USEFUL ARTS. 



CHAPTER III. 



CLOTH-DRESSING. BRUSHES AND COMBS. BUTTONS, HOOKS 

 AND EYES, AND CLASP. 



The Teazle and its Structure. Its Use in raising the " Nap" on Cloth. Its Value 

 in Commerce. Artificial Teazles. The modern Cloth-dressing Machine. 

 The Brush an Article of Luxury. Definition of the Brush, and its various 

 Uses. Brushes in Nature. The Foot of the Fly and the Tail-brush of the 

 Glow-worm Larva. Mode in which they are used. The Comb. Varieties 

 of the Comb as made in different Countries. Combs in Nature. Foot of the 

 Spider and its Uses. Beak of the Toucan. Comb of the Scorpion. Buttons, 

 Hooks and Eyes. Use of the Button. The Egyptian Garment. The 

 Buckle and the Shoe-tie. The Clasp. Wing-hooks of various Insects. 

 The Saddle-back Oyster. 



CLOTH-DRESSING MACHINE. 



F former days, when so much was done by hand that is now 

 done by machinery, the thistle called the Teazle (Dipsacus 

 fullonum] was of great value in British commerce, being used 

 by countless thousands in the manufacture of broadcloth. 



When the woollen threads are woven so as to form the fabric 

 of the cloth, there is no nap upon them, this having to be pro- 

 duced by a subsequent process. The plan of former days was, 

 to procure a quantity of the seed-vessels of the Teazle, and dry 

 them. They were then fastened to an instrument something 

 like a wooden battledore, and swept over the surface of the cloth. 

 By degrees the delicate booklets which terminate the many 

 scales of the seed-vessel tore up the fibres of the cloth, and pro- 

 duced the desired nap without impairing the strength of the 

 thread. When this nap is worn off, the threads are again 

 visible, producing the effect called " threadbare." 



As the art of weaving continued to progress, the demand for 

 Teazles increased in due proportion, and vast quantities were 



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