MANUFACTURING 83 



trade the word " cashmere " has a great variety of meanings. 

 Originally this textile fibre came from off the Cashmere goat 

 which is found in the north-west of India. These goats have a 

 long, hairy fleece, which has short, soft, and silky fibres near the 

 skin, hidden from sight by the coarse hairy growth. This fine 

 growth is made into the famous cashmere shawls. They are 

 very expensive, as each goat produces only about 4 oz. of this 

 fine wool, the remainder of the fleece being coarse. Owing to the 

 scarcity of the real cashmere fibre, very fine Merino wool has 

 been substituted, and goods similar to the genuine cashmere are 

 made from it. The fine twill cloths are made from this yarn. 

 Very often these goods possess a silk or cotton warp. 



2. Botany Coating Yarns are similar in many ways to the 

 two former yarns. They are used for goods a shade lower and 

 cheaper. 



3. Hosiery Yarns are made from wool of all qualities. They 

 differ somewhat from ordinary worsteds, as bulk in relation to 

 weight is better than length. 



As I have mentioned earlier, some tops are of 6o's quality, but 

 owing to the number of short fibres left in them, they will not spin 

 to more than 46's. Hosiery yarns are often spun from tops of 

 that type, as it is no advantage to spin the yarn out as fine as it 

 will go. It is rather a disadvantage, as hosiery yarns are better 

 thick, containing as little twist as possible. Thick yarns do not 

 require so many turns or twists to make them the same relative 

 strength as a finer or thinner yarn. It is of no advantage to have 

 the fibres parallel in hosiery yarns as they are in most worsted 

 yarns, because the bulkier they are the better. The short fibres in 

 this yarn are no drawback, as they assist in making the fabric fuller 

 in the finishing process. Most of the so-called cashmere socks and 

 stockings sold in Australia and elsewhere are made from these 

 short-fibred fine-woolled hosiery yarns. Foi' very fine goods, 

 super-Botany yarns are sometimes used, and beautiful smooth- 

 surface worsted fabrics are made from them, such as the expen- 

 sive singlets that are made for men's wear. 



Fine Cross-bred Warp and Weft Yarns are woven into 



