The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1900-03-31

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mountain districts of China; soap, sugar,
any kind Of grease or oily vegetable mat
ter will answer, and the Orientals are
versed in a variety of expedients for over
Weighing that we are unable to guess at.
The most tactful manufacturer cannot
weave rich, plant silk from f1laments that
lave been tempered with. The native
sickness is marred by the process neces-
sary to abstract the foreign substance.
Those exquisitely delicate silken fabrics
made on the hand looms of Europe and
the Orient are mad from silk wound off
the cocoon while the worm Is still alive,
instead of it's having been killed by roast
ing, as is the common practice. The
roasted cocoon gives off it's silk more
readily. The Keeling is facilitated, but
the difference in the texture of silk OBJ
tanned from a live cocoon and that OBJ
tanned from a dead one is plain to an ex-
pert. He can detect 1t just as a game
connoisseur can tell from the taste Of the
bird whether it was scalded in order to
make the feathers come off easily CT was
picked dry.
1.-THE certain proportion of native gum
existent in the COCOON said the condi-
toner, ''plays into the tricksters' hands.
and our business Is to detect the true
from the false and put the standard of
any particular bale just where 1t belongs.
Then the silk dealers know just what
grade Of raw stuff they have to deal with,
the throwers and dyers have a standard
to go by, and the manufacturers know
definitely what grade Of goods 1t Is posi-
and won't be trying blindly, as 1t were,
to fashion d silk purse out Of a sow's ear.
Sometimes We nav to make uoccecm-
positions Of manufactured silks to dis
cover what has interfered with their per-
lection. Our professor can tell the mo-
ment he gets the silk in his hands pretty
nearly what the trouble was, but it is
assayed accurately in proof. Dessication.
boiling, rinsing, drying and weighing Of
minute fractional quantities is necessary
in every case"
The women conditioners also work in
the sizing room, where the reeled silk
threads are measured and their venue
ascertained. The test is made on five
skeins taken at random out of a bale.
winds very WE'LL" winds WELL" mot
a good winder,' are the three grades Of
certificate. The skeins are also weighed
individually, and there are tests for raw
silk, for thrown silk n for spun silk,
all accomplished by women possessing
the rare finger touch and accuracy. The
winding machines used are delicate n
expensive. The raw silk wound of from
the cocoon where the silk is raised is
reeled very unevenly, thick and thin,
more flaments in one spot than another.
This is q drawback to smoothly.
goods, and the conditioners tell the
manufacturer Just what degree Of even
ness he can depend on. The silk threads
are then tested, both as to tenacity and
elasticity, two qualifications inherent in
the best silk. To gauge the tenacity in
creasing weights are hung to the single
thread until it breaks. the tester register
ing the weight required to break 1t. The
elasticity Of a silk thread depends upon
the length per cent to which that thread
can stretch without breaking. Ten DIFF
ferent tests are made for each sample
and then the average is taken.
One other test is made, namely, the
finding of the twist in a given sample
of thrown. silk. Deft fingers and acute
sight are requisite for this. much UNI
twisting and counting being necessary
and when it is remembered that a thread
Of common sewing silk contains about
200 flaments Of the silk as the worm has
spun 1t some idea of the patience and
a%stuteness Of these testers may be ar
rived at.-New York Sun.