THE FIBER PRODUCTS OF THE FARM 157 
west. Each yucca fiber terminates at the surface of the leaf 
in a spine which serves as a natural needle, permanently 
threaded; both horsehair and sinew-thread were thrust 
through punctures made with a bone awl—the antecedent of 
the sewing-needle. The stiffness of these fibres was therefore 
an advantage. Every land has its own fiber products, and 
these give character and individuality to its textile arts, not- 
withstanding that braiding and spinning are the same funda- 
mental operations everywhere. 
Simple as is the process of making a cord from loose fibers, 
spinning is one of the greatest of human inventions. Weav- 
ing, the making of cloth by the interlacing of cords thus spun, 
is its complemental art. Spindle and loom are symbols of 
modern civilization; they have done more than almost any 
other mechanical aids, to change the conditions of our living 
from that of our savage ancestry. Yet spindle and loom had 
humble and far-off beginnings. The primitive spindle was a 
smooth stick that could be fastened at one end to a mass of 
loose fibers, and twisted at the other with the fingers, winding 
the fibers into a thread as they were drawn out from the mass; 
or elsewhere it was a suspended whirling bob, that could be 
set in motion with the hand. The primitive loom was a low 
horizontal bough of a tree, with threads of the warp suspended 
from it. The threads of the woof were twined in and out by 
hand. With an equipment only a little more complicated 
than this, some of the finest products of the world’s textile art 
have been produced. 
Birds weave crudely, but they do not spin. They accept 
from nature and use in their nest building a great variety of 
fibers, but they have not attained to the art of lengthening 
their cordage by twisting short fibers together. This is a 
human art. The foundation of an oriole’s nest (fig. 63), con- 
sisting of a few strands of cordage suspended from a twig, is 
not far removed. either in principle or in form, from the warp 
