PROCEEDINGS OF THE POLYTECHNIC ASSOCIATION. 603 



extent in the same thread. Althougli the cotton fiber is so much 

 shorter than that of the wool, yet they work so well together 

 that when the tliread is finished, the wool has so completely ab- 

 sorbed the cotton fiber that it requires much skill to detect the 

 cotton. 



The President. — The cotton fiber being but a twentieth part 

 the size of the woolen, is caught upon the hooks of the wool and 

 wound among the woolen fibers. The machinery acts upon the 

 woolen fiber, and it is necessary that that should be of nearly 

 uniform length. 



Mr. Yeeder. — In England, old garments are cut up by ma- 

 chinery until the material is reduced almost to a powder, and 

 this goes in with the larger woolen staple, and is w^ound up with 

 it in the process of twisting; and thus a heavy cloth is produced 

 which is not so strong, however, as cloth made without this ad- 

 dition. 



The President replied tliat here, also, the shorter fiber was 

 taken up by the wool, while the latter, being acted upon by the 

 machinery, must be of nearly uniform length. 



Mr. Babcock said that another substance, called " flock," was 

 more used, which is sheared from the surface of cloth in finishing 

 it, and is put into the falling mill and felted into the cloth. 



Mr. J. R. Haskell. — If the fibers of flax were separated per- 

 fectly, and the glutinous matter dissolved, probably no mineral 

 matter would be found in them. Upon using a caustic solution, 

 instead of jDure water, in the steam cannon, he had found the flax 

 fiber to be much smaller than that of cotton. If linen is too 

 cold to wear next the skin, wool can be worn next the skin, and 

 linen, which is more durable than cotton, and looks better, out- 

 side. He exhibited specimens of clothing manufactured from 

 half wool and half flax. 



Mr. Johnson said that he had learned from the catalogue of 

 the World's Fair, that fine cottons from India were there spun 

 into thread, one pound of which would be 115 miles in length. 

 In England, one pound of yarn has measured 167 miles; but this 

 yarn could not be woven by machinery. Yarns were exhibited, 

 Nos. 200, 400, and 600 j the latter would be 280 miles to the lb. 

 A small specimen was exhibited as high as 970 miles to the lb. 

 One statement "makes the number 5,408, but this was evidently 

 an error. 



Mr. Seely. — The reason why linen can be more reaily dyed than 



