The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1912-09-26
Binder TWine.
A. j

Paper Read Before the Chd,ttGuQid Circle:
The raw material from which
binder twine is manufactured comes
chiefly from Yucatan, New Zealand
and Manila. Sisal hemp from Yu-
catan, New Zealand hemp from New
Zealand, and Manila hemp from
Manila.
It's growth is similar to that of
t h banana plant. The bearing
quality being of a course, thick
barky fiber 1t is taken in this state
and drawn through draw shaves,
thereby separating it into long slen-
der threads. 1t is then put into the
sun to dry-thus hemp.
The required time for this plant
to produce crop is three years,
after which it produces two crops
year. T o insure Its growth tn e
plant must be kept from the sun,
consequently i t is planted under
trees, shrubbery and on the shady
side of hills.
After the fibrous threads have
been dried they are then taken to
machines and pressed into bales,
varying in weight from two to five
hundred pounds New leland hemp
weighing sometimes close to one
thousand pounds to the bale; these
are usually termed as double bales).
It's rout is then by eam-ship to
New Orleans, San Francisco or
Seattle, depending on where it is
consigned from, thence by rail to
Saltwater. The cars after being
set in the yards are unloaded and
the hemp weighed and piled in the
warehouse. When ready to be used
it is taken TO the oil room to 60
through process of oiling; the oil
increasing the strength of the fiber.
1t is then turned over to the open
ers, who break the bales, unite the
knots and otherwise prepare it for
the breaker. 1t is pulled to the
breaker in big piles and then fed in
strands going through a network
of sharp steel spikes, called "hackle
pins' about six inches in length,
coming out at the other end in a
steady strand, which is coiled in
piles about three or four feet in
height.
After the first working it is ready
to go through a second breaker,
which is on the same principle as
the first one, the drawing being
trife finer. The piles are b en-
weighed averaging about three
hundred pounds, depending upon
the grade of the fiber) and are then
ready to go through what is called
+, coarse spreader, which is a still
finer process, and in this manner
/. passes through several more ma
: chimes all giving it finer raking
a until it reaches the finishers. These
q machines regulate the fiber, now
called the silver. The silver after
leaving the finisher is coiled into
$ fiber cans and is then ready for
v the spinners. Before reaching the
s spinners 1t again goes through the
n drawing process, only on much
finer scale, the hackle pins being
about one inch long, and set very
I close together. After passing thro-
e ugh this it is very speadily pulled
e into the spinner, which gives it a
; twist of fourteen turns. and is rapidly
wound on spools or bobbins. The
spool when filled holds about ten
pounds of twine and is then ready
for the balling department. The
4 filled spool being set on balling
machine is unwound into balls
! weighing about four pounds n d
i thirteen ounces. CA filled spool max
ing two balls Of twine). The balls
finished are tagged. inspected, pack
ed in burlap sacks and sewed. The
o finished bale, weighing fifty pounds,
ia then ready for the warehouse.