ANGORA RABBIT WOOL FARMING.

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 38, 27 February 1930, Page 10

ANGORA RABBIT WOOL FARMING.

For the .benefit of many who are interested in vthe possibilities of" breeding Angora fiablbiiks we give below,some information on (the. sulbject Which we think will (be fblind useful, '

We .'Would first of all point out that the breeding of Angoras for their >wool is no new industry. One mill in England paid Out /£40,000 t during' 1926 for English Angora Rabbit wool. Farming Angoras, if systematically carried out, is light congenial work> besides which the capital expenditure need not be heavy. The' industry has been long established in France, Britain, Canada, South Africa and (South America,

A small stud of 20 rabbits or up;wards can -be made a pleasant' and profitable spare time occupation and one well within 4 t>he reach of the person of average aibility. The present value of English-Angora wool is about 35/- per lb. This is for wool as it is shown fromthe rabibit. The^ quality naturally var"ies and'a sample sent to England was valued at 40/- per lb. There is every reason to believe that^the wool from the New Zealand bred rabfoit s&otild be all classed as first grade and command top prices. TEteeoTds of results in England- s.how the average clip per head to amount to. an average of lOozs per year; On the present price of the-wsvool this. shows a gross return for wool alone" of approximately 20/-, per head j per annum, which is surely very profitable. Tihere should always be a sale for good stud stock. ,By careful ibreeding they should always be able to sell surplus animals at a good price. Clip 3 of up to 16ozs of wool per head per i

: annum have been got but fox practical purposes lOofcs can be taken as an average, • USES OP THE WOOH The wool is of course pure white and is beautifully soft and silky in texture. It is spun into yarn and used for all manner of purposes as underclothing, where its warmth and softness aTe valued, for invalids, for babies' clothes, where t»he soft fluffy effect is particularly charming and it is claimed for Angora wood articles that they are warm, light, durable and easily washed. Dr. J. B. "McDooigall, a well known English breeder, writes:—"So far the English spinners have treated wool farmers well, and the future iiolds no evil portents in store if we ate to judge by past results. There would 'be no fall in the price of'wool even if 1 the present supplies were doubled, This

is the opinion shared by the manager of the largest mill in England using Angora wool. -

It should be obvious that t»he sue-, cess of Angora wool farming depends upon starting off with good stock as only in this way can you be assured of getting a profitable weight of wool. The-official figures of the raibbit fur industry in France for last year were £33,000,000.

'Pot years,this country has been missing a golden opportunity. The scientific breeding and farming of Angora rabbits should s»hortly become one of New Zealand's best industries.