328 
COTTON 
number of yards in a pound. Hence, any fabric 
varies in cost, and in the number of yards made 
from a pound of raw cotton in proportion to the 
fineness of the yarn from which it is woven. 
Taking averages only, one pound of cotton 
worth ten cents may be manufactured into: 
1 J yards of Denim worth 18 cents. 
4 yards of Sheeting worth 20 cents. 
4 yards of Bleached Muslin worth 32 cents. 
7 yards of Calico worth 35 cents. 
6 yards of Gingham worth 45 cents. 
10 yards of Shirtwaists worth $1.50. 
10 yards of Lawn worth $2.50. 
25 Handkerchiefs worth $2.50. 
56 spools of No. 40 Sewing Thread worth $2.80. 
In giving these figures only an estimate of the 
number of yards can be made. This will vary 
according to the fineness of the yarns, the number 
of threads, and "picks" per inch in the cloth. 
The threads that are used in weaving are known 
as "numbers" or "counts." The thinner the 
thread the greater the number it will have. This 
matter may be stated thus : A pound of cotton is 
passed through all the preparatory machines in the 
mill — lapping, carding, drawing, slubbing, and spin- 
ning ; if this one pound of raw cotton is made into 
one thread measuring 840 yards the "number" or 
"counts" of the thread will be 1. If a pound of 
cotton is drawn out to 1680 yards the "counts" will 
be doubled. So a pound of cotton may be drawn 
out to almost any desired length, making the fabric 
(with which the threads are woven) vary in weight 
according to the thickness of the threads. It is 
a common occurrence to spin a pound of cotton 
into 84,000 yards of thread or even to a length 
exceeding one hundred miles. 
