Simonson ranch in Texas were
recently priced in New York at SO
apiece. Some of the choicest should
bring SIP and SIS, or even more.
Not only are the hybrids produced
by Karakul on native sheep valuable
as fur, but they have other qualities
which make them a highly desirable
, increase in weight over the native
animals. Tests made by Armour & Co,
of Fort Worth, Texas, and such
breeders as Rhome Goodnight, ST.
/ ciuSively that when American tight
wool sheep-Merinos, Rambouillets,
Shropshires and others-are crossed
with Karakuls or with KarakuI-Lin-
coins there is an increase in weight
amounting in some cases to SO per
cent. Thirty-five per cent is consider
ed by the head sheepbuyer at Armour
& Co.'S, in Fort Worth, as an average
increase. What is even more important
is the fact taht the Karakul strain
seems absolutely to breed out the
wooily or musklike flavor of the meat
of tight-wool sheep. This is vouched
for by Armour & Co., in letters from
ii. e. F1nney, general manager.
A New Breed Possible.
The breeding on the fur farm is being
conducted in a thoroughly scientific
manner. DR.. r. K. Nabours, an ex-
perimental breeder at the Kansas Agri-
cultural College. has supervision of this
work. He is working in cooperation
with Mr.. Crawford and is making a
close study of heredity. Doctor Ma
bours is especially interested in the
possibilities of interbreeding Of Kara
kuls with native sheep and hybrids. If
the hybrids produced follow the Men
delian law of inheritance it will be
possible to get any number of pure
bred karakuls without the necessity of
importing more rams from Asia. If the
hybrids of pure strains in the second
generation do not split up into purebred
Karakuls and purebred Lincolns ac-
cording to the Mendelian law, but blend
and breed true, then this country will
have new breed of sheep. And such
breed, Doctor Nabours believes, COM
bining as it very likely would the good
qualities of the Karakul and the native
sheep, should be a very valuable one.
There is very little doubt in nv
mind that Mr.. Crawford is a poineer in
an industry that very soon will spread
to all sheep-ra1sing parts of the United
States, said Doctor Nabours. 1.-THE
ability to produce these furs in this
country has passed the experimental
stage. Several years of testing have
shown that the United States can COM
pete with Asia in the production of
Astrakhan, Persian lamb and Krimmer
pells. SHoulunL De surprised if
within a few years farmers in the
United States would be supplying their
country with the s14, 00O, 900 worth of
these furS that it requires every wear
and more too.
But in addition to the value of these
hybrid sheep for furs I am expecting
much from them as mutton sheen IT
is not at all impossible that we may
be successful in finding a strain Of
these hybrids that will breed true-that
is. whose offspring will all be like the
parent sheep. Such a breed of large
hardy sheep would be valuable for
many sections of this country where
| only type of this sort could exist.
In animal breeding results of con-
sequence are usually not obtained in
short time. 1t requires care and
patience in the selection and cross
breeding of the various types. Expert
mental breeders believe that our do
evolved largely through hybridizati ton
or the permanent com bina tions of de-
s1rable characters of various closely re-
lated forms. We have the results of
| ages and ages of trial and error-ef-
forts of unscientific breeders who kent
no records. The forms of value thev
happened to fix have survived but
these breeders were-and we still are
ignorant of the ways by which these
new forms were made. Mr. Crawford,s
oieeuiilS' Wnere the records are being
kept scientifically, WIFI show how his
results, whatever they may be. were
obtained"
Speaking of the Crawford fur farm
and of the opportunities for carving
on breeding tests there, President H. J.
Waters, Of the Kansas Agricultural
College, said: Mr.. Crawford is NOT
only initiating a new industry of great
economic promise, but the results of
cross-breeding on his farm will doubt
less be of great value to science. It
is an unparalleled opportunity for a
study in Inheritance The fact that
Mr.. Crawford is allowing Doctor Ma
bours to direct the scientific side of his
breeding is equivalent to furnishing
equipment and funds for a study of
inheritance that would cost the college
thousands of dollars"
Guest-Yes, my wife has been i'll but she