Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-06-04
,xcORA GOAT RAISING
AN'0 PROFITABLE IN AMERICA.
ns,sol Of Turkey and SOnth Amer
O0i ica to Permit Exports OF Breed
inc Stock no Longer Men,
ace to Growers Here.
ace to Growers HER

To UTOWGIS nCIOO ~
1,-oebington, D. c.. May.-The rails
of Angora goats in the United
ING U is now a demonstrated success
oaO-dine oI|cC to a report just published
ao' tbn United States Department Of
I!r;cnIture under the titled, ''The
sEaoro Aera Goat" Farmers Bulletin 573.
Enie S,3le industry, says the bulletin, is in
!n ioa ca we'll established here that
oTors CeoU need not be inconvenienced
tho action of South Africa in pro-
p;bitinq " the expectation of Angoras,
for the quantity of good blood in this
lonntry is already sufficient to meet
III reouirements. In the opinion OF
O. "roorts the best American f1eeces now
oni,o1 anv grown in South Africa or
Esio Minor, the original home Of the
Algora. c.. A.,
rnion now possesses its flocks. the
Southwest and the Northwest are es-
,,ociallv we'll adapted to the industry
n particular the large areas recently
iocqnd-off in the Northwest. There
+SS Angora not only thrives himself
hut helps to clear away the brush
which if allowed to grow unchecked
might easily become a dangerous hre
tran. Thus it is often said that the
Argora works and pays for its board
Of the same time.
# is having more and more, for the
value of the fleece or mohalr is IN
creasing steadily. Formerly the use
of mohair depended SO largely upon
the prevailing fashion that its price
raried widely from year to year. This
condition, however, is rapidly chang
ing as new uses for mohair are con-
tinually found, from automobile tops
and table covers to dress goods ana
curled false hair, and today the grow
er is assured Of reasonably STEADY
market. The price of course varies
with the quality, the very best feeces
bringing on an average from AZ to So
cents = pound. The weight of q
fleece has q very wide range but in
1909 the average for Oregon was
found 10 be 81 pounds and for Texas
1S5. On account of the greater
heat, however, and = the damage OF
shedding, Angoras in, the Southwest
ale frequently shorn twice a year-a
fact which must be taken into eonsid-
Grafton in all calculations. =
This practice of clipping twice
year is in many ways a drawback TO
the industry since it tends to lower
the average grade of American mo-
hair Mohair as good as any, can be
and is grown in this country but the
average quality is not today consider
ed to be as good as the foreign. About
100000 pounds are annually import
ed Ordinarily this is blended and
spun with the domestic product. Six
inches is the shortest length of fleece
usually desired and, because OF shear
ing twice a year, much Texas and
New Mexico mohair falls below this
standard. Where the fleece is allow,
ed to grow for twelve months, the
average length is 10 inches and IN the
best focks it is not unusual to get 10
to 20 inches. Romeo, the sweep
stakes buck at the Ell Paso show in
1910, is an example of what Is posi-
ble His fleece weighed 18 pounds,
measured 20 ga inches in length and
sold for S115. Such fleece is not OF
course the product of ordinary COM
! mercial conditions. 1t implies a con-
siderable amount of care and personal
attention
The birth rate is approximately 90
Ger cent but in we'll managed focKs
this has risen on occasions as high as
120 per cent. Since the kids are not
hardy, it is obvious that this means
skill and industry during the breed
ing season. The best methods OF
caring fer the flock at this time are
discussed in some detail in the new
bulletin Otherwise the management
Of Angoras does not differ greatly
from that Of sheep.
While the Angora goat needs atten-
.tion it is adaptable and as far IS
temperature is concerned should
flourish in any part Of the United
States. In Montana the hocks race
the heavy snowfalls with equan1m1t3
as long as 4 dry place is provided for
tEem at night and though the heat IN
tie Southwest frequently makes II
necessary to sheer twice year IN
order to prevent shedding it does not
otherwise affect the health of the
Rocks Dampness, however, is more
einlur1ous than either cold or heat
fH!gh land is the native home of all
goats and they invariably seek it when
lett to themselves. Pure water IS
also an essential,
otherwise the Angora is not partic-
uiar 1t will feed with cattle and
Ehtep, and, though in some danger OF
belng kicked, with horses also. AS
natter of fact, however, the goat
pfeIeNS 9 certain amount Of roughh
pasture and is particularly happy
Enen fIn cleaning up brush land. There
- - enc instance of a flock Of 600 being
s.lloWed free grazing in California
ioIest reserve in order to keep the
SSClps Of cleared land known as fire
tu;iesKs, free from weeds and Vegeta-
t,Ou. ~ Settlers in the Northwest find
Angora most scryice2ble in
1I]lo"slng off the brush on their new
oou' ncnuS' and one interurban railway
S;:nlpany purchased a flock to keep its
ra rasnt OF way clear and attractive. On
- rough land the danger of injury
mirs aeece must, however, be kept in
AS has already been said, the An
S.a can be bred sufficiently pure for