Mohair warehouse at Kerrville, Texas, belongs to goat-raising Schreiner family, who also own hotels, banks, stores. Scott Schreiner (left) is shown here with local mohair buyer.
"General MacArthur" (above) was prize fleece buck at recent Goat Show and Sale at Rocksprings, Texas. He sold at auction for $530. Note hair on face and belly, sign of good Angora.
Mohair products include curtains, mittens, toy dogs, rugs, blankets. Before the war much mohair was used in auto upholstery. Huge stocks of it are available now to replace restricted wool.
Goats eat cigaret butts and owners encourage them, because tobacco kills intestinal parasites.
Goats love to browse standing up. The leaves they can't reach look greenest.Life August 31, 1942
8 comments:
These are great!!!
Thank you!
You're so welcome. I wanted to ask you if it's true that shearer's hands are so soft?
This was way cool! What a wonderful life!
There is a lot of grease in the fleece - even more so with sheep. But, soft - hey, the hands of a working man...
The "new car smell" that our parents and grandparents talked about was the mohair upholstery. (Now it is plastic!) Most furniture and auto upholstery was made out of mohair prior to the war. During WWII, mohair was used in uniforms and blankets and upholstery in aircraft seats. Mohair is considered one of the most durable natural fibers and it doesn't pill like wool does. It was also used widely in rugs - especially the Turkish rugs.
Angoras originally come from Turkey and were considered the exclusive property of royalty. Eight were given as a gift to an American veterinarian who went to consult on the Turkish herds. They ranged in the Kurdish areas of what is now Turkey, Iraq and Iran - still do to some extent.
Ok - see what you started - wait til I start on the Spanish goats of Texas and New Mexico!
It's very interesting. I wish you would tell us more. I remember Steve talking about the Kurdish family he stayed with and how they brought their goats in at night because of their value.
I love the history!
I'm sure there is something to the benefit for feeding tobacco to animals. Otto used to buy the little white bags of tobacco and sprinkle a little in the feed that he fed his mares . These were race horses and were worth much money. I had forgotten about it though. I would like to know isn't mohair classified as a form of wool. No, to answer my own question it is not. Not only Kayla and Auntie has a problem in the difference in sheep and goats but it would seem Kayla's Granny has the same problem. Where do you buy mohair. I would like to have the seats in the camper covered with mohair. I would also like to have the wool carpet put down on the floor of the camper and to park it and the boat near a lake close by so we could camp and go fishing. Any takers?
Take that back it is known as a wool product.An angora goat is valuable because of its fleece. It grows eight to ten inches a year. Sometimes even twelve. In the print that belongs to Mama curry there are flocks of goats. It is called the Bridge of Narnia. It is a beautiful print. It is also a valuable print. Strange I came by my live of art and literature from this side of the family and I dare say this was a love that was built in. I came up with a scrape book that Papa Curry had pasted poems that he cut out of magizines. He was an avide reader. I spent that two week vacation reading Papa Currys Books. and running around Lubbock with Mama Curry. We ate at John Halsey Drug store and at the counter of Woolworth Dime Store. I had the best vacation of anyone in the world. I could swim in the love that was there and lavished on me. Yet I am the only grand child that took this vacation. I guess I lucked out somehow. I gave the scrape book of poems to Uncle Doug. He was thrilled.
You have such wonderful memories, Mom. I bet staying with MaMa Curry was great. I loved her so much and still do. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Post a Comment