History

Erratic endeavors in the 1700s to import and raise the Angora goat abroad were doomed to failure. Documented vain attempts included Sweden (1740), Spain (1765), Venice (1778), and France (1785). In 1838, Queen Victoria of England finally put pressure on the Sultan of Turkey, and the ban on raw mohair was lifted. Unfortunately, soaring demand led to the practice of cross-breeding, and both the Angora goat and the durability of its mohair fleece faced extinction. That same year, thirty Angora goats were successfully imported to South Africa, and by l856 South Africa became an important supplier of high quality mohair due to highly selective breeding. Today, South Africa is one of three leading mohair producing countries in the world, exceeded only by Turkey and the United States. The majority of the mohair fleece in the United States is grown in Texas. Ironically, the introduction of the Angora goat into this country happened by accident in the mid-l9th century, when the Sultan of Turkey asked President Polk for expert advice on the production of cotton. Dr. J. B. Davis of Columbia S.C. was appointed to perform and document a series of experiments on cotton growing in Turkey. In 1849, Dr. Davis returned to the United States with nine thoroughbred Angora goats, which were originally believed to be Cashmere goats until they were properly identified by Colonel Richard Peters of Atlanta, a respected breeder of livestock. Following this, these Angora goats became the source of increasing publicity, and by l860, Colonel Peters was realizing prices of $ l,500 per head and even the weight of one in silver. Today, there are numerous Angora goat farms scattered throughout the United States, including our homestead, Daisy's Hill Farm, in Georgia.

Curiosity regarding tales of a spiral horned goat whose fleece was both exquisite and versatile led to the rediscovery of the Angora goat by a Dutchman in 1550, and the subsequent demand generated the first mohair industry in Europe. Angora stock was distributed to different countries, and in 1554, a pair of Angora goats was sent as a "royal gift" to the Holy Roman Emperor by Charles V of Spain. Soon supply could not satisfy demand, and the Sultan of Turkey was forced to put an embargo on the export of the raw fleece. Spun mohair continued to supply the foreign market, finally filtering into Britain around 1600, when the superior quality of European yarns overcame the demand for that spun in Turkey.