40 



SILK MANUrACTURE. 



the hedge is advancing towards maturity, 

 may be turned by the plough from tiie 

 hedge to the distance of fifteen or twenty 

 feet, or to any required distance to bring 

 enough water to the liedgc, by its descent 

 in that direction. The surface of earth for 

 the distance of a foot on each side of the 

 hedge may be raised five or six inches dur- 

 ing that time, by adding a little vegetable 

 mould each year. The land here is sup- 

 posed to be perfectly level; where it is 

 otherwise, the water may be collected 

 from a considerable distance, and retained 

 about the hedge by an embankment or 

 dyke parallel with the hedge and in other 

 directions as the declivity of the ground 

 may require. 



SILK MANUFACTURE. 

 (Continued froui p. 19.) 



The ends thus joined into two or three 

 threads, are passed into the holes of three 

 iron rods in the fore part of the reel, then 

 wpon the bobbins or pulleys, and at last, 

 are drawn out to the reel itself, and there 

 fastened, each to an end of an arm or 

 branch of the reel. Thus disposed, the 

 winder, giving motion to the reel by turn- 

 ing the handle, guides the threads, substi- 

 tutes new ones, when any of them break, 

 or any of the balls are [wound out; 

 strengthens them where necessary'', b}^ ad- 

 ding others, and takes away the balls 

 wound out, or that having been pierced, 

 are full of water. 



In this manner, two persons will spin 

 and reel three jiounds of silk in a day, 

 which is done with greater despatch than 

 is made by the spinning wheel or distaff. 

 Indeed, all silks cannot be spun and reeled 

 after this manner; either because the balls 

 have been perforated by the silk-worms 

 themselves, or because tliey are double, 

 or too weak to bear the water, or because 

 they are coarse, &c. — Of all these togeth- 

 er they make a particular kind of "silk, 

 called floretta; which being carded, or ev- 

 en spun on the distaff, or the wheel, in the 

 condition it comes from the ball, makes a 

 tolerable silk. As to the balls, after 

 opening them with scissors and taking out 

 the insects, (which are of some use for 

 the feeding of poultry,) they are steeped 

 three or four days in troughs, the water 

 of which is changed every day to prevent 

 putrefaction. When they are well soft- 



ened by this scouring, and cleared of that 

 gummy matter; the worm had lined 

 the inside with, and which renders it im- 

 penetrable to the water, and even to air 

 itself, they boil them half an hour in a 

 ley of ashes, very clear and well strained; 

 and after washing them out in river or 

 running water, and drying them in the 

 sun, they card and spin them on the wheel 

 (^'C, and thus make another kind of floret- 

 ta, somewhat inferior to the former. 



As to the spinning and reeling of raw 

 silks off the balls, such as they are 

 brought from Italy and the Levant the first 

 is chiefly performed on the spinning 

 wheel, and the latter either on hand reels, 

 or on reels mounted on machines which 

 serve to reel several skeins at the same 

 time. As to the milling, they use a mill 

 composed of several pieces, which may 

 mill two or three hundred bobbins at 

 once, and make them into as many 

 skeins. For dying of silk, see p. 19. 



DEFINITION OF TERMS. 



Beghuiing with the. letter Ji. 



Jicetic tdcicl, Differs from acetous acid, 

 by having a larger proportion of oxygen. 



Jicetate of Potash. This salt occurs 

 native in thesap and some other vegetable 

 juices. 



Jicetous Acid, is obtained from vin- 

 egar by distillation. 



Jicetum Rosatum. Vinegar of roses, is 

 produced by rose-buds infused in vinegar 

 five or six weeks, the roses are then pres- 

 sed out, and the vinegar preserved, it is 

 used in cases of head-ache. 



Jlceluyn Prophylacticum, Is a prepa- 

 ration of acetic acid, camphor, flower of 

 lavender, 4*c. It is called also the F'in- 

 egar of the four thieves, who during the 

 plague at Marseilles, plundered the sick, 

 the dying, and the dead, and escaped un- 

 hurt b}?- the use of this preparation. 



Acids, Possess the following properties 

 (among others. ) They change the blue 

 colours of vegtables to red. The vegeta- 

 ble blues employed for this purpose are 

 generally tincture of litmus, and syrup of 

 violets or radishes, which have obtained 

 the name of reagents or tests. If these 

 colours have been previously converted 

 into green by alkalies, the acids restore 

 them again. 



Scidifiahlc base or radical. Is any sub- 



