Cashmere Goat, a variety of the common goat (Capra hircus, var. laniger), remarkable for its very long, fine, and silky hair, from which the famous Cashmere shawls are made. It is found in Tibet and Bokhara, whence the finest goat-hair is imported into Cashmere, to be there manufactured. The hair is even longer (18 inches) than that of the Angora goat, and is straight, not curled. A single goat does not yield more than three ounces, and the fleeces of ten goats are requisite for the manufacture of a shawl a yard and a half square. The hair is spun by women, and dyed after it is spun. The shawls are woven in rudely constructed looms, a pair of shawls sometimes occupying three or four men a whole year in weaving. Since 1870 there has been a falling off in the demand for the shawls; but shawls to the value of £130,000 are still exported (two-thirds to Europe). Cashmere shawls of the finest quality are sold in London at from £100 to £300 each. Plain shawls are simply woven in the loom, but those with variegated patterns are worked with wooden needles, a separate needle being used for each colour. Imitations of these are manufactured in France rather extensively, some from the Tibet wool entirely, and others of a mixture of this with silk and cotton.
Attempts have been made to introduce the Cashmere goat into Europe. Baron Alstremer attempted in the end of last century to naturalise it in Sweden; and a very spirited attempt to introduce it into Britain has been made by Mr Towers. In France the acclimatisation has been very successful. It has been bred in the United States, but without much success. A mixed race, produced by crossing the Cashmere and the Angora goat, has been found to possess most valuable qualities, the hair being long, fine, and more abundant than in any of the parent breeds. See SHAWL.