ANGORA GOATS AND THEIR VALUE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 11 February 1908, Page 1

ANGORA GOATS AND THEIR VALUE.

To the Editor. Sir, — During a recent visit to the Takaka district, I was particularly struck with the good work that goats are doing towards the extermination of the blackberry, briar, fern, and other ' noxious plants which are one of the ; greatest troubles, aiul a cause of great t annual expense to me seUleyspn'roiigh, [ hilly, and unploughabje" lancT' all over the Nelson district. Mr F. Ellis, or Clifton, Motupipi, has a flock of about 70 goats, 20 of which are pure-bred Angoras, the balance being half-bred and quarterbred. He started about three years since with a few common goats, two pure-bred Angora bucks, and five pure- ) pred doe?. >fhe work this sirjall *_cick has accomplished is jitfle short ojf inarvellousA Spots which, two years since, were completely covered with blackberry and fern six and eight feet high, have been broken and trodden down so that scarcely a vestige of a plant is left, and that has been done solely by the goats without any assistance by cutting 6t burning. Othep placgs ftuwrngs^ the limestone rocks where Mr Ellis has been cutting the blackberry year after year "without destroying them, are now completely killed out. The goats will not eat grass as long as they can get scrub pf any description. They seem to be equally hard on briars and fern as they are on blackberry. Of course the land requires to be securely fenced 'where they run, and where the patches of blackberry are very bad, it is better to fence them, pn to small araas. This can'be done' by using seven common 'wires put a little closer together than usual, and one barbed wire on the top, or three foot sheet netting with two barbed wires, taking care that there are no stones or. logs near the fence, from which they can clear the same. The. Angora crosses readily With "the common goat. The first cross hair produced is of no commercial value. The second cross is saleable .at a>low*pHce^v"'hile • the fourth crops is hardly to be distinguished from' the "pure-bred, and is worth about 2s a lb. The average fleece is from _ 2 to;"3lbs weight, although Nasticeliari Angoras -have been known to cut lOlbs' and Upwards. The three-year old wether is generally in good condition in the. late autumn, and makes goed motion. From what I saw, I came to the conclusion that bm 4 iiHe"fep"Tarare-ts;--t)articularly those On rough, hilly, second-class lands, are overrun with these noxious plants, have now a cheap and expeditions pf e'eaj'ing them. A lafg^ pumber *6f ' goats can be Kept without in' any way;, interfering with the sheep, and as the; rubbish is cleared more 4heerj c_h"be ' kept.- 'Trusting this may attract the attention of our back country settlers, and be of some service to them, I am, etc. , * GEORGE C. GILBERT.