76 BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



DEHORNING. 



Dehorning the goats has received very little consideration, and it is 

 probable that Mr. Q. M. Beck, of Bearg-rove, Iowa, is the only goat 

 raiser who is now practicing it. Many other breeders report that they 

 do not dehorn but believe it practicable, while a very few express 

 opposition to the practice. Mr. Beck writes as follows: "I dehorned 

 forty-five head last fall (1889) and found it a success, as it stops a great 

 deal of bunting, which is liable to cause abortion, saves shed room, 

 saves broken legs, and will save many kids." These same reasons have 

 brought the dehorning of cattle in quite general favor among feeders, 

 and it is probable that as the Angora goat industry grows into a large 

 industry the practice of relieving the goats of their uncivilized weap- 

 ons of warfare will be generally adopted. 



Mr. Beck dehorns in the fall after all flies are gone. 



A different view of the question of dehorning is taken by C. P. 

 Bailey & Sons Co., who dehorned 250 head which were in a band by 

 themselves. They bunted as much or more than before the horns 

 were removed. "Goats always butt each other, but we have never 

 seen any ill effects resulting, except occasionally a leg being broken 

 from being caught between the horns. It deprives them of their only 

 means of defense, and we consider it unnecessary and objectionable." 



SHEARING AND SHEDDING. 



SHEARING ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR. 



In Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and sometimes in California shear- 

 ing is done twice a year — in the months of March or April and in 

 September or October. The reasons are that, owing to the warm 

 climate, the fleece will often shed in the fall if not clipped. Mr. H. T. 

 Fuchs, of Tiger Mills, Tex,, says: "I find it quite necessary to shear 

 twice a year, as they suffer too much from heat in the summer and 

 autumn and even during the warm days in winter if they are not 

 sheared about the middle of September, and in the springtime as soon 

 as they begin to shed their long silky hair." There are instances in 

 these localities where goats carry their fleece through the j^ear, but 

 all breeders, except in some parts of California, report the practice of 

 shearing twice a year. In the other parts of the country shearing is 

 done but once a year, and that in the months of March or April. The 

 rule for shearing time does not depend so much upon the calendar as 

 upon the condition of the fleece. It should not be delayed until the 

 fiber begins to shed, as then the oil will begin to go back into the body 

 of the animal, the mohair thus losing its life and luster. 



As to the relative values of the semiannual and annual fleeces, there 

 does not seem to be much difference of opinion. The semiannual fiber 

 is shorter and therefore less desirable for fabricating, and the price is 

 not so high as for that of the annual fleece. It is generally agreed 



