34 BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



covered over again with briers and bi'ush in a. few years if constant 

 attention is not given it. It is not difficult to overpasture such Iraid, 

 and if the goats adopt the "peeling" practice the brush and trees will 

 have greater difficulty in recovering. 



Grass and weeds as pasturage. — Considerable interest has been mani- 

 fested in the Angora industry in those localities where browse is not 

 available and where grass and weeds form the only pasturage. A 

 great many inquiries of this character have come to the Bureau, and 

 the Bureau, in turn, has referred the matter to the breeders of the 

 country. The replies received have been numerous, and show a differ- 

 ence of opinion. The predominant opinion, however, seems to be 

 that the goats thrive best under the conditions most nearly like those 

 of their original home. It is certainly the best argument to say that 

 goats prefer any kind of browse to the most nutritious of grasses, 

 which is true, and therefore ])rowse is better for them than grass. 

 While the more economical conditions obtain where there is an abun- 

 dance of browse, it is not definitely settled that the goats will not thrive 

 well on common pasture grasses. It is the opinion of the writer that 

 this question is still an open one, as some successful breeders have had 

 goats on the grass range for thirty j^ears. From the standpoint of the 

 goat's preference, there is no question that browse is the better food, 

 and this in itself is a forceful argument. 



There is always expense in connection with pasture grasses, but there 

 is little or none with browse. One of the chief reasons wh}' goats are 

 receiving so much consideration at this time is that the}^ are practi- 

 cally inexpensive feeders, and so all items of expense must be figured 

 on if profit is to result. Pasturage, unlike browse, is not available all 

 the year through. Therefore in prairie locations feeding in winter is 

 a necessity. One of the recommendations in favor of Angora mutton 

 is that it has the flavor of venison. This flavor is imparted by the 

 browse, and is absent in the mutton made from grass or grain feed. 

 Many claim that the animals make a better growth among the bushes 

 than on open pastures, and that the quality of the fleece is much better. 

 Contrary to this, however, is the opinion of Mr. Philo Ogden, of 

 California, who says: "The fact is that the brush disappears from 

 my range and the fleeces become heavier, with less wax or gum, 

 and has more luster. Further, 75 per cent of the young stock are 

 larger than their parents and shear more and finer hair." He says, 

 also, that his experience in raising Jersey cattle was similar, in the 

 respect that as they were taken out of brush pasturage and grown on 

 grass pasturage they obtained a larger frame, so much so that sales 

 failed because of a suspicion that they were not purebred. 



Opinions of several correspondents of the Bureau are given in the 

 paragraphs following: 



It is not advisable to raise goats for their mohair on farms on which thej' will be 

 obliged to feed to a large extent on grass and forage plants which are suitable for 

 sheep. — //. J/. WiUiamso7i, Portland, Oreg. 



