436 



FLAX 



058 



of disc b', it is thus driven at speeds varying according to its approach to or from 

 the shaft d, thus answering the purpose of the traversing leather belt of the cone 



movement ; /*, shaft keyed 

 in the pulley g, from which 

 the variable motion is trans- 

 ferred to the bobbins. 



A series of preparing ma- 

 chines, termed a 'system,' 

 consists in general of 1 

 spreading of 4 slivers at the 

 drawing rollers, united into 

 one by the doubling bars nt 

 the delivering roller, 2 frames 

 of second drawing, in all 

 24 bosses 2 frames, third 

 drawing containing together 

 36 bosses ; if a fourth draw- 

 ing is required, 2 frames of 

 24 bosses each, or 48 bosses 

 in all. 180 spindles of rov- 

 ing in 3 frames will well 

 supply 3,000 spindles of 

 medium spinning. The 

 mode of using this * system 

 is, as has already been said, 

 first to spread the strides of 

 line upon the feeding-sheet 

 of the spreader, then to 

 receive the sliver or slivers 

 there produced into cans capable of holding 1,000 to 1,200 yards of slivers. Those 

 cans specially intended to receive the slivers from this machine are all made to 



959 



960 



one regular weight ; thus, when filled, the weight of lino each contains is correctly 

 ascertained, and by the bell motion the length is also known. Upon this basis 

 is founded the method of producing any desired number of yarn, and by doubling 

 the slivers, a degree of equalisation that the simple spreading would bo unable 

 to effect; for at each drawing, and nt the roving, several of the slivers from the 

 preceding drawing are put together, to be again reduced to one for this object alone. 



