44 MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS 



the preponderance of the fat-tail blood. Karakul mutton 

 is of excellent gamey quality, free from the sheepy flavour 

 that is specially characteristic of a full-grown Cotswold, 

 and to a less degree of many other essentially fleshy long- 

 wool British breeds. The famous Tartar "shashlik " is 

 made from the flesh of the Karakul as well as of the 

 fat-rumped Kurdiuk and Karachaev in the Caucasus. Its 

 superior tender quality has been recognized in America 

 for some years. Colonel Charles Goodnight, the well- 

 known bison breeder, had a flock, recently sold, of about 

 150 Persian fat-rumps of a Danadar strain. He is reported 

 to have had a contract with certain stockyard people to pay 

 him about 2 los. for each lamb when old enough to kill, 

 on the mutually admitted fact that the mutton was superior 

 to that derived from either American or British sheep. 



Karakul ewes sometimes breed twice in the year; but, 

 except when placed under exceptionally favourable circum- 

 stances, this is a severe strain on any breed of sheep, and 

 is not general. Some produce twins and triplets. The 

 lamb has for about three days a close lustrous fur 

 (Plate IV), which afterwards becomes loose and open 

 and grows in length. At about the third month as a rule, 

 a fleece, still quite black, of straight wool has developed 

 in the ram, but it begins to turn grey about the sixth 

 month. 8 The hair-like wool becomes long and strong, 

 although it still retains much of its lustre and is useful 

 for the manufacture of coarse fabrics, including carpets 

 and rugs. The similar wool of ewes when of highest 

 quality retains for a longer period a remnant of the early 

 curly condition in loose and open locks. 



PRODUCTION OF FUR. 



The most essential feature of the wool of the Karakul 

 sheep as it ought to be, is the complete absence of the 

 undercoat of fine downy wool belonging to Afghan fine- 

 wool sheep. The jet-black, tight curling, lustrous fur of 



8 Dr. Young, going into greater detail, says : " If it contains 

 fine wool, which most do, then at the end of the second month 

 fine wool will turn brownish, and later the coarse longer hair 

 will oxidize grey." 



