

SILK. 



■on bar e, which is placed horizontally over the centre of 

 e bafin A ; afterwards fhe twifts the two compound 

 threads (which confiit of four cocoons each) twenty or 

 twenty-five times round each other, that the four ends in 

 each thread may the better join together by crofling each 

 other, and that the thread of the filk may be round, which 

 otherwife would be flat. 



The threads, after palling through the holes in the iron 

 bar e, and being twilted together, are palled through the 

 eyes of the loops, a, of the layer, and thence being condufted 

 to the reel, are madefafttooneof its rails. The child who turns 

 the reel, gives it the moft rapid movement poflible, and thus 

 draws off the threads from the cocoons in the bafin A. The 

 flow traverfing motion of the layer prevents the threads lying 

 over each other upon the reel, until it has made fo many 

 revolutions in the air as to dry the gum of the filk fo far, 

 that the threads will not adhere together. After the reel is 

 covered for about the breadth of three inches, by the gradual 

 progrcflion of the layer, it returns and direfts a fecond 

 courfeof threads over the firft laid, and foon until the required 

 length for the ficeins is obtained. The machine winds two 

 flieins at one time. As it is eflential to the produdlion of 

 good filk, that the thread (hould have loft part of its heat ar.d 

 gumminefs before it touches the bars of the reel, the Pied- 

 montefe are by law obliged to have a diltance of thirty-eight 

 French inches between the guides, a, and the centre of the 

 reel ; and the layer muit alfo, under a penalty, be moved 

 by cog-wheels inftead of an endlefs cord, which is fometimcs 

 ufed in Italy, and which, if fuffered to grow flack, will caufe 

 the layer to ftop and not lay the threads diftindtly, and that 

 part of the fliein will be glued together, whereas the cog- 

 wheels cannot fail. 



When the ficeins are quite dry the reel is removed from 

 the frame, and by the folding of two of its arms the (kcins 

 are taken off. A tie is made with fome of the rcfufe filk 

 on that part of each fliein where it bore upon the bars of 

 the reel, and another tie on the oppofite part of the flcein ; 

 after which it is doubled into a hank, and ulually tied round 

 near each extremity, when it is laid by for ufe or iale. 



This operation appears very fimple, but to produce a good 

 thread requires much attention. The reeler muft not wait 

 until the thread of a cocoon is entirely exhaulled before Ihe 

 joins on another, becaufe the threads near the end have not 

 above a quarter of their full thicknefs. The cocoons pro- 

 duce a very unequal length ; fome may be met with which 

 yield 1 2C0 ells, whilll others will fcarcely afford 200 eUs. In 

 general, the produftion of a cocoon may be eitimatcd from 

 500 to 600 ells in length. As often as the cocoons fhe 

 winds are exhaulled, or break, or only diminifh, file joins 

 frelh ones to keep up the requifite number, or the propor- 

 tion ; becaufe, as the cocoons wind off, and the thread becomes 

 finer, fhe mull join two cocoons half wound to replace a new 

 one. Thus Ihc can wind three new ones and two half wound, 

 and the filk will be equal to that piodiiced from four to five 

 cocoons. When fhe would join a frelh thread fhe muft lay 

 one end on her finger, throw it lightly on the other threads 

 which are winding, and the gum will join it immediately, 

 and it will continue to go up with the reft. She muft not wind 

 oft her cocoons to the laft, becaufe when they are near at an 

 end the hufl< of the worm joins in with the other threads, and 

 makes the filk foul and gouty. The filk may be wound of 

 any fize from one cocoon to 100, but it is difficult to wind 

 more than thirty in a thread. 



