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MOHAIR

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Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 647 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MOHAIR , the See also:

hair of a variety of See also:goat originally inhabiting the regions of See also:Asiatic See also:Turkey of which See also:Angora is the centre, whence the See also:animal is known as the Angora goat. The Arabic muhayyar, from which the word came into See also:English probably through the Ital. moccacaro or Fr. mocayart, meant literally, " choice " or " select," and was applied to See also:cloth made of goats' hair. In the 17th See also:century the word, which before appears in such forms as mocayare or mokaire, became corrupted by connexion with " hair," cf. " cray-See also:fish " from ecrevisse. From the English " mohair " the See also:French adapted moire, a watered See also:silk fabric. The typical mohair fibre is 7 to 8 in. See also:long, very lustrous owing to its See also:physical structure (which although akin to See also:wool is different in that the wool scales are indicated only instead of being fully See also:developed, while the fibre is always solid), 30-" to -g~-~ of an See also:inch in See also:diameter, of a soft elastic handle, and usually of a clear See also:white transparent See also:colour. The staples of which the fleece is formed should be See also:uniform in length and clearly defined, naturally lending themselves to a See also:good " spin "—a difficult attainment in the See also:case of mohair (see WOOLLEN AND WORSTED MANUFACTURES). There are many varieties of mohair, from the first qualities as here defined to See also:lower qualities of a kempy, unsatisfactory See also:character. Thus in See also:Constantinople, the See also:chief centre of the Turkey mohair See also:trade, a large variety of fleeces is recognized. For example, from the See also:Lake See also:Van See also:district a distinctly inferior See also:kind known as " Van " mohair is obtained, while other districts See also:pro-duce varieties ranging from Van up to the typical quality described above. The animal from which mohair was originally obtained was a finely-bred Angora goat. Owing to the demand for raw material exceeding the See also:supply, from 1820 onwards there has been a See also:great See also:deal of See also:crossing of the well-bred Angora with the See also:common kind of goat: in fact it has been said that by 1863 the See also:original Angora had practically disappeared.

The growing demand for mohair further resulted in attempts on a commercial See also:

scale to introduce the goat into See also:South See also:Africa—where it was crossed with the native goat—the See also:United States, See also:Australia, and later still New See also:Zealand. Perhaps the introduction of the Angora into Australia and New Zealand may in See also:part be due to its value as a scrub and See also:blackberry browser; these growths being the " pests " of the two respective countries. The manufacture of fabrics from mohair—as in the case of See also:alpaca and cashmere—was in the first instance due to the See also:genius of the rearers of the goat. It would, indeed, be interesting to know if the See also:present See also:day mohair goods—often styled " alpacas " really had their origin in the earlier products of See also:Asia See also:Minor. That fabrics of mohair were in use in See also:England See also:early in the 18th century is obvious from See also:Pope's allusion: " And, when she See also:sees her friend in deep despair, Observes how much a See also:chintz exceeds mohair." Raw mohair was first exported from Turkey to England about 1820, and from that date onwards marked strides were made in its manufacture into useful yarns and fabrics. England has always had, and still maintains, supremacy in this manufacture. Practically the whole of both the See also:Turkish and Cape clips is at least converted into See also:yarn in See also:Yorkshire See also:mills. Quantities of these yarns are also See also:woven into See also:dress goods, dust cloakings, See also:pile fabrics, See also:imitation furs, &c., in Yorkshire, but even greater quantities of mohair yarn are exported to See also:Russia, See also:Germany, See also:Austria, &c., to be converted into astrakans, See also:ordinary braids, See also:brush braids, &c. In the first See also:decade of the loth century the mohair See also:braid trade received a See also:blow from the introduction of artificial silk. The See also:history of the introduction of the Angora goat from Asia Minor into the other countries mentioned is as follows. In 1838 pure bred Angoras were introduced into Cape See also:Colony—cashmeres having been previously tried and found unsatisfac-tory. These pure-bred goats crossed with the common goat laid the basis of the Cape flocks.

In 1856–1857 other importations of pure-bred goats were made. From 1868 to 1897 further importations were made, but these were not of the pure-bred goat and consequently were not so valuable. It should here be noted that the Cape See also:

flock-owner clips twice—the summer clip yielding a See also:staple which should be of not less than 7 in., and the See also:winter clip a staple which should be of not less than 3 in. to 4 in. See also:Bradford from See also:time to time has objected to the winter clip as being too See also:short, but this clip seems to have established itself and at least once during See also:recent years has been as saleable as the summer clip. The introduction of Angoras into the United States took See also:place in 1849. Other importations of goats from Asia Minor were made between 1857 and 188o, and interchanges of See also:blood also took place between the United States and Cape Colony. Between 1856 and 1875 some three See also:hundred goats were introduced into Australia. Other importations from Cape Colony and the United States have also been made from time to time, and it seems at least possible, if not probable, that Australia may yet find the Angora goat an important asset. From the following See also:statistics See also:relating to mohair it will be realized that the mohair supply practically comes from two See also:sources, viz. Turkey in Asia and South Africa: See also:Country. No. of Goats. Yield of Hair.

Asia Minor . 31 to 4 millions. 11 to 12,000,000 lb. South Africa . . 4 millions. 12 to 14,000,000 lb. United States . 800,000 1,600,000 lb. Australia . 30,000 — The See also:

price per lb of mohair has varied from 4s. Id. in 1870 to 13d. or 14d. in 1903, and it is interesting to See also:note that the shipments from Turkey to England follow these price fluctuations in a most curious manner. Of the consumers of English mohair yarns Russia takes from 15 to 25%, and the See also:continent of See also:Europe as a whole a very large percentage of the See also:total mohair yarn See also:production of Bradford.

End of Article: MOHAIR

Additional information and Comments

I have read your interesting article about the distribution of Mohair goats in the world, as well as its origines. I would like to let you know, that we, in Argentina, precisely in Northern Patagonia, have an interesting quantity of Mohair goats, and that they are really fine, and the technicians and vets are using the most modern ways to improve the animals and the wool. Thank you for your attention, and put the eye on our rich Patagonia , especially on our Mohair.
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