Cashmere Goat

a variety of the common goat found in the mountainous regions of Tibet and the Indian principality of Cashmere. Its natural food consists of twigs, buds, and heather. The farther up the mountains, the finer and softer the wool, and the deeper its color. The latter varies from an ochre, well up the mountains, to pure white, far down in the valleys. A thick body of fine, curly wool lies next the skin, beneath long outside hairs. A full grown goat yields about one-half pound of fine wool. It is worth from $9 to $12 a pound. The wool of from six to ten goats is required for a Cashmere shawl, according to its weight. Genuine Cashmere shawls made from the wool of the Cashmere goat in the Vale of Cashmere are rare. In America genuine Cashmeres are worth from $70 to $1,500. The hair is spun and dyed by women. The shawls are woven on rude hand looms, but are fine, and involve such intricate patterns that the time of two or three weavers is required for a year to produce a single shawl. A careful investigation would show that these shawls are woven in strips which are sewed together with great skill. Several thousand hand looms are in operation; but a large amount of wool is imported from other districts, so that a large part of the actual output of the Vale of Cashmere is far from genuine. See Rug; Shawl