MANUFACTURING TESTS OF COTTON. 5 
same extent — the effects of the fumigation might have been seriously 
questioned. However, since the two tests at the textile school do not 
disclose any material difference between these lots it is assumed that 
the differences shown by the mill tests are the result of technicalities. 
MOISTURE TESTS. 
The results of these tests were substantiated by moisture tests 
of the fumigated and nonfumigated cotton at the textile school, 
shown in Table III. The results of these tests indicate that the 
fumigation had no appreciable effect on the absorptive properties 
of the cotton. 
Table III. — Percentages of moisture in the cotton while in the 
processes. 
manufacturing 
Lot No. 2. 
Differ- 
ence. 
Process. 
Fumi- 
gated. 
Nonfu- 
migated. 
8.10 
8.09 
6.55 
7.08 
7.76 
7.66 
7. CO 
7.13 
+0.34 
Finished lap - 
+0.43 
—1.05 
-0.05 
SPINNING QUALITIES. 
The numbers of yarn made at the textile school to ascertain the 
spinning qualities were 40's and 50's from the lj-inch cotton and 
10's, 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 80's, and 100's from the lj-inch cot- 
ton. Close observations were made by the men who actually were 
running the machines and also by those supervising the work and 
no difference was observed in the general spinning qualities. 
TENSILE STRENGTH. 
In order to ascertain the tensile strength comparisons of the dif- 
ferent lots of fumigated and nonfumigated cotton, a number of bob- 
bins of the different numbers of yarn were sent from the textile 
school and the mills to the laboratory of the Office of Markets and 
Rural Organization of the Department of Agriculture for test 
purposes. 
These tests were made by reeling off, in skeins of 120 yards each, 
the same numbers of yarn made from the different lots. The skeins 
were placed on racks 1 in order to keep them separate and to avoid 
tangling, after which they were removed one at a time in rotation 
and broken with a power yarn-tester, the downward stroke of the 
traverser moving at the rate of approximately 12 inches per minute. 
Hourly humidity records were taken and the humidifier was regu- 
1 Method originated by Dr. N. 
Agriculture. 
A. Cobb, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Department of 
