50 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 purposes 
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 whichare valuable for their felting properties. The manu- 
facture of felt for industrial purposes, piano parts, shppers, 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 crépes, 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, ete., 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 products.—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- 
