APPLICATION OF PRODUCTS.

It has been already stated that mohair is not a substitute for wool, but that it occupies its own place in the textile fabrics. It has the aspect, feel and lustre of silk without its suppleness. It differs materially from wool in the want of the felting quality, so that the stuff's made of it have the fibres distinctly separated and are always brilliant. They do not retain the dust or spots, and are thus particularly valuable for furniture goods. The fibre is dyed with great facility and is the only textile fibre which takes equally the dyes destined for all tissues. On account of the stiffness of the fibre it is rarely woven alone; that is, when used for the filling, the warp is usually of cotton, silk, or wool, and the reverse. It is not desired for its softness in addition to silkiness, such qualities as are found in Cashmere and Mauchamp wool, but for the elasticity, lustre, and durability of the fibre, with sufficient fineness to enable it to be spun. Those who remember the fashions of 30 or 40 years ago may call to mind the camlets so extensively used for cloaks and other outer garments, and will doubtless remember that some were distinguished for their peculiar lustre and durability, which was generally attributed to the presence of silk in the tissue. These camlets were woven from mohair. Its lustre and durability peculiarly fit this material for the manufacture of braids, buttons, and bindings, which greatly outwear those of silk and wool. The qualities of lustre and elasticity particularly fit this material for its chief use, the manufacture of Utrecht velvets, commonly called furniture plush, the finest qualities of which are composed principally of mohair, the pile being formed of mohair warps, which are cut in the same manner as silk warps in velvets. Upon passing the finger lightly over the surface of the best mohair plushes, the rigidity and elasticity of the fibre will be distinctly perceived. The fibre springs back to its original uprightness when any pressure is removed. The best mohair plushes are almost indestructible. They have been in constant use on certain railroad cars Mr. Chenery by proper precautions has since preserved his flock in perfect health. A warm but ventilated shelter is provided, to which the animals have access summer and winter. In a flock of nearly a hundred, not one has died for a year. Mr. Chenery regards these goats as more hardy than sheep. They are fed in the same manner as sheep, with the exception that white-pine boughs are occasionally given them to brouse upon during the winter. They delight in rocky and bushy pastures, feeding eagerly upon barberry and raspberry bushes. They cannot be confined by ordinary stone walls, but are restrained by any fence which they cannot climb, as they do not jump. They are herded and driven more easily than sheep. The doe never produces more than one kid at a birth. The young demand attention when they are first dropped, as they are liable to chill. After they have once suckled there is no further trouble. Although quite small at birth, they grow with great rapidity. The average product of fleece is, for bucks, seven, eight, and sometimes as high as 12 pounds. The does produce from three to five pounds. Mr. Chenery states in illustration of the hardiness of this race, that seven animals sent round Cape Horn were six months upon the voyage, and all arrived at their destination in good health. It is stated that if there should be a sufficient demand for these animals there would be no difficulty in increasing the impertations to some thousands per year.

in the country for over 20 years without wearing out. They are now sought by all the best railroads in the country as the most enduring of all coverings, an unconscious tribute to the remarkable qualities of this fibre. The manufacture of Utrecht velvets at Amiens in France consumes 500,000 pounds of mohair, which is spun in England. Ten thousand workmen were employed in weaving these goods at Amiens in 1855, the product being principally sent to the United States. The mohair plushes are made of yarns from No. 26 to No. 70; the tissues made of the former number are worth four francs per metre, and of the latter 10 francs per metre, showing the importance of preserving the fineness of the fleece. A medium article is made extensively in Prussia, of yarns spun from an admixture of mohair with combing-wool, but it is wanting in the evenness of surface and brilliant reflections or bloom of the French goods. Mohair yarn is employed largely in Paris, Nismes, Lyons, and Germany, for the manufacture of laces, which are substituted for the silk lace fabrics of Valenciennes and Chantilly. The shawls frequently spoken of as made of Angora wool are of a lace texture, and do not correspond to the cashmere or Indian shawls. The shawls known as llama shawls are made of mohair. I have seen one at Stewart's wholesale establishment valued at $80, weighing only 23 ounces. Mohair is also largely consumed at Bradford, in England, in the fabrication of light summer dress goods. They are woven with warps of silk and cotton, principally the latter, and the development of this manufacture is due principally to the improvements in making fine cotton warps, the combination of wool with mohair not being found advantageous. These goods are distinguished by their lustre and by the rigidity of the fabric. All the mohair yarns used in Europe are spun in England, the English having broken down by temporary reduction of prices all attempts at spinning in France. Successful experiments at spinning and weaving Angora fabrics have been made in this country, as shown by the samples of yarn spun by Mr. Cameron, and the dress goods spun and woven by Mr. Fay of the Lowell Manufacturing Company, from Angora wool grown by Mr. Chenery, of Belmont. Before the demand of this material for dress goods and plushes, mohair was largely used in Europe and this country for lastings for fine broadcloths, the lustrous surface acting as a frame in a picture to set off the goods. This use is now abandoned. Mohair is now extensively used to form the pile of certain styles of plushes used for ladies' cloakings, also for the pile of the best fabrics styled Astrakhans. Narrow strips of the skin of the Angora with the fleece attached have been recently in fashion for trimmings, and great prices were obtained for a limited number of the pelts for this purpose. The skins with the fleeces attached will always bring high prices for foot rugs, on account of their peculiar lustre and the advantages they possess over those made of wool, in not being liable to felt.

