MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS 451 



an excellent merchant, but no breeder; and he took no 

 interest or care in preventing in-breeding or keeping out 

 the obnoxious Afghan strain of blood. It is possible that 

 he did not even know the fundamental importance of the 

 practices referred to. 



Common sheep, often of very inferior quality, are also 

 raised in sections of Bokhara. The country east of Persia 

 and North of Afghanistan is a large tract of land only 

 fit for sheep-raising. Round the cities of Kerki, Karshi, 

 Burdalick, Kara-Kul, Djenan, Karnichi, Puloti, Shar- 

 shaus, and Khiva, large numbers of Arabi (of Danadar- 

 cross origin) and fat-rump sheep are kept. Their value in 

 the fur market stands in about the same order as that in 

 which the cities are named, and depends upon the amount 

 of Danadar blood which has been infused into the 

 common " grade " sheep of the country. 



In Bokhara, also across the mountains into Persia, 

 one finds the " Shiras " or half Persians, named from the 

 town of Shiras. The question of quality there depends 

 on whether a good or a bad ram had been got from 

 Bokhara, and whether he had been bred to coarse-wool, 

 fat-rump, or soft-wool Afghan ewes. 



The limit of production has long ago been reached in 

 Bokhara. The figures showing the quantities of skins 

 collected there annually vary somewhat round about 

 1,500,000 " Persian Lambs " and 100,000 (l Broad-tails." 



The actual figures for 1911 and 1912 are instructive: 



" Peisian Lamb " skins collected in 1911 ... 1,500,000 



t ,, ,, 1912 ... 1,814,000 



"Broadtail" ,, ,, 1911 100.000 



,, ,, 1912 ... 35. 000 



The increase of 314,000 " Persian Lamb " and the 

 decrease of two-thirds of the usual number of " Broad- 

 tails " collected were due to favourable climatic influence. 



The average annual value of this export trade has been 

 estimated at approximately 1,000,000. 



COLONIZATION OF THE KARAKUL BREED. 



It was at one time asserted that only on the steppes 

 of Asia would the Karakul sheep retain the curly char- 

 acter of its coat, and that on land where the ewes wander 



