Vol. LXXI. No. 4153. 
NEW YORK, JUNE 1, 1912 
WEEKLY, $1.00 PER YEAR 
GRAFTING FUR UPON THE WOOLLY-BACK. 
Karakule Sheep as Fur Makers. 
Part II. 
Last week we mentioned the new industry of graft¬ 
ing fur on the woolly-backs. This business is sure 
to have a great future, for while our natural fur-bear¬ 
ing animals are being exterminated, the demand for 
rich furs is increasing. If the Karakule blood will 
act as scion to produce the fur, what stock will be 
best to graft upon? There is no use putting apple 
wood into pear stock, and we all understand that 
certain varieties of apples do best when worked upon 
different stocks. In something the same way sheep 
men must study and learn which of our present 
herds of sheep are best adapted to producing fur 
when crossed with Karakule. 
Dr. Young has spent much time in studying this 
side of the proposition. He says: 
“As the West and Southwest raises mostly tight- 
wool sheep such as 
Merinos, Rambouillets, 
and Shropshires which 
have no luster and 
when bred to Karakules 
neutralize 80% of the 
natural luster of the 
Karakule, it will be 
necessary for our sheep 
breeders to produce 
graded longwools. I can 
especially recommend 
for the Southwest Lin¬ 
coln rams, as in our 
opinion the Lincoln 
sheep can stand more 
heat than the Cotswolds. 
This gives a great in¬ 
crease in weight and im¬ 
proves the quality of the 
mutton without affect¬ 
ing the price of the 
wool very much. Three- 
quarter breds and seven- 
eighths Lincoln or Cots- 
wold ewes when bred to 
half-blood Karakule 
Lincoln rams or seven- 
eighths K'arakule-Shi- 
razi rams produce 
splendid furs, equal to 
those produced in Asia, 
if not superior. The more luster the graded long- 
wool ewe possess, the more valuable are the skins. 
1 lie percentage of Karakule pigment does not make 
the same difference in this country as it does in Asia, 
provided longwool ewes are selected possessing the 
most luster. The more Karakule blood they con¬ 
tain, the more valuable and beautiful are the furs, 
and the best of them are obtained by crossing Kara¬ 
kule rams to the longwool sheep of Central and 
Minor Asia, also Southern European Russia. Tests 
made in various sections of the United States during 
the past three years, prove conclusively that we can 
produce a much more superior fur than Asia, and 
with much less Karakule blood, entirely due to the 
wonderful luster of our Lincolns, Cotswolds, and 
other longwool varieties. 
“Half-blood Karakule-Lincoln skins when three 
days old, possessing great luster and very tight curls, 
were priced by furriers at $10 per skin, and as the 
best of furs are obtained from the young lambs the 
first few days after birth, there is no objection to 
permitting the ewes to lamb twice annually, and if 
any of them die, the skins are in no way affected; 
this together with the fact that many twins are born 
on account of the Karakule strain will give our 
breeders an idea of the greater profits in raising 
sheep. That in time we will produce furs that will 
bring even more than $10 is a foregone conclusion, 
and we believe that the Leicesters and Shetland sheep 
will furnish us the missing link, on account of their 
superior luster.” 
“Of course, it is best to use full blood Lincolns 
and Cots wold ewes, as there is unquestionably a dif¬ 
ference in the skins, buL it is hard to procure good 
full blood ewes under $20, whereas high-grade long- 
wools can be purchased for from $5 to $8. The 
disposition of the graded longwools to scatter, which 
makes it more difficult to herd, disappears entirely 
in the offspring with the Karakule strain, which is 
due to the wild nature of the small Arab, from which 
all classes of the broadtail sheep descend. Twenty- 
five per cent of Karakule blood is all that is neces¬ 
sary to make the graded longwools herd close to¬ 
gether, and produces a much hardier animal that can 
go longer without water, and cover more distance 
in the same length of time without any bad results.” 
Many experiments are being made by private parties 
and by the Department of Agriculture. In some cases 
graded Tunis ewes have given fine lamb fur when 
crossed with the Karakule. The general conviction 
seems to be that the longwooled herds, are best as a 
stock for this fur grafting. It seems to be settled 
that the grade Karakule is hardy, of increased size 
and with finely flavored meat. In fact this enterprise 
seems to have proved itself one of the really new 
things in agriculture, which promises to revolutionize 
an industry and establish a new business. 
Sheep men have suffered a good many discourage¬ 
ments of late years. Range troubles in the West and 
dogs in the East, together with tariff uncertainty, 
have led to much unrest, but we are now noting a 
revival of interest generally. 
DETAIL IN DRAINAGE WORK, MANUFAC¬ 
TURED Y’S. 
It is safe to say there is no other work in connec¬ 
tion with developing and maintaining soil fertility 
by tile drainage that requires as careful attention and 
study in regard to details as does the proper install¬ 
ing of a thorough drainage system. One feature of 
this detail work is in the connecting of laterals with 
main and sub-main lines. Of course we understand 
that all laterals, if possible, should join on with a 
little drop and always at a 45 degree angle even when 
the lateral comes down to the main at a right angle. 
I have often been asked, when talking or writing on 
this subject if it is necessary to use manufactured 
Y’s. Now it is possible for an expert to make good 
connections by the use of a light hammer for chipping 
the tiles and then using cement, but even then it is 
not a practical method. The Y’s are not expensive 
and are kept in stock by all up-to-date tile manufac¬ 
turers and by their use 
we know that the job is 
right. It matters not the 
degree of angle that the 
lateral comes down to 
the main. It must, as I 
have said, enter at an 
angle of 45 degrees so 
as to be incorporated 
with the stream in the 
main without interfer¬ 
ing with the flow of 
either, but rather accel¬ 
erating it. When the 
lateral comes down at 
different angles, one or 
two tiles next above the 
Y are dressed carefully 
on one side by standing 
them on one end and 
using the light hammer. 
A few tiles may be 
broken in a first attempt 
but a little practice en¬ 
ables one to do perfect 
work. 
I was inspecting some 
work last Fall that was 
being done by a man 
new at the drainage 
work, who was making 
very poor joints in lay¬ 
ing the tile, and covering these openings, which were 
in a silty soil, with pieces of broken tile and flat 
stones; a poor substitute at best. After calling his 
attention to the matter, he said, “How in the world 
are you going to do any different?” I took a tile and 
hammer and in a few minutes turned the trick. His 
comment was, “Well, I have learned something.” I 
have been at the work all my life and still learn some¬ 
thing on every job. 
When a drainage system does not continue to give 
satisfactory results, there will always be discovered 
some omission in regard to details. In doing some 
extension work last season, on a system that had been 
installed a few years, I found a lateral connection 
near the upper end of the line where one of the tile 
layers had made the connection in the old way, using 
pieces of broken tile and stone. I found that the 
clay had run in through the crevices, nearly filling 
the drain at this point. I suppose a Y was not handy 
and he followed the old method. The man who lays 
the tile now leaves all the connections uncovered un- 
