90 SEWING SILK AND TWIST. 



Sewing silk is also manufactured in Connecticut, 

 in private families without the aid of machinery. It 

 was formerly reeled on the common reel ; but this 

 has of late given place to some of the improved reels 

 heretofore described, and a much better article is 

 made. Mr. Cobb thus describes the process of mak- 

 ing silk in families after it is reeled from the cocoon : 

 "It is immersed for a few moments in boiling water, 

 taken out, put on swifts and spun or twisted on a 

 common woolen wheel, beginning at the large end of 

 the piece, that is the end wilich was reeled first ; and 

 when it becomes 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 proper size, which is twisted again 

 while it is moist. It is 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 the 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 market." 



The Silk Manual, prepared by order of Congress, 

 and published in 1828, contains the following commu- 

 nication, to the Secretary of the Treasury, from 

 Daniel Bulkley, Esq., of Hampton, Connecticut, in 

 which the manner of manufacturing sewing silk and 

 twist, at that time, is described. Since that time, 

 some improvements have been made ; but the process 

 in families is substantially the same. 



