t of the goat. The mohair should be removed
from a space at least eight inches square. A lengthwise incision is then
made through the skin and muscles, or after the skin is cut, the muscles
can be separated with the fingers and the testicle is found. It usually
lies close to the backbone, to the lower and inner side of the kidney.
It is usually undeveloped and much smaller than the kidney. Its surface
is smooth and not indented like the kidney. When it is discovered it can
be withdrawn through the opening, and adherent tissue clipped with the
scissors. The muscles and skin should be brought together with the silk
thread. The needles should pierce the muscles as well as the skin, and
the edges of the skin should approximate. No hair should be allowed to
remain between the cut surfaces, as the wound will not heal rapidly.
After the wound is closed some boracic acid powder may be dusted over
the wound, and the goat allowed his freedom. After ten days or two weeks
the silk threads should be cut and drawn out, as they will not absorb,
and they will irritate the wound. If this operation is carefully
performed, and strict cleanliness adhered to, less than 2% of the
animals operated upon will die.

GROWTH.

A kid at birth is usually small and weak, possibly weighing from four to
six pounds. For the first few days of life he grows slowly, but as the
organs adapt themselves to the new life, the kid becomes strong and
grows rapidly. When the kid is born he is covered with a coarse hair,
and it is not until he is from three to five weeks old that the fine
mohair fibers appear growing between the coarser hairs. The kid
continues to grow gradually, and at three or four months he weighs from
twenty to forty pounds. The mohair may now be from two to four inches
long. At a year old the Angora goat will weigh from fifty to eighty
pounds, and the mohair may be as long as twelve inches, or sometimes
longer.

WEANING.

When does are bred once a year the kid should be weaned before the doe
is rebred. This allows the doe time to recuperate before her maternal
powers are again brought into active service. Then, too, a doe nursing a
kid through the winter, enters the spring with a depleted system and
produces a poor quality and small quantity of mohair. The kids should be
weaned when they are about five months old, as this allows the mother at
least two months rest before she is rebred.

MARKING.

There are various reasons for mar