328 COTTON 



number of yards in a pound. Hence, any fabric 

 varies in cost, and in the number of yards made 

 from a pound of raw cotton in proportion to the 

 fineness of the yarn from which it is woven. 



Taking averages only, one pound of cotton 

 worth ten cents may be manufactured into: 



1 \ yards of Denim worth 18 cents. 



4 yards of Sheeting worth 20 cents. 



4 yards of Bleached Muslin worth 32 cents. 



7 yards of Calico worth 35 cents. 



6 yards of Gingham worth 45 cents. 



10 yards of Shirtwaists worth $1.50. 



10 yards of Lawn worth $2.50. 



25 Handkerchiefs worth $2.50. 



56 spools of No. 40 Sewing Thread worth $2.80. 



In giving these figures only an estimate of the 

 number of yards can be made. This will vary 

 according to the fineness of the yarns, the number 

 of threads, and "picks" per inch in the cloth. 



The threads that are used in weaving are known 

 as "numbers" or "counts." The thinner the 

 thread the greater the number it will have. This 

 matter may be stated thus : A pound of cotton is 

 passed through all the preparatory machines in the 

 mill lapping, carding, drawing, slubbing, and spin- 

 ning; if this one pound of raw cotton is made into 

 one thread measuring 840 yards the "number" or 

 "counts" of the thread will be 1. If a pound of 

 cotton is drawn out to 1680 yards the " counts " will 

 be doubled. So a pound of cotton may be drawn 

 out to almost any desired length, making the fabric 

 (with which the threads are woven) vary in weight 

 according to the thickness of the threads. It is 

 a common occurrence to spin a pound of cotton 

 into 84,000 yards of thread or even to a length 

 exceeding one hundred miles. 



