320 SHEEP Farming in America. 



from danger of being stepped upon by their 

 mothers or other does. 



When the kid is bom it should be placed with 

 its mother in a small pen. Care should be taken 

 not to handle it unnecessarily, nor to rub it 

 against other kids, else the mother may become 

 confused by the odor, and she depends upon 

 that entirely for her knowledge of her offspring. 

 If it is inconvenient to have a pen for each doe, 

 several may be confined to the one pen, placing 

 their kids apart as far as possible. The kids 

 are often ' ' staked, ' ' that is, tied by one leg with 

 a strong cord in which is a swivel. The doe will 

 always return to where she left the kid to seek 

 for it. It is said that twice a day is often 

 enough for the kids to suck. Should the doe 

 disown her offspring she will own it again if 

 confined with it and the kid assisted to suck for 

 a few days. 



The kids must not be exposed to cold or wet, 

 as has been said. They are more delicate than 

 lambs. Is not this a striking proof of the an- 

 tiquity of the breed? For how many unnum- 

 bered centuries has it been under the fostering 

 care of man ! The common goat is the hardiest 

 of domestic animals, and the most difficult to 

 get profit from. The Angora, with its very deli- 

 cately beautiful fleece, has had this ruggedness 

 sacrificed to the beauty and usefulness of its 

 covering. As a rule the better bred the An- 

 goras are, the nearer pure-bred, the more deli- 

 cate they are. And yet, given right manage- 

 ment, they are hardy enough. They endure 

 tropic heats and semi- Arctic colds, but they 



