20 



development. The best specimens have no doubt been selected 

 for propagation, until the silky coat has been improved to a 

 length of 12 inches, and the coarse hair has almost disap- 

 peared. 



That all our fine wools have been subjected to a similar 

 process of improvement admits, I think, of no doubt. 



Some think the preferable plan of starting a flock is to com- 

 mence with a few pure goats, and trust solely to their increase. 

 By this process considerable time must elapse before a large 

 number could be raised, while by commencing with the com- 

 mon goats you can obtain, by crossing in six years a valuable 

 flock, only limited by the number of common goats procured 

 as the commencement of operations. It is urged as an ob- 

 jection to this system that you can never reach absolute purity. 

 Theoretically this is self-evident, but practically you can 

 eliminate every traee of base blood. 



By constant use of pure sires, and by judicious selection, a 

 standard would be reached at least as pure and as certain to 

 breed true to type as that of the improved Leicester sheep, the 

 modern fox-hound, or what we call the thorough-bred horse. 

 All these animals have been raised to their excellence by 

 human means, and bear but distant resemblance to the original 

 founders of their families. 



Mr. Titus Salt raised a valuable flock in England from 

 Angora sires and common goats, and I am informed that the 

 best flock in America never contained a pure bred female. 



Still it is desirable that pure does should, if possible, be 

 obtained as the readiest means of procuring the pure males, 

 which are indispensable. It is well known that when animals 

 have been bred from one strain for many generations their 

 peculiarities become so fixed, that when they are crossed 

 with others less pure, the progeny will most resemble the 

 well-bred parent. Where both parents are cross-bred, the 

 character of the progeny cannot be foretold, although I have 

 little doubt that a fixed law is obeyed, where we see nothing 

 but a capricious effect of chance. 



The trouble and expense of managing a flock would be less 

 than that required for sheep. Goats are much more intelli- 

 gent and less liable to destruction by dogs, and as they browse 

 more upon shrubs, and can climb along the butts of sloping 

 trees, or ascend the steepest rocks, a supply of food is available 

 for them, where sheep would starve. Against these advantages, 

 however, must be set the facts that kids are far more helpless 

 than lambs, for the first week of their lives, and that the does 

 exhibit the maternal instinct in a very mild form, wandering 

 away from their kids and leaving them a prey to the crows, 

 their most formidable foes. 



