ELASTIC GUM VINE. 163 



Great attention mud be paid to prevent one part of 

 the gum coming in contadt with another while wet 

 with the milk or its whey; for the inftant that takes 

 place, they become infeparably united. But mould 

 we ever fucceed in having large plantations of our 

 own vine, or in transferring the American tree (which 

 is perhaps more productive) to our pofTefTions, fo that 

 milk could be procured in fufficient quantity for the 

 covering various cloths, which mould be done on the 

 fpot, and afterwards exported to Europe^ then the ad- 

 vantages attending this lingular property of the milk 

 would for ever balance its difadvantages: cloths, and 

 coverings of different defcriptions, might then be 

 made from this gum cloth, with an expedition fo much 

 greater than by the needle, that would at firft appear 

 very furprizing: the edges of the feparate pieces only 

 requiring to be wet with the milk, or its whey, and 

 brought into contact, when the article would be 

 finimed, and fit for ufe. Should both milk and whey 

 be wanting, a folution of the gum in either can always 

 be obtained, by which the fame end would be accom- 

 plifhed. 



Of all the cloths upon which I made experiments, 

 nankeen, from the ftrength and quality of its fabric, 

 appeared the beft calculated for coating with the gum. 

 The method I followed in performing this, was, to 

 lay the cloth fmooth upon a table, pour the milk upon 

 it, and with a ruler to fpread it equally. But mould 

 this ever be attempted on a larger fcale, I would re- 

 commend the following plan: To have a cittern for 

 holding the milk a little broader than the cloth, to be 

 covered with a crofs bar id the centre, which muff, 

 reach under the furface of the milk, and two rollers 

 at one end. Having filled the cittern, one end of the 

 piece of cloth is to be paffed under the bar, and 

 through between the rollers; the former keeping the 

 cloth immerfed in the milk, the latter in prefRng out 

 what is fupeirluous, fo that none may be loft. The 



L 2 cloth 



