i8 ' BULLETIN. 749, U. S.._DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
a 
October. At the lower elevations of the Southwest many Angoras 
will often shed a considerable amount of mohair in the fall if not 
sheared at that time. In the mountains, however, growers shear 
twice to lessen the burden of carrying so much mohair during the 
winter and to prevent the loss of a large amount of mohair as a re- 
sult of its being pulled out by the brush. One prominent New 
Mexico grower finds that it is most profitable to shear the kids in 
January and then shear the yearlings in the following fall. This 
gives two clips up to about 18 months of age in place of three, but a 
larger amount of fine, long-staple kid mohair is obtained. 
Both hand and machine shears are used, but the latter are gen- 
erally considered best. Fleeces should be rolled up inside out and 
packed, without tying, in sacks, or baled. Sacks that have been used 
previously for wool should never be used for mohair, because wool 
requires different dyes and whatever wool is left in the sacks must 
therefore be separated from the mohair before the mohair is manu- 
factured. 
DIPPING. 
Tt is advisable to dip goats once or twice a year to rid them of lice, 
with which they are usually infested. Goats can not thrive to best 
advantage and carry lice; and in the winter especially infested goats 
will require more feed, and may become thin and preduce a poor 
quality of mohair, and does may even fail to produce kids. Any of 
the common sheep-dip preparations are satisfactory. 
KIDDING. 
To save a high per centage of kids, and thereby insure larger profits, 
special care must be given to does and kids during kidding. The sug- . 
gestions in the lene paragraphs may prove helpful in reducing 
loss and in facilitating the mothering and proper growth of the kids. 
These suggestions are for range herds of approximately 1,000 to 
1,200 does; but, with slight modifications, they can be used suecess- 
fully on any range and with a herd of any size. 
THE KIDDING PERIOD. 
The time and length of the kidding period are regulated by the 
service of the bucks. On most southwestern ranges ee may 
start any time between February i and May 1, and may last froin 
30 to 45 days. To be certain of ample green feed and to insure 
proper growth of the kids before the June dry peried comes and 
still avoid the danger of severe storms, it is generally best to have 
i Full information regarding dipping of sheep will be found in Farmers’ Bulletin 713, 
“ Sheep Scab,’ Marion Imes, and Farmers’ Bulletin 798, * The Sheep Tick and Its Eradi- 
cation by Dipping,” Marion Imes. 
