Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-02-11
story of a Seed.
now Our THREAD IS MADE.


Once upon a time, away down in Geor.
gia, man planted a little seed.
The sun shone warm on il, and the rain
came and soltened it, aud it soon began to-
sprout Day and night it grew, till it was
high as mans head Buds formed all
over it, aud one night they burst into bloom.
Beautiful cream-colored flowers they were,
something like a morning.glory.
BY noon the sun was too yarn. The
beautiful blossoms shut their leaves and
hung their heads, and before night each
oreom.eolored flower dropped oil. Where
each one had been was a little germ
This little green germ grew and grew till
it was as big as an egg, when it burst open,
and threw out beautiful fluff Of cotton
several inches long.
1t was cotton.seed Of course.
Then a man--a negro-camo aud tore
the cotton from its boil, put it into a basket
with others like it, and carried it to a room
where were hundreds Of pounds Of cotton.
Ia the room was a busy machine, and into
that machine the cotton was thrown.
This cotton, you must know, is full Of
seeds. Very troublesome little fellows they
are too, for they have no idea Of leaving
their comfortable home, aud it's very hard
to get them out
I'll tell you how the machine does IT.;
As the cotton goes in, it comes to a roller
covered with wire teeth. These teeth seize
the cotton and draw it through a sort Of
grating, so fine that the seeds can't get
through, so they Just stay on the outside.
As the roller goes around, it comes to a
brush.roler, which brushes off the cotton as
nicely as any brush can do it, Then the
cotton is packed in a bale, and sent to the
cotton-mils.
Now the cotton that came from the little
seed away off in Georgia is by this time
very dirty, and what do you suppose comes
next2 A BATH No; what's good for boys
isn't good for cotton. II gets-a beating
1t is laid on sort of network, and beaten
with bundles of twigs The dirt fall:
through the network, and then the cotton is
called " batting"
But the cotton from the seed I'm telling
about don't stop at batting. 1t is very fin,
and nice, and it goes to the carding-ma
chine. This machine lays all the thread
one way by drawing it through sets o
wire teeth,
1t comes out on to roller, aud is takel
off by still another roller, on which it look
like a wide, aeecy ribbon, But it don
keep that pretty look very long. 1t i
r drawn through a funnel, which makes i
$ small aud much frmer Ii isn't fin
/ enough yet however, and it goes between
$ another set Of rollers | wonder if there
? anything that can't be done with rollers
J, When it comes out pressed quite firm,
It is called rowing, aud is ready to be spun.
t You'll hardly believe me, but the spin
d ming is done on a mule!
d It's a very peculiar mule, | must admi
d made of wood and iron, and carryin
It twenty-five hundred spindles. So it spin
a twenty-five hundred threads at once and
N a wonderful machine, if it has funny nam
If 1t spins the loose rowing into niue
IN finer thread, slightly twisted. This threa
1t next runs through gas fame to burn 0
r the little fuzz, then over brush to take 0
10 the ashes, and then through a hole in
ID brass plate Just the size Of the thread.
o. Then 1t is wound IN skeins, and put I
at 10 five or ten pound bundles.
ne After all these travels, the thread has
I'd little rest before it starts through the la
Ne machine-the one that makes the soft co
N, ton into the solid, strong thread we buy
an spools TO sew with
IN The skelns are wound on to bobbins, al
Je. put on the machine. Six of the line threa
start together.
Look on spool, and you'll read, b,
six-cord cotton" That means, as | sal
of that six OF these threads arc united to ma
ew our sewing'thread.
Of But must tell you how they 60. Fin
,us over glass rod, and through little trou
DIS. OF water then between rollers, to PRE-
nd them tightly together. Leaving the rell'
lis, they 60 down, twisting as they go, to whC
Dr.. a spool is fastened. There 1t IS regular
,ur wound on, firm, smooth thread, while
be- spool moves slowly up and down as 1t wln'
of so as to make regular layers OF 1t.
be- Now the iruit OF the little colton'se
irn has become beautiful spool OF threi
r. -