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cocoons, which is neither fit for use in the silk manufac- 

 tory, nor for sewing silk. This is commonly called floss. 

 To this are added all which either from some defect in 

 the cocoons or from the awkwardness of the reeler, either 

 break or come out uneven, or are otherwise unfit for use, 

 and which are called waste silk. This mass boiled in 

 soap and water, and afterwards carded and spun on the 

 spinning wheel, makes excellent yarn for stockings. 



Mr D'Homergue classes the different kinds of silk ex- 

 tracted from the cocoons into six different kinds, viz. 



1st, Silk of the first qualiiy or singles. 



2d, Silk of the second quality or organzine. 



3d, Silk of the third quality or tram silk. 



4(h, Sewing Silk of the first and 2d quality. 



5th, Cordoimet or twist Silk of the first and 2d quality. 



6th, Floss Silk. 



The whole of the labor of extracting these different 

 silks from the cocoons, and all the preparatory work un- 

 til it is put to the mill is done in France by women, who 

 have separate tasks assigned to them in each of the 

 various complicated branches of this business ; the work- 

 shops are superintended by an overseer who is master of 

 the whole business. 



Mr Murray, a European writer, says that he visited an 

 establishment for unwinding the silk at Buffalora on the 

 Milanese frontier. Women were arranged opposite each 

 other and conducted the process; the cocoons contained 

 in baskets on one side, were thrown by handfuls into 

 cauldrons of water, kept boiling by charcoal fires be- 

 neath. Each (by a whisk of peeled birch) collected the 

 threads en masse ; the first confused portions were re- 

 6* 



