702 



THE TlfeOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April i, 1886. 



round taperiiig steel roils or pegs about the size of a 

 packiag ueecile, which stand out three or four luches 

 on either side of the central upright. Over the enii 

 of each of these bteel rods a bobljiu is drawn in shape 

 and size like a cigarrette. Each pair of bobbius is 

 connected with the wheel by a cord which encircles 

 its hollow rim. From the inner end of the axle of the 

 wheel, a coir rope runs forward anel is passed loimd 

 the central rod or the high conical reel or .':<ikumbti. 

 In working the machine tlie throwiSr sits ou a low 

 stool, and, as he turns tlie wheel, the cords pass round 

 its rim, the bobbins twisting the two fibres into one, 

 while the coir rope from the further end of the 

 axle turns the reel. As the bobbins .set free the 

 fibres, the reel draws them through tlie two sets of 

 eight notches on the outer uprights in tlie bobbm- 

 frame between two round rods, which are marked off 

 by rings of oords into sixteen compartments, so that 

 as the long reel revolves sixteen hanks are wound 

 round it, eight from each side of the bobbin-frame. 

 When full the large conical reel is taken away, and 

 the silk is wound on a smaller reel of the same shape, 

 called sahimbl, which measures eighteen inches long 

 by seven in a diameter. This \aru, which is known 

 as double of duutai; is used in making some cliecked 

 fabrics. But most of tlie yarn is again wound on 

 bobbins, and a second time put through the throwing 

 machine, so as to make the regular or four-fold, 

 fhartttr yarn. 



These processes do not differ from tliose in use in 

 Yeola iu Nasick, except that in sorting tlie silk passes 

 over the sorter's left knee instead of through her 

 fingers. The throwing machine is mucli smaller than 

 the Yeola machine, and tlie reel is conical and upright 

 instead of round aud flat. 



When the silk is twisted, the warp threads are 

 sent to Musalnian cotton weavers to be arranged fur 

 the warp. This costs 2s. (Ill) for every thirty yards 

 of warp. The next process is washing or bleaching. 

 If the yarn is not to be dyed it is washed in country 

 soap aud water. It it is to be dyed, it is first bleached 

 by boihng it iu an alkaline ley, a mixture of slaked 

 lime and carliouate of soiBi. The silk is steeped lu 

 the boiling ley from ten to fifteen miuutes, ami must 

 be carefully watched, as it spoils if it is kept too 

 long. After boiling the yarn is washed, left in a 

 solution of alum for one night, aud again wa.shed. The 

 silk is now ready to be dyed. The dying appliances 

 are simple: an ordinary brick fire-place, a copper 

 cistern, and a stone-grinding mill. 



In dyeing silks red, cochineal, coccus ciicti, and 

 pistachio galls, phtachia vera, in the proportion ot one 

 of cochineal to four of pistachio galls are powi ered 

 together and boiled in the copper cistern or dye-bi-ck. 

 and the silk is steeped and stirred in the mixture till 

 it takes the reipiired tint. The boiling mixture i.s 

 then allowed to cool, aud the silk washed several 

 times and dried. If the colour is dull, the <>"» '« 

 brightened by dipping in lemon juice mixed with 

 water. In dyeing orange, the silk undergoes the 

 same processes as tor red, except that m addition to 

 cochineal aud pistachio galls, the dye-beik eoiitams 

 a v:<riable quantity of ispucd- or dflphinium. in dye 

 lemoii-yrllow, silk is steeped iu a hot strained solution 

 of ispanik and impure carbonate of soda, ami is then 

 snueezed and dried. Though not itself yellow this 

 solution gives the silk a yellow th.at does not l:u e l.y 

 expo.sure to the sun. To dye green, yellow silk is 

 steeped in indigo. For black, the silk is steeped in 

 an infusion ot myiobalaus, and tln-n, for three nights 

 m',iuclinec, ilc.usinc co.acanii. and a paste coiitaiiiiiig 

 pieces ot steol, then squeezed, steeped either lu 

 coeonut oil or eoeouiit milk, and wash.ui iii plain 

 water. To dye [mrple, r.d silk is steeped in an in- 

 fusion of mvr.ibalaiis and dried, without being washed. 

 It is then 'steepi'd iu a solution ol .sulphate of iron 

 and washed. Another way of making a pu.rp'e labrio 

 is to use black silk tor the warp aud red silk lor the 

 weft Silk is seldom dyed blue. When bhie silk is 

 wanted, the dye used is indigo, and the work is 

 entrusted to Miisalmau indigo ilyers, who are iiaid^s, 

 the pound. T" dye taiiiiy, yellow silk 18 boiled a 



degree less in the alkaline ley than for other shades. 

