I Dec., 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. = 527 
first lot of goats imported numbered about 30 head, and were presented to 
the Hon. J. B. Davis, American Minister to Turkey, in 1847, by the Sultan 
himself. They were doubtless of the best and purest blood that could be 
obtained, and soon after their arrival in this country Mr. Davis disposed of 
them to his friend, Col. Richard Peters, of Atlanta, Ga., who bred them with 
great care up to the time of his death, which occurred in_1891 or 1892. The 
progeny of this lot of goats has been scattered over the whole country, and was 
the initial step of the foundation of our mohair industry. The present 
available supply of mohair from all sourees may be placed at between 18,000,000 
and 20,000,000 Ib., only 500,000 Ib. of which is produced in this country, 
the remainder being divided about equally between Turkey and South Africa. 
It has been fully demonstrated that the Angora goat will thrive in all sections 
of the United States, but will perhaps do better in high and dry districts than 
in low lands. They are a great advantage in keeping down undergrowth in 
pastures and have been purchased for this purpose in many cases by parties in 
Towa. A common herd of goats can very easily beimproved by the introduction 
of Angora blood, andit is very difficult to distinguish the fourth cross from 
pure-blooded goats. The value of these goats consists mainly in the length 
and lustre of the hair they produce, but this is not attained in improving a 
common flock until the fourth crossing, which makes it very expensive to 
undertake, and may account to a large extent for the slow progress that has 
been made by Americans in building up the industry. The bucking season 
begins about July, but this is not a good time, as the young kids come during 
the winter, and unless they are sheltered, and the mother furnished with proper 
food, they will die. The period of gestation is five months and a few days, 
and it is advisable to separate the males from temales about the 15th of 
June, until such time as will be proper to bring the kid after vegetation has 
started in the spring. ‘Che Angora rarely produces more than one kid at a time. 
The male is capable of producing at the age of six months, and the female will 
begin breeding about the age of one year, though it is advisable to keep her 
from it until the following season, if it can be done without great trouble. 
Shearing must be done as soon in the spring as the hair commences to shed. 
If left longer, the oil in the hair goes into the body of the animal and the hair 
loses its life, weight, and lustre. If the weather is cold, proper shelter should 
be afforded the animals for a short time after being shorn. i 
The hair should be packed according to quality, length of staple being 
the best guide as to grade. If the flock is of uniform grade, the hair may be 
packed ina sack loose, but if there are two or more lengths of staple it: is 
advisable to tie each fleece separately so as to assist in a proper classification 
when sent to market. The writer was first attracted to the Angora goat as 
being a most excellent substitute for the wild fur-bearing animals so rapidly 
becoming extinct. The buffalo, which has supplied buggy and carriage robes 
for so many centuries, has been exterminated, and nearly all other kinds of fur 
are very rare and expensive. The demand for this class of product has always 
been enormous, and a glance over any fur dealer’s price list will convince 
anyone that the fur industry is one of great promise. There is no domestic 
animal that can supply this great demand of the human family better than the 
Angora goat, inasmuch as the skin can be taken in such a variety of stages. 
lor instance, when the hair is of one month’s growth it can hardly be 
distinguished from the Astrachan, if dyed black; or it can be taken at an earlier 
period of growth and be made to represent the Polar or Black bear, according 
to the character of dye used. It may not be known that nearly all the buggy 
robes that are now sold as wild animal fur are nothing more than goat skins 
dyed. And perhaps young ladies who admire the so-called ‘real monkey skin” 
mutts and cloaks will be surprised to learn that they are only straight-haired 
goat skins died black. One of the most profitable uses that the Angora goat 
skin is put to is in making lace trimmings, which commands a 
price per yard equivalent to 15 dollars for a single hide. Another use 
is in making floor rugs and coverings: for the backs of. sofas and 