The nicety of the operation, and that part in which lies 

 the greateft difliculty, is to wind an even tliread, becaufe as 

 the cocoon winds oft the end is finer, and other cocoons 

 muft be joined on to keep up the fame fize. This difficulty 



of keeping the filk always even is fo gieal, that (excepting a 

 thread of two cocoons, wliich is called fuch) they do not fay 

 a filk of three, four, or fix cocoons ; but a filk of three to 

 four, four to five, or fix to fevcn cocoons. In a coarfer filk 

 it cannot be calculated even fo nearly as to four cocoons more 

 orlefs; they fay, for example, from 12 to 15, from 15 to 

 20, and fo on. 



During the operation of winding, the woman muft always 

 have a bowl of cold water by her, to dip her fingers in, 

 and to fprinkle frequently upon the iron bar e, that the 

 heat of the bafin may not burn the threads, alfo to cool her 

 fingers every time file dips them in the hot water, and to 

 pour into the bafin when neceflary, that is, when the water 

 begins to boil. The water muft be juft in a proper degree 

 of heat ; for when it is too hot, the thread is dead, and has 

 no body ; and when too cold, the ends which form the 

 thread do not join well, and form a harfh filk. The heat 

 of the water from wliich the cocoons, are wound, caufes 

 that adhefion of the fibres which compofe the filk ; a thread 

 can with difficulty be wound off when cold water is em- 

 ployed ; but in this manner the adhefion is verj' flight, and 

 the thread breaks with a flight force, or the leaft moifture 

 will feparate the fibres ; but the filk wound from hot water 

 cannot be feparated except by hot water. 



The old cocoons require the water to be very hot : if 

 the threads break very frequently, it may be concluded that 

 the water is too cold ; or, on the other hand, if the filk 

 comes off entangled, and in the ilate of wool, the water is 

 too hot. When the firft parcel of cocoons is finifhed, the 

 bafin, A, is cleaned, taking out all the flriped worms, as 

 well as the cocoons, on which there remains a little filk : 

 thefe are thrown into a baflcet, into which the loofe filk 

 that comes off in making the battue is likewife put as wafte 

 filk, to be carded and fpun into tlireads. The water in the 

 bafin muft be changed four times a day for coarfe filk, and 

 twice only for good cocoons of fine lllk : if the water is 

 not changed, the filk will not be fo bright and glofly, be. 

 caufe the worms contained in the cocoons foul it very con- 

 fiderably. The reeler muft endeavour to wind as much as 

 poflible with clear water, for if there are too many worms 

 in it, the filk will be covered with a kind of duft, which 

 afterwards attrafts moths, which dettroys the filk. 



From the gummy or vifcid material which filk gives out 

 to water when the cocoons are infufed in it, Chappe found 

 that he was able to blow up the water into bubbles, or 

 fmall balloons, far more permanent than thofe of foap and 

 water, and offering all the colours of the rainbow. So 

 clofe, indeed, is the texture of thefe filky bl.idders, that 

 even the moft fubtile gas docs not penetrate them. Chappe 

 filled many of them, the diameter of each not exceeding 

 three inches, with hydrogen gas, and found feveral of them 

 continued in a ftate of fufpcnfion, in an apartment, for con- 

 fiderably more than twenty-four hours. It is not all filk, 

 however, that is fufficiently glutinous for this purpofc ; 

 that whicii is of a very deep yellow will not anfwer the 

 fame purpofe. This filk, from its colour, is hippoled to 

 be produced by the worm in a peculiar dif.afc, yet thio 

 is a ftate by no means uncommon. 



All kind of filk wiiicli is fimply drawn from the cocoons 

 by the reeling, is called raw filk, but is denominated fine 

 or coarfe according to the number of fibres of wliich the 

 thread is compofed. In general, the raw filk requires dyeing; 

 to prepare for which the tluead is very flightly twifted, to 

 render it (Iroiig, and more al)le to bear the adioii of the 

 hot liquor, without feparating tlie fibres or furring up. 

 Silk-yarn, which is employed by the weavers for the woof 

 or weft of the ftufl's wliicli they fabricate, is compofed of 

 4X2 two 



