THE ANGORA GOAT. 13 



expressed by Captain Conolly, quoted by Southey (1848): "It is 

 remarkable that wherever these goats exist the cats and greyhounds 

 have long silky hair also — the cats all over their bodies, the grey- 

 hounds chiefly on their ears and tails. " These statements lead Schreiner 

 to the conclusion that the atmosphere is the chief factor. He says: 

 "At any rate, there seems to be no doubt that a limited and compara- 

 tively well-defined region around the town of Angora possesses in a 

 degree unapproached elsewhere in Asia Minor, and probably in the 

 world, those conditions favorable to the development of the soft, silky, 

 lustrous white mohair goat." Too much credit must not be given to 

 the atmosphere of Angora in the production of mohair. That it has 

 a marked influence on animals anywhere is generally accepted. The 

 experience of the Angora breeders of the Cape of Good Hope and the 

 United States shows that, with the best animals, a fleece equal to 

 any produced by Turkey may be obtained. There are other and 

 stronger reasons wh}^ the mohair of these two countries is not equal 

 to that of Angora province, chief among which is the adulteration of 

 the blood. Besides, the breeders of this country have learned that the 

 feed of the animal has a telling influence on the quality of the mohair 

 in the same way that it has a pronounced effect upon the meat. 



Mr. Henry O. Binns, who had about twenty years of experience 

 with these goats in the vilayet of Angora, says the pure animals were 

 about bred out in 1863. The reason for this was the extensive cross- 

 ing with the common Kurd goat, reference to which has already been 

 made. As early as 1839 there ceased to be a demand for the spun yarn 

 of Asia Minor, owing to the fact that Europe could spin the yarn at 

 much less cost; but there was a European demand for the raw hair 

 which exceeded the supply. This condition of things led to complica- 

 tions and a mixture of breeds from which the mohair world has not 

 yet recovered. There can hardly remain a doubt, however, that, with 

 the recent renewed interest in the industry, and with the intelligence 

 that the breeders will bring to bear, the Angora goat industry will 

 soon be placed on the highest plane. 



THEIR HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES. 



The history of the Angora goat in the United States has been marred 

 by the carelessness or indifference of occasional writers for the press 

 who have been often inaccurate as to dates or facts, and also by others 

 whose interests have doubtless led them into exaggerations. The real 

 facts of its history in the United States, however, are so few and so 

 simple as to prompt that venerable breeder, William M. Landrum, to 

 say that they would make but a very small book. 



During the Administration of President Polk, the Sultan of Turkey 

 requested of him that he recommend some one who would experi- 

 ment in the culture of cotton in Turkey. Accordingly, Dr. James 



