806 
COTTON 
In looms, improvements have also been made 
that have contributed to greater ease in weaving. 
The old loom necessitated stopping whenever the 
yarn in the shuttle was exhausted and until a 
freshly filled shuttle could be inserted. Now such 
improvements have come that the shuttle may be 
filled without being removed and without replacing 
the shuttle itself, in either case without stopping the 
loom at all. This is a matter of considerable con- 
sequence since as much as one-half of the labor 
cost of converting a pound of cotton into woven 
cloth is in weaving. 
WHAT BECOMES OF YARN? 
Yarns are used in many ways. In our country 
spinning and weaving are usually done by one and 
the same establishment. But in Great Britain 
and on the continent of Europe, the spinning and 
weaving operations are almost invariably separate, 
and as a rule bear no relation to each other. 
Throughout the cotton manufacturing world a 
great part of the yarn goes at once into plain cotton 
cloth. It is also used for warp in woolen and 
worsted goods, and also for knitting into under- 
wear. Considerable quantities of yarn are used 
for this purpose. 
For sewing thread and the finest grade of cotton 
thread for weaving, Sea Island cotton is principally 
used on account of its length, evenness and strength. 
After it has been spun into yarn it is next con- 
verted into thread by doubling and twisting until 
it is of the desired thickness and strength. 
COTTON MANUFACTURING IN AMERICA 
As early as 1787 records show that Great Brit- 
ain consumed nearly 23,000,000 pounds of cotton. 
