60 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM^ 1914. 



the development of manufacturing in this country. Among these 

 are one of the three spinning frames built by Samuel Slater at Paw- 

 tucket, R. I., the oldest piece of cotton machinery in the United 

 States; one of the first wool-carding machines constructed in this 

 country; and the oldest example of the Grant silk reel, now in uni- 

 versal use for reeling raw silk. Also included in this display are a 

 number of hand-power machines for spinning, winding and weaving, 

 dating from the Colonial period, and machines for similar purj)oses 

 used by people of other nationalities. 



On the gallery of the south hall are exhibited the raw materials 

 and manufactures of the less important vegetable fibers, and of hair, 

 fur, and felt. The east side is assigned to flax, ramie, hemp, jute, 

 and other exogenous or bast fibers, and the west side to the fibrous 

 materials obtained from endogenous plants like the banana, century 

 plant, pineapple, and cocoanut. Specimens deserving special notice 

 are fine examples of bleached damask table linen, novelty yarns, a 

 printed plush rug made from ramie fiber, wall hangings, figured 

 upholstery fabrics of jute, and Maori robes of New Zealand flax. A 

 series of cordage specimens made from flax, hemp, jute, abaca, sisal, 

 pita, and coir show the importance of these fibers in the indus- 

 trial world ; and brushes and brooms made from palmetto, cocoanut, 

 piassaba, yucca, agave, zacaton, broom corn, etc., are also displayed. 

 The exhibits of hair and fur comprise examples of horse, cow, yak 

 and human hair and of the products derived from them, and the 

 skins of fur-bearing animals like the rabbit, hare, beaver, nutria and 

 kangaroo which are \'aluable for their felting properties. The manu- 

 facture of felt for industrial purposes, piano parts, slippers, etc., and 

 the successive stages in the making of fur-felt hats is extensively 

 represented. 



The collections in the east south range comprise, in addition to 

 examples of the coarser weaving operations involved in basketry and 

 the making of straw hats, exhibits of minor textile products, such as 

 ribbons, ties, laces, veilings, braids and fringes; of fabrics of special 

 construction, such as crepes, Terry cloths, corduroys,, imitations of 

 seal, pony skin, and furs, and fabrics showing Persian lamb and 

 similar curled effects ; of knit fabrics, hosiery, and intermediate proc- 

 esses; and of small appliances used in the textile industry, such as 

 shuttles, spindles, spools, bobbins, heddles, needles, etc., as well as 

 an exposition of the modern methods of winding and delivering 

 thread, yarn and cordage. The wall cases contain upholstery fabrics, 

 curtains, and wall and floor coverings. 



Animal jyroducts. — The collection of animal products, exclusive of 

 wool and silk, is very incomplete and has scarcely been added to 

 within the past 20 years. It is installed in the gallery of the south- 

 west court, where the arrangement is planned to emphasize the in- 



