On the Goats of Angora. 101 



The price of the tistik-giieschy at Angora is from 10 tq 

 12 piastres for the females, and from 12 to 13 for the 

 males. We might easily obtain a little flock. The journey 

 to Aleppo would take from 20 to 24 days in the fair season. 

 From Aleppo it would be proper to send the herd to Lat- 

 takrch, and from thence to Cyprus, where vessels tor France 

 are alwavs to be found. — m-rr-r— -~ 



It would lie necessary for the success of tliis experiment 

 to make some peasants of I he country accompany the flock. 

 Thev are to be hired at Angora. Their paymcni, which 

 however it is difficult to calculate exactly, will be altogether 

 more than a thousand piastres per annum. 



After havinsr showed the facllitv of an experiment which 

 niight eventually propagate in France a ]irecious breed, of 

 anunals, and which is not to be found in Europe, it tct 

 mains to obviate an objection which will undoubtedly b^ 

 advanced, but which it is of .consequence not to leave ac- 

 credited. 



We have seen above, that it is to the salubrity of the wa- 

 ters and the nature of the soil of Angora that the people of 

 this country attribute the fineness of this anirjial's fleece. 

 In fact, at the distance of more than 1.5 leagues from Au" 

 gora this race is not to Ijc found, either on the side of Er- 

 zerone or in the other parts of Natolia. Tht; very animals 

 which are sent there degenerate. It anight seenj, therefore, 

 that it would be impossible to preserve the breed in Fran9e, 

 But it is easy to answer this by a recent example, and one 

 actually well known in France : 1 mean the Merinos of 

 Spain. Who can doubt that suitable care and attention 

 would produce on the goats of Angora the sanie eflect that 

 they have produced on this precious race of animals ? 



In fact, the same prejudices which prevail at Angora ex- 

 isted and still continue in Spain. 'Jlie proprietc-rs and the 

 niHJoros di domos are all persuaded that tlie pm'e race of 

 the Merinos beloiigs exclusively to their soil. They are as- 

 sured, besides, that the puritv of the breed is ou iug to the 

 continual journeys which their flocks make from the moun- 

 tains of Leon to tho^e of Ajulalusia. . From this conceit 

 arises the facility with which they allow the breed to be 

 imported for propagation into France. .This ojiiiiion ap- 

 pears also to be verified in the places themselves ; for the 

 Merin(>s which settle at Segovia, known by the name of 

 piarras, degenerate from the first year, and llii-ir wool loses 

 there in value from 20 to 2.0 per cent. 



But the conseijuenee drawn from this iaet against the 

 G 3 possibility 



