Chapter XX. 



Other Products of the Goat. 



Goats' Hair. 



Besides the milk and flesh, which in England and on 

 the Continent are the chief objects of keeping the goat, 

 the hair and skin possess commercial value. 



The hair of the common varieties is manufactured in 

 some countries into a strong though coarse kind of fabric, 

 and worn as garments by the peasantry. That of the 

 shaggy kinds, especially the males, is employed for mak- 

 ing barristers' and judges' wigs. It is also excellent for 

 ropes that are to be used in water, as they last a consider- 

 ably longer time than those made with hemp. The hair 

 may be shorn annually about the middle of May, in the 

 same way as the wool from the sheep. 



Many goats have besides hair a very fine fleece, which 

 on some individuals is very plentiful, coming off in the 

 spring upon everything that the creature's coat touches. 

 Although certainly not as valuable as ordinary wool, it is 

 by no means useless, but the quantity on a single animal 

 is, comparatively speaking, so small as to be scarcely worth 

 collecting. In Russia it has long been employed for 

 articles of dress, such as gloves, stockings, &c., and is 

 highly valued. It is stated that on one occasion some of 

 this wool was woven with silk into a very beautiful shawl, 

 the texture of which was greatly admired 



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