INFORMATION CONCERNING THE ANGORA GOAT. 



PRELIMINARY REMARKS. 



The goat has accompanied civilization into all parts of our country — 

 not numerously, but persistently. He is everywhere, and is well 

 known. There are very few people who have not seen a goat, and 

 there are fewer still, no doubt, who have seen many goats. The comic 

 writers, playing upon his peculiar habits, have brought him into dis- 

 repute, although these habits, to a large extent, are such as are recom- 

 mending him for special favor at this time. His fame is as a denizen 

 of vacant lots and back alleys, subsisting upon anything or nothing, 

 and a foe to everything. So far as the general public is concerned, he 

 has not been reckoned with as a useful animal and has been tolerated 

 only as a pet for children. 



During more recent years a great interest has been awakened in the 

 goat, and it now seems that he is about to receive the consideration 

 that is due him. One of the causes contributing to this awakening 

 was an article in the Yearbook of this Department for 1898, entitled 

 "Keeping goats for profit," by Capt. Almont Barnes, of the Division 

 of Statistics of this Department. The information which this article 

 contained was widely disseminated. The Yearbook was distributed to 

 the extent of half a million copies, and, besides, in order to meet the 

 growing demand, the article was reprinted separately and mailed to 

 many thousands of inquirers at the Department for information on the 

 subject of goats; and not alone the agricultural papers, but the daily 

 press as well, took up the matter and exploited the good points of the 

 goat industry. The article set forth, among other things, the great 

 value of the goatskins which we import annually, and how we ourselves 

 might easily produce them; the usefulness of the carcass for food, espe- 

 cially of the Angora breed; the exceedingly small expense involved in 

 raising the animal, owing to his habits of feeding upon that vegetation 

 which is in greatest abundance and which other ruminants refuse; the 

 million of acres of land in the United States that might be made avail- 

 able for goat raising which otherwise would remain, as heretofore, 

 unemployed. 



The result of this wide distribution soon developed the fact that the 

 goat was present in the United States in larger numbers than was sup- 

 posed. This is especially true of the Angora breed; in fact, the num- 

 ber of common goats in the United States is less than 50,000. Although 



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