THE ANGORA GOAT 



669 



says, " should be well formed from point to skin, and the tighter 

 these ringlets are twisted the better ; loose, slightly wavy hair is 

 objectionable and indicates coarseness and brittleness, and often 

 lacks luster." Mohair is somewhat coarser than fine wool, but it 

 is longer and much stronger. An average fleece weighs about four 

 pounds. Very superior individuals will shear eight pounds or 

 more. Riddell & Sons of Monmouth, Oregon, report that their 

 buck Sultan, sweepstakes at the Lewis and Clark Exposition in 

 1905, sheared a fleece 

 that weighed i8| pounds, 

 which they claimed made 

 it the heaviest fleece on 

 record at that time. Some 

 owners of Angoras shear 

 twice a year, in April and 

 September, although this 

 is not a general practice. 

 This mohair lies over a 

 short coat of hair known 

 as kemp, which is hard 

 and white, sometimes at- 

 taining a length of four 

 inches. Kemp is a very 

 objectionable fiber, as it is 

 coarse and will not take 

 the dyes used with mohair. 



Its presence in American flocks is materially due to the influence 

 of common-goat blood, on which the Angora has been much 

 crossed in the past. Very careful selection of breeding sires 

 greatly reduces this difficulty. If not shorn, the Angora goat 

 will shed its fleece each spring. 



The prices of mohair differ according to the demand and quality. 

 In Bradford, England, the mohair manufacturing center of the 

 world, the price has undergone wide fluctuations. In March, 

 1918, mohair tops made the high record of $1.80 a pound at 

 Bradford. Along at this same time choice mohair was quoted in 

 America at 60 cents a pound in the bale. Kid fleeces as a rule 

 bring the highest prices, and bucks, wethers, and old does the 



FIG. 314. Aztec 10664, a champion Angora 

 goat in important shows. Bred by D. C. 

 Taylor & Son and sold for $1400 to Kemble 

 Brothers of Iowa. Photograph from the 

 National Stockman and Farmer 



