South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-03-04
Practical knowledge of Textiles

has high luster which il retains
after many washings. while the imi-
tation loses its luster with the frstl
washing
Linen is much more expense u
than cotton, and. when linen prices
are paid, linen should be demanded.
Since the two fhers are rather hard
20 distinguish. especially whenl
! heavily starched and given a good
finish, IL is quite easy 20 deceive the
buyer. Linen" collars are fire.
Quently largely cotton. linen
handkerchiefs may not have a
thread