Cashgora
Zoological Information
- Cashgora is the descendant of a cross between male Angora goat (Capra Hircus aegagrus)and a female Cashmere goat (Capra Hircus laniger).
- Cashgora goats, like other goats, have a similar lifespan of 10-15 years.
- Cashgora goats are fertile, as they are the result of mating between the two parent breeds.
- The name ‘Cashgora’ was coined in Victoria, Australia, in the late 1970s[1].
Habitat and fibre production
- A small amount of Cashgora fibre is produced commercially in Australia and New Zealand.
- In Tajikistan, the hair undergoes manual harvesting by combers, is sorted based on fineness, rid of guard hairs, combed to create clouds, and then spun into yarn through either hand-spinning or electric spinning. Finally, the process concludes with the formation of skeins.
- Initially, Cashgora appeared fascinating to the world but later due to its inadequate maintenance, it led to a decline in the production of dehaired cashgora fibres from 200,000 kg in 1990 to 60,000 kg in 2000[1].
- The annual production of these fibres is around 50 tons and each animal yields up to 50% of the fleece.
- Commercially there are three types of cashgora fibres present in the market namely Ligne Or (18.5 µm), Ligne Emeraude (20 µm), and Ligne Saphir (22µm).
Features
- The fibres possess smooth surfaces and high lustre.
- It has good staple length and tensile strength.
- In certain instances, the fibres exhibit medullation and possess a sheen similar of mohair, with none of them displaying crimp[1].
- The scale structure of Cashgora is similar to that of Mohair than Cashmere.
- The fleece of the young goats is similar to cashmere(cylindrical and semi-cylindrical scales) and mohair (fibres with splits and lanced scales) with a decent amount of lustre. As the goats mature, the cashmere-like fibres diminish, transforming into exceptionally fine fibres with mohair characteristics.
- Cashgora garments knitted from this material may experience felting and shrinking when machine-washed, but they can be safely hand-washed.
Table 1. Physical and Mechanical properties and chemical composition of cashgora hair fibres[1][2]
Physical properties
Parameter
Value
Length (mm)
30-90
Diameter (µm)
Diameter( µm)
Chemical composition
Constituents
Value (in %)
Moisture
13.2
Grease
1.2-2.8
Water Soluble
0.6
Table 2: Amino Acid composition of Australian Cashgora hair fibres[1].
Amino Acid
Composition (mol%)
Cysteic acid
0.1
Aspartic Acid
7.1
Threonine
6.9
Serine
11.5
Glutamic Acid
13.5
Proline
7.5
Glycine
8.4
Alanine
5.7
Cystine
4.8
Valine
6.0
Methionine
0.4
Isoleucine
3.2
Leucine
7.7
Tyrosine
3.5
Phenylalanine
2.8
Lysine
2.8
Histidine
0.6
Arginine
7.4
Typical uses
- Cashgora fibres are usually woollen-spun and are used to make jackets, coats, scarves, and stoles.
- It is also used to weave high-end lightweight suiting fabrics.
- It is deemed more appropriate for the process of weaving as opposed to knitting.
- Women of Tajikistan use the skeins of Cashgora fibres to create a variety of knitted products to make a living.
