528 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Dec., 1899. 
armchairs. The beautiful lustre of the curly hair is brought out in 
a most effective manner by the reflection of gas light, and nearly all 
housekeepers who have not already some of these rugs, &c., are anxious to 
possess some. The supply of this class of rugs is limited, and the price, until 
recently, was yery high—10 dollars and 12 dollars being often paid for choice 
skins. The present market yalue of Angora goat skins in a raw state is about 
2 dollars each for well-haired skins, and were it not for the enormous importa- 
tion of foreign skins, particularly Chinese, which are brought here by the 
thousands of bales, owing to there being no import duty on them, the price for 
our home product would be much higher. It may be well perhaps to state that 
the Chinese goat skin does not compare in fineness with the Angora, yet they 
are used extensively for cheap buggy robes and rugs, which naturally depreciates 
the selling value of the better article, The Angora goat-raisers intend to ask 
protection from such unfair competition, at the hands of our next Congress, and 
it is not unlikely that their demands will be granted. Jf the Chinese are not 
permitted to become citizens of this country, it is an outrage that we should be 
compelled to compete with their cheap labour at home. With a reasonable 
tariff to keep out the flood of foreign skins, there is no industry that can 
be made more profitable than the raising of goats for their skins alone. The 
meat of the Angora is of a very delicious character, although there is still a 
lurking prejudice in the minds of some on account of the strong flayour in the 
flesh of the common goat. This prejudice is rapidly being removed, however, and 
it will pot be many years before Angora goat meat will be as much in demand as 
the choicest mutton is to-day. 
Goats are among the most profitable stock on a farm. Those who go into 
the goat business extensively always find it profitable, but a small flock on every 
farm that has brush is nearly all profit. ‘There is no animal that converts the 
weeds and brush into ready money like the Angora goat. They will eat almost 
every kind of weed that grows, even the jimpson. ‘They seem to be a blight to 
brush; they eat the leaves, and the parent stocks soon die off. If they do not 
clean-cut your fence corners it is because they do not have a chance. Their 
wool is more valuable than sheep's wool, and one goat will eat more brush than 
five sheep. We are glad to be able at last to report a decided and legitimate 
improvement in mohair, with an excellent demand at advancing prices and the 
prospects of a steady, active trade during next fall and winter. Values in 
Hurope have rapidly risen to the highest point known in years, with only small 
stocks ayailable until the next Turkish clip. In view of the situation we feel safe 
in quoting for ayerage domestic combed mohair 30 to 83 cents; good ayerage, 35 
cents; superior, 88 to 40 cents; and really choice selected, 42 cents or more. 
We advise all Angora goat-breeders to use only pure-bred bucks and only the 
very best. Our best consignors, those who are making the most money out of 
the goat business, are the men who have expended the most money for pure- 
bred bucks and have been the most careful in breeding long, lustrous fleece. 
At present prices there is a fortune for the man who can raise fine mohair, and 
only disappointment and failure for the man who raises kemp. Shippers 
and mohair growers generally should shear only such of their flock 
ag will yield a fleece of 6 inches staple or upwards, and thereafter, when it is 
practicable, let it grow to a full year’s length if they want a full-grown price. 
A number of breeders pretend to have pure-bred goats, butin the face of the fact 
that there have never been more than 100 goats imported into the United States, 
and these were brought in from twenty to fifty years ago, is it a great stretch 
of imagination to suppose they have not been kept pure? Weare of the opinion 
that there are no goats in the United States to-day that can be called pure- 
bred with anything like absolute certainty. A very high regard is always 
manifested for pure-bred stock, and importation from abroad has invariably 
proved to be an excellent card for the breeder. We consider this a great error, 
and in defence of our opinion Will point to the Spanish merino sheep, which 
has been so greatly improved by American breeding over the original stock that 
the American merino sheep is now preferred by breeders in all nations. ‘The 
