RECENT EXPERIENCES OF ANGORA GOATS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 1417, 11 September 1872, Page 3

RECENT EXPERIENCES OF ANGORA GOATS.

*- The •following article, under the above head, in the Australasian of Aug. 17 : — Judging from the frequency of inquiry about Angora goate and their management, jmblic interest in these animals must be ■steadily increasing. This is owing in a great measure to the scattering of part of the flock of the Acclimatisation Society, and thus the seeming evil may, after all, prove to be a permanent good. There ds danger, as was pointed out in the Australasian of Bth April, 1871, of discredit occurring through want of system in breeding, and this has unquestionably been touch increased by the fact of many of the -animals having fallen into the hands of persons unacquainted with the principles of ■breeding, and especially of the practice of Taising a stock from cross-bred females. This •danger, wp iad occasion to observe, bad alTeady manifested itself in Brisbane — animals having only a strain of Angora blood in their veins having 'been unblushingly offered as pure ones. . This would tend, at least until time had revealed ;the fraud, to bring discredit on the name of Angora, and would thus retard the advancement of the stock in public estimation. It is advisable to call special attention 'to thk danger, lest intending investors in Angora stock be cheated into buying as pure animals that have only been " graded " with Angora blood. Pure females being so scaree — in fact, hardly obtainable for money — it may be necessary to begin with crossed ones, but the exact amount of crossing should 'be ascertained, as well as the kind of common goat on which the first ■cross was ir.ade. Mr Clark, of Queensland, ■recommended breeders to obtain the sbortuathaired common nannies they can procure, as long hair is difficult to breed out. This is an 'excellent caution, for the reverse practice would undoubtedly .commend itself to the judgment of the novice in crossing this particular kind of animal. On the subject of males, the Queensland and Adelaide experiences differ very considerably. Mr G. Clark, of Talgai, in the Australnsian of 3rd June, 1871, expresses; his adhesion to the principle of using -only pure Angora sires, whilst Mr Clement Sabine, of Adelaide, has found " that many of the progeny of second.- --■ cross billies and common goats exhibit better signs of pure breeding than the get of the : pure bucks, showing that ft gradual infusion ■of the blood, although taking much longer to work up to purity, may in the end produce a •tetter class of animal than by the violent ■cross of pure with common." Notwithstanding this relation of Adelaide experience, we would inculcate caution in adopting it as a guide. A clue to the cause of the unusual result was given in the statement that a puny race of goats was being reared through breeding from females that were far too young to assume maternal duties. This is also given as •one reason why Angoras have obtained a bad name for hardiness and for milking proper■ties ; and the reason is undoubtedly a sound '•one, for good milking properties are a crucial test of strength of constitution. It will bo remembered that the Acclimatisation Society | of Victoria entrusted the remainder of its . stock of Angoras to the care of Mr Wilson, •of the Wimmera, and it is pleasine to record that they have progressed most favourably j since their removal from the Royal-park. Mr , Wilson's experiences, however, justify tho • . statement that " Angora goats yield two fleeces in tho year," for ho has found it ex-, •pedient to clip them twice. Observing that j in tho month of August there occurred \ a " breakj " in the wool, and that ' much injury was sustained by the fleece j through portions dropping off at the break, he determined to clip them twice, and ac- j cordingly tho first half-yearly shearing took place last May. The flock consists of 15 ! males and 67 females ; two of the former and one of the latter being left unshorn. The date of shearing was 4th May, and the following are the averages of tho six montha 1 clip : — lb. oz. Males and females ... ... 2 6 J Young and old females ... 2 6 1-13 Young and old males ... ... 2 7 l-6th Old females 2 8 5-7 Old males 4 2i Young females 2 01-5 Young males ... 2 1 7-10 In respect of quality, tho wool of this clip j compares favourably with that of Turkish Mohair, sent from England as a standard of comparison, and as the length is very satisfactory, there seems to be reason for believing that these goats are habitually shorn twice a year when first-class produce is desired. In saying that the samples in the hands of the Acclimatisation Society compare favourably with Turkish Mohair, we mean that they appear to be quite equal to the imported sample in lustre and fineness, and that some of them actually excel it in length. The wool of No 14 male weighs 21b ssoz, and is 9£ii\ in length ; of No 12 male, 21b loz, and is Bin in length ; the wool of the female No 19, weighs 21b s£oz, and is 71in in length ; and of No 34, 31b, and Biin in length. Since

the shearing took place the growth of the new fleece has been proceediug at a satisfactory rate, and a full counterpart of the present clip is anticipated next November. The last shearing having taken place on the eve of winter, Nature would endeavour to compensate the removal ©f the fleece as quickly as poisible ; and it i» during the autumn and early winter that the fleece grows the fastest. The " break "in the wool that takes place in August is said not to be occasioned by a want 6f food, but it must be remembered that on the Wimmera the grass usually dries up early in the spring, and the change from green to dry food, and perhaps a shortness of water, may produce the same effect in the case of these goats as an absolute shortness of food and water does on the wool of sheep. It is difficult to imagine what other causes can have operated to produce this break; the animal, of course, naturally grows butonenew coat in each year, and then woolgrowers know so fully the causes of break that they will at once say, " the animal must have received a severe cheek at the time of its occurrence." The result of the second clipping this season will be looked for with a great deal of interest, because it is evident that if the first clip is repeated in weight and quality, Angora j goats will be exceedingly profitable stock ; the two clips will yield a vastly greater -weight than one in the same period of time. There is a question, again, whether the demand thus made on the strength of the females will affect in any way their breeding. Angoras usually have but one kid at a time. Can that be due to the custom of j twice shearing them, or is it a natural characteristic of the breed ? It is evident ' from the published experiences of Angora flockmasters in America and the Australias, that much has yet to be learnt about this world-renowned breed of goats. That they ' are exceedingly valuable is certain ; they yield in six months rather more wool than ordinary merinos do in twelve, and its value, on the average, i 3 at least equally great, j Tho society obtained last year about 3s 6d Der lb for the clip, and tho price may be said to range from 2s 9d to 4a for washed. Unlike meriuo wool, it loses little in washing, indeed, ' it loses not nearly as much as ordinary long wool. The society^ lately has sustainod a good ■ deal of blame for introducing hares, which it did not introduce (tho late Mr Austin was responsible for that) ; it is, therefore, only right to give it credit for what it really has done, and it gives us great pleasure to place on record tho fact of its having introduced and established in Victoria tho valuable animals of which we have been treating-