80 REELING SILK. 



the silk will not come off readily and consequently the 

 thread will be broken. 



In order to keep the water at the right temperature, 

 without causing delay, the reeler should have cold 

 water within reach, that may be quickly dashed in, 

 should the water become too hot. In like manner, 

 the reeler should be provided with chips, or shavings, 

 that the fire may be suddenly quickened, should the 

 water become too cold. 



We might go on and fill pages with directions for 

 reeling silk ; but they would tend to perplex, rather 

 than enlighten, the reeler on the subject. Silk reel- 

 ing is an art, rather than a science ; and must be ac- 

 quired by experience and observation, and not by 

 theorizing on it as an abstract subject. This being 

 the fact, we consider a few plain practical directions, 

 better calculated to perfect the reeler in the art, than 

 instructions minutely drawn out in detail. The mys- 

 tery of reeling silk seems to resolve itself into one 

 simple operation keeping the thread even as it pas- 

 ses from the cocoon to the reel ; and this will easily 

 be done when the attention of the reeler is particu- 

 larly drawn to it. 



RAW SILB:. 



Silk direct from the reel, is called raw silk, on ac- 

 count of its being in an unmanufactured state. It is 

 ordinarily divided into three qualities, according to 

 its fineness, and numbered one, two and three the 

 finest being number one. The fineness of silk is 

 graduated by the fibres, taken from a given number 

 of cocoons. This the reeler regulates according to 

 the number of silk it is intended to reel. 



