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The Journal of Heredity 



lambs" when not more than three 

 days old have brought an average 

 price of about twelve dollars per skin 

 during the past fifteen years. A 

 remarkable fact is that half-blood 

 lambs, sired by the best Karakul rams, 

 bred to coarse wooled domestic ewes, 

 often produce skins that bring as high 

 a price. 



In view of this fact, the natives of 

 Central Asia, who have no conception 

 of selective breeding, have always 

 crossed Karakuls with the many other 

 breeds found in Western Turkestan. 

 A great many of the lambs do not come 

 true to color, and owing to the admix- 

 ture of fine wool (Afghan fine wool) 

 most of the lambs come with open curls, 

 giving us the so-called "Astrakhan 

 Fur." The author has found in using 

 the best Karakul rams on domestic 

 coarse wooled ewes, that practically 

 100% of the lambs come black with 

 tight curls, the tightness depend- 

 ing upon the coarseness of the wool 

 and absence of fine underwool in the 

 domestic ewes. Unfortunately in a 

 great many countries Persian lamb 

 fur is confounded with Astrakhan. 

 This is especially true in the Latin 

 American countries, and the difference 

 in price amounts to at least fifty per 

 cent. Upon careful investigation I 

 have found that hundreds of thousands 

 of kid skins are dyed black, and since 

 they possess the required luster, are sold 

 as Astrakhan fur. 



AN UNFORTUNATE CONFUSION IN TERMS 



It is very confusing that the most 

 inferior Karakul lamb skins are termed 

 "Caracul" by furriers, and few furriers 

 know that the Karakul sheep is the 

 only source of the so-called "Persian 

 Lamb Fur." This is not the product 

 of the Persian sheep at all, for the 

 Persian is red and possesses no fur 

 qualities whatsoever, unless crossed 

 with Karakuls. 



Many kid skins are dyed gray and 

 are sold as "Gray Caracul" and this 

 also applies to those dyed a tan color 

 and sold as "Tan Caracul." It must 

 be said that the American furrier is a 

 master in the art of imitation, but one 



thing he cannot do and that is imitate 

 the Karakul lamb skin with tight curls 

 (Persian Lamb F'ur). 



For this reason the author has con- 

 fined all his efforts to the production of 

 Karakul lambs with tight curls. And 

 the breeder who wishes to raise 

 Karakul sheep with a view to getting 

 $12.00 and $15.00 for his lamb skins 

 should purchase only tested rams 

 which will surely give lambs with the 

 desired "Persian lamb" pelts, providing 

 the domestic ewe is free from fine wool 

 and possesses the coarsest of fleece. 

 The coarse wooled ewes best adapted 

 for this purpose are the Navajos, 

 black faced Highlands, the hairy Mexi- 

 can Corrientee, Cotswold, Lincolns, 

 and the Achuri (Persians). 



It makes a great difference to a 

 breeder whether the lamb skins he 

 brings to the furrier are worth twelve 

 dollars apiece, and cannot be imitated, 

 or whether they are of the "Astrakhan" 

 type, indistinguishable from dyed kid 

 skins, often worth only fifty cents. 



IMPORTANCE OF HIGH GRADE STOCK 



Karakul skins with open curls are 

 more wavy in appearance than kid 

 skins dyed black, and for that reason 

 they bring a higher price, which, 

 however, seldom exceeds four to six 

 dollars per skin. For this reason the 

 author has always urged the beginner 

 to purchase only the best tested rams. 

 He was greatly disappointed two years 

 ago when the Government of Venezuela 

 purchased eight Karakul sheep of the 

 open curled variety, instead of the 

 highest grade rams, for crossing with 

 good, coarse wooled, domestic ewes. 



Most breeders buy inferior bucks, 

 since they cost only one-tenth as 

 much as the tested rams which pro- 

 duce salable skins in the first cross 

 with domestic ewes. It is a discour- 

 aging fact that they then frequently 

 put forth claims that could only be 

 justified where the most careful selec- 

 tion was practiced. In a very few 

 instances where rams were purchased 

 at a price above $500, and where 

 results could be expected in the first 

 cross, the domestic ewes were not 