 It is then taken out, squeezed, kept moist, and, without 

 being washed, is plunged into a solution of dyers 

 rottlsHii, Kottleria ilnctnria, and powdered alum in 

 the proportion ot fourteen ot the rottleria to three 

 of the alum, mixed with carbonate of soda and boiling 

 water, quickly stirred and left to stand till the 

 effervescence passes off. In thia mixture the silk is 

 steeped, stirred, and left to soak for about four hours. 

 This is the most lasting of yellow dyes, but the 

 process requires close attention. 



Nine chief dye-stuffs are used in colouring Thana 

 silks : carbonate' of soda, countn' soap, alum, copperas, 

 pistachio galls, Uparid or defphimiim, myraholans, 

 rottleria, and cochineal. Of these, pistachio galls, 

 ispacuk, rottleria, and cochineal are brought from 

 Bombay, the rest are purchased in Thana. The carbon- 

 ate of soda is of three kinds : papad Iho.", keh Ihor 

 and kluiri mail. All of them come either from Sindh, 

 where they are due from the bottom of small ponds, 

 or from Arabia. They are a mixture of the carbonate 

 and sesqui-carbouate of soda and contain a variable 

 quantity of silica, chlorides, and sulphates. According 

 to the amount of impm-ity the price varies from above 

 lid. to3d. (1 to 3 annas) a pounil. The soap or .'"''On 

 is^coiintry soap, cbiellv made at Kapadvanj in Kaira, 

 from the oil of the Bassia latifalia, boiled with 'an 

 alkaline ley of Khor and lime. It is sold in round 

 pieces at about 2d. (1 1-3 annas) the pound. This 

 soap is not suitable tor fine work or for the toilet. 

 The alum comes partly from Cutch or Sindh. The 

 Dutch and Sindh alum has traces of iron, sihca. and 

 soda. The China alum is purer and better. Sindh 

 and Outch alum varies in prices from about Ud. 2d. 

 fl to 1-3 annas) the pound, and China alum from 

 .about IJd. to 2d. (1 1-lG to 1 1-3 annas) the pound. 

 The pistachio galls, buz-ganj, are brought from Persia 

 and Kabul. Thana silk weavers obtain it from Bombay 

 at Is. (8 annas) the pound. The i<pnnil-, the fiowers 

 and stalks of a kind of delphinium, is brought from 

 Persia and Kabul. It is used solely in dying yellow, and 

 costs from 9il. to Is. (0 to 8 annas) the pound. Ot the 

 two kinds of Indian myrabalans.the chebulia myrabalans 

 is the one generally used. It is the product of the Urad 

 (tcnniiudia chehulti). which grows in all the Salivadri 

 forests. The cost varies from 6s. to 7s. (R.I to P.S.M per 

 maund. The Kapila. or powder on the capsules of the 

 dyers' rottleria, comes from Dtalabar. the Himalayas, 

 and Ar.abia. It cost from Is. to Is. Od. |S to 12 annas) 

 the pound. After being washed or bleached and dyed, 

 the warp silk is singed. 



The next step is to make ready the loorn. Iu this 

 there are three processes, beddlc filling, ioiniiig, and 

 arranging. In fiUing the beddle according to the 

 pattern, the weaver passes the silk between the teeth 

 of the reed or phim and through the loops in the cords 

 of thi' different beddles. When the threads are passed 

 through the reed and the beddles. they are tied behind 

 the beddle frames in small bunches or clusters. The 

 end of the warp is then brought aud laid b.'sidc these 

 bunches of silk, and beginning with the right hand 

 bunch, each tbroad is snapped and by a rapid twist 

 knotted to mie of the warp threads. When the joining 

 is finished the threads are arranged through the whole 

 length of the wavp in aeoordauee with th,-ir position 

 at the beddles. The labour and cost of b,-ddle-filliug 

 is generally avoi.le.l by leaving about six iiichi-s ot the 

 former warp behind' the beddle, to which the new 

 threads are attached. 



The Thana silk loom differs in no appreciable respect 

 from the ordinary hand loom in use nil over I'l'l'a. 

 and a fair i.lea of i's construetimi may be gathered 

 from the illustration sliowing a Thana silk weaver at 

 work. The dyeing processes have been described at 

 some lenuth as examples of the intrinsic simplicity of 

 Indian dyeing methods. . t 



Thana ' silks are sold by the piece, at the rate ot 

 K.V-> for a piece ot 12 yards long and 21 inches m 

 wiilth The same price is charged for a piece \f, yards 

 long and IS inches iu width. If 50 pieces and upward 

 are' purchased and allowance ot H2 on each piece 

 is made. — Bom!'".'/ Gazette, 



