85 



rate piece is tied by itself. When the reel is full the pieces 

 ara all tied together, taken off and immediately dried. 



Most of this silk is manufactured into sewing silk and 

 twist in the following manner : it is immersed for a 

 few moments in boiling water, taken out, put on swifts 

 and spun or twisted on a common woolen wheel, begin- 

 ning, at the large end of the piece, that is at the end 

 which was reeled first: and when it becomes too small, 

 which is the case when one half or two thirds is run off, 

 the small end of another piece is added to it, and thus 

 they are twisted together. It is then spooled directly off 

 the spindle ; a sufficient number of spools is put into a 

 small spool frame to make a thread of a proper size, 

 which is twisted again while it is moist. It is then 

 reeled again and cleansed by boiling in strong suds for 

 three hours, then dried and colored. Undergoing this 

 process it shrinks about one half in weight ; after this, 

 for sewing silk, it is doubled, twisted and reeled on a 

 reel two yards long, and is divided into skeins of twenty 

 threads each, as the statute of that State requires. If it 

 be calculated for twist, it is made three threaded, twisted 

 and done up into sticks with a small hand machine, and 

 is then ready for the market. The floss, or tow, as it is 

 called, is boiled in strong suds for three hours, dried 

 picked, carded, and spun on a common wool wheel. 

 The yarn is woven into cloth, which is worn by the 

 women for every -day gowns. It is sometimes manufac- 

 tured into very strong and durable carpets. 



Those cocoons that the grubs have pierced are boiled 

 as above and dried. The end that is not pierced is cut 

 off ; they then are spun on a linen wheel like worsted, 



