BY JAMES ANDREW. 3.3 



evidence given before the United States Tarriff Commission 

 in 1882, it appears there were then an estimated number of 

 100,000 goats in the country, yielding hair of over 200,000 lbs. 

 weight per annum. 



Elocks are now to be found in various states of the Union 

 in very varied climates, such as Oregon, Wyoming, Colorado, 

 Texas, California, Missouri, and Arkansas, whilst an absolutely 

 pure flock is owned by a Colonel Peters in Georgia. 



For some years the growers in the States maintained their 

 flocks under great discouragement, as the demand there for 

 such fabrics as the hair was used for, fell off very rapidly. 

 But the introduction of new materials gave a fresh impetus 

 to their energies, and, to again quote the Tariff Commission, 

 " The supply produced in the States, if multiplied threefold, 

 would not be sufficient to furnish material for the plushes now 

 used in the railroad cars of that country alone." 



The industry had hardly been successfully established in 

 the Cape Colony and America when steps were taken to 

 introduce Angora goats into Victoria. A small flock was 

 purchased at Broussa, near Trebizond, and shortly after 

 arrival in the colony they were transferred to the care of the 

 Acclimatisation Society. An addition to their number was 

 made in 1863 when twelve pure rams of a very high-class 

 were received as a present from the Imperial Acclimatisation 

 Society of France. Two years later a further shipment of 

 93 carefully selected animals was forwarded from Asia 

 Minor, via London. These cost the Society about ^616 per 

 head. 



As the numbers increased the accommodation at the Royal 

 Park, Melbourne, was found too limited, and the flock was 

 dispersed in 1870. A large number of the inferior 

 animals were sold, the price being fixed at five 

 guineas per head — less than their actual value — but 

 about fifty of the choice animals were sent to the 

 Wimmera district to the care of Sir Samuel Wilson, who 

 three years later reported : — " The flock of Angora goats now 

 on the Wimmera is 108 in number besides a few young kids. 

 Prom calculations carefully made this small flock, if well 

 managed, and sufficient pasture allowed it to graze upon, 

 will at the ordinary rate of increase reach in thirty years the 

 very large number of 442,368. This number should be 

 sufficient to displace all the common goats in the colony. In 

 forty years at the same rate the pure flock would increase to 

 over seven millions." 



But to contemplate obtaining a flock of Angoras by 

 depending on the natural increase of such pure bred animals 

 as could be secured for a moderate expenditure of capital 

 would prove both tedious and disheartening, and we have 

 the pronounced success of cross-breeding in other countries 



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