Nearly all the raw mohair of commerce is at present consumed by a very few manufacturers in England, who first commenced spinning in

1835, at the suggestion of Mr. Southey, and soon excluded the Turkish yarns by the superiority and evenness of their yarns. The enormous works of Mr. Salt, in England, were erected in 1853, mainly for the manufacture of mohair and alpaca fabrics. The annual exports of mohair from Turkey as well as other instructive facts are given in the following letter, addressed to Messrs. G. W. Bond & Co., December, 1867, by Bauendahl & Co., a leading wool and commercial firm in New York, obtained at my request:

"Agreeably with the request of your Mr. G. W. Bond, we beg herewith to hand you all the information we have regarding mohair or goats' wool.

“Good mohair (Angora goat) is not known as an article of commerce anywhere but in Asia Minor. It is received from Asia Minor in bales varying from 150 to 200 pounds in weight, as most convenient, each fleece carefully rolled up and tightly packed. The exports from Turkey are as follows:

"We have seen samples of goats' wool grown in South Africa and this country, but they had degenerated, becoming coarser and losing the lustre and silky appearance which gives the staple most of itsvalue. It is consumed by less than a dozen houses in Europe; in fact, om firm consumes about one-third of the whole supply, and has agents in Turkey choosing the same. It is a very peculiar article; either everybody wants it, or no one will touch it. There seems to be no steadines in the trade; but the demand is seldom in abeyance for more than our months at a time. Large buyers have avoided it for some time; threfore stocks have accumulated to a considerable but not excessive extent.

"About two years ago the price was up to nearly 96 cents gold, and fell, after long inaction, to about 50 to 54 cents gold per pound for super white Constantinople; but even at this price there is very little demand. The value of second-class locky lots is always very uncertain. It forms, however, only a trifling portion of the exports, and will fetch about 20 to 30 cents gold per pound.

"Fawn, a dark gray mohair with long staple, is usually salable at 24 cents gold to 30 cents currency. There is also a fair kind of brown mohair, but shorter and more cotted, that we think sells best in France at prices between 20 to 30 cents gold. The terms on which this article is sold in the market are cash in one month, less five per centum discount; England, tares actual, and one pound draft, per cwt."2

1 Vide Jame's History of the Worsted Manufactures.

2 Since this paper was written Messrs. Bauendahl & Co., have furnished important n formation in a letter dated September 17, 1868, and published in the Country Gentleman.

I have ascertained from other sources that the price of mohair in England of late years has been about double that of the best English combing wools.

RECAPITULATION AND CONCLUSION.

Experience in Europe, confirmed by observations in this country, has demonstrated the practicability of the acclimation of this race under favorable conditions of the climate, without degeneracy of the fleeces. There are districts in this country possessing climate, temperature, and hygrometric conditions corresponding to those observed in Asia Minor and Europe as favorable to the culture of this race. The Angora goat and the domestic goat of Europe and this country, having descended from separate sources, the obtaining of good results from the crosses of these two races is theoretically improbable, and is demonstrated to be so by the best experience in Europe. The normal fibre desired for the textile arts is only to be found in flocks of the perfectly pure race, and perhaps in flocks bred back to the standard of the pure race by crosses of a perfectly pure buck with the black Asiatic goats of the same race. They say: "The recent remarkable increase in the consumption of goat wool in Europe has induced us to bring the subject under the notice of American wool-growers Manufacturers here would use mohair largely if they could depend upon a regular supply, and, as we have the fact now established that, with sufficient care, goat's wool can be raised of a superior quality here, we think that the time has arrived when every possible effort should be made by our wool-growers to supply the want. The trade offers a most extensive field and

prospects of ample profits.

