August, 1905 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



103 



or under. To inclose a one-hundred-acre field would thus 

 cost from $200 to $300, according to the quality of the wire 

 fencing and the cost of labor and posts. A smaller inclosure 

 for a dozen or two goats would cost proportionately less. 



As a profitable investment it does not pay to keep less than 

 fifty to sixty Angoras, but for fancy stock any number desired 

 can be raised on a place of only a few acres. Lovers of 

 fancy-bred stock raise with success, in various parts of the 

 country, ten and fifteen does on natural woodland pastures 

 of only a few acres in extent. A dozen may be raised on five 

 or six acres if a little extra feeding is given at night time. 



There are upward of fifty thousand thoroughbred and 

 cross-bred Angora goats registered in this country, and this 

 number is being annually increased. The pure-bred does 

 sell all the way from $10 to $30 a piece, with bucks ranging 

 from $25 to $150. Price is, after all, purely relative, and it 

 is not always a true indication of the real value of the animal. 

 Frequently a $75 buck will yield more fleece a year than a 

 $100 animal. But fineness and density of fleece are points 

 to consider as well as weight and length. 



It is a safe rule among breeders of Angoras that only the 

 best pay. The $100 buck that shears six pounds of fleece 

 in the South and nine pounds in the North each year is much 



A Rancher and His Pet Angora 



more profitable as the head of a flock than a $50 buck which 

 shears only from five to six pounds. The buck is the deter- 

 mining factor of the herd. He makes the flock and its future 

 standing. Good does count, too, but the pure-bred buck is 

 all-important. The relatively high cost of the buck conse- 

 quently makes a small flock somewhat doubtful from a 

 financial point of view, although for the fancier such con- 

 siderations may have no weight. 



The does shear all the way from four to six pounds of 

 fleece a year. Many of them are sold on " guaranteed 

 clips." The Southern Angora does, however, will shear 

 from one-third to one-half more when shipped North and 

 once acclimated. The acclimation of the Texas-bred An- 

 goras is frequently a point of trouble with the amateur 

 breeder or keeper. Does frequently show a propensity to 

 sicken and die in our colder climate, which is heart-breaking 

 to the purchaser. The time of shipment North is often 

 responsible for these losses. Shipments are made at almost 

 all seasons, including the very late winter and early spring 

 months. But, as a rule, the summer shipments have proved 

 the most successful. This is due to the mildness of our 

 Northern summers, which permits the does and bucks a short 

 season in which to get acclimated. Winter shipments im- 



Fine Specimens of Lordly Bucks 



pose a hardship upon the constitution of the animals that 

 often proves fatal. When brought North in summer or 

 early autumn, the goats get accustomed to their new quar- 

 ters and climate before cold winter weather sets in. Bucks 

 can be shipped during much more rigorous weather than 

 does or kids, for their naturally hardier constitutions enable 

 them to withstand climatic changes. 



The demand for Angora fleece is steadily on the increase 

 in this country, and the textile industries annually find ready 

 consumption for all that the imported animals can produce. 

 The silky, long, lustrous fleece always commands the higher 

 prices, and the demand for it is greater than for the short, 

 coarse and lusterless hair. The mohair spinners require 

 well-assorted hair. The necessity of keeping flocks with 

 fleece as near alike in length and quality is, therefore, quite 

 apparent. 



In selecting Angoras the density, fineness, length of staple 

 and type of mohair must be kept in view. When the fleece 

 shows uniformity of length and texture, the flock is rated 

 high, and the prices obtained for it correspondingly good. 

 High-priced bucks, next to increasing the quantity of the 

 annual clip, are supposed to improve the fancy points of 

 general value. Chippy and brittle mohair is of little value, 

 and also the dead, lusterless fleece. Hair that grows long 

 and fleecy on the upper part of the body, but poor and short 

 on the chest and below, will show up unevenly in the clip, 

 and cause so much trouble in sorting that the average value 

 is lessened one-half. Likewise hair that is very coarse on 

 the neck and chest, but silky and fleecy on the flank and 

 shoulders, will not sell as the best. 



Angoras as Useful Pets 