"Mohair, as an article of commerce, is at present not grown anywhere but in Asia Minor, and the entire exports to England last year amount to 2,200,000 pounds. This is quite inadequate to accommodate the present demand, and the necessity of a larger supply becomes daily more and more manifest. We have seen samples of mohair grown in South Africa, but they had degenerated, becoming coarser and losing the lustre and silky appearance which give the staple most of its value.

"We hear that last month large sales were made in England at about 80 cents, gold, per pound, and at this price consumers continue to buy freely when good staple and condition are assured. The stability of this price, however, is uncertain, and the value is dependent on the demand of the fancy trade, though this article has gained greatly in steadiness by its being employed in many new fabrics for upholstering purposes, laces, dress goods, &c.

"This article we receive for sale on consignment, and our last lots realized from $1 to $1 25 (currency) per pound, just according to quality and condition. The latter price has been likewise paid for a small lot forwarded to us by a breeder near Frankfort, Ky., who is also interested in raising full-blood goats. We find it exceedingly difficult to place second-class lots; in fact, such are hardly salable, and their value is very uncertain. The great fault of goat's wool is the abundance of scurf and kemps, (dead hairs,) and the greatest attention should be directed towards avoiding these evils.

"In Europe mohair is consumed by less than a dozen houses; in fact, one firm consumes about one-third of the whole supply. It is important to have the mohair well and regularly packed in good sacks, weighing about 250 or 300 pounds, as most convenient for the trade." It will be observed that the practical observations of these experienced wool buyers confirm the views presented in the above paper as the worthlessness of the fleeces of crossed goats. I have examined several pelts from South Africa, evidently from crosses of the Angora and common goat, in which the fine wool from the Angora was so mixed with coarse hairs of the common stock as to render the fleeces useless for textile purposes.

It is desirable that importations should be made of the black female Kurd goat of Asia Minor, for crossing with the pure white bucks. There is evidence of great weight in favor of good results from such cases.

Systematic measures of acclimation must always be impeded by the eagerness of breeders for sale to obtain merchantable results. The appropriation of this race is of sufficient importance to deserve the earnest attention of the government, as the best races of the merino sheep have been only secured through the persevering and disinterested efforts of governments in Europe. In the absence of any national society for acclimation in this country, a deficiency which ought not long to exist, the Department of Agriculture, under its present vigorous and intelligent head, offers the best means of securing the desired results. The cost of a single Rodman gun would secure a magnificent flock to serve for prolonged experiment and as a model to our agriculturists. Producers cannot expect to obtain remunerating prices for their fleeces until the manufacture of mohair fabrics is established in this country. It must be years before a sufficient supply is grown here to occupy a single mill. The fleeces of over 10,000 sheep are consumed every week in the single establishment of the Pacific Mills. It is probable that there will be a demand for all that can be grown for some time, for yarns for braids, and for Astrakhan cloakings, which are being made in Rhode Island. The demand for animals of the pure race will increase without reference to the value of the fleeces. There are enough agriculturists of taste and wealth in this country who will readily pay large prices for these docile and beautiful animals, simply as ornaments for their farms.

I am convinced that the greatest obstacle to the permanent acquisition of new resources from any department of nature is exaggerated expectations as to their value and facility of acquirement. Our impatient countrymen need to be reminded that real progress is the offspring not only of human effort but of time, and that of acclimation especially it may be said: Non solum humani ingenii sed temporis quoque filia est. There is encouragement, however, in the fact that the fruits of decades or centuries in older countries are matured here in years. In how brief a time has this vast country been stocked with all the animal wealth which Europe had to bestow! How rapidly have we appropriated all the best ovine and bovine races of the old world! Within half a century we have spread the merino sheep over all the prairies of the West, and within a less period have acquired and perfected the cattle of the Durham short-horn breed, and even sent them back to ameliorate the parent stock in England. The hope then is not vain that the precious race, whose slow march westward we have traced from the remote East, may at no distant time be fully secured for the western world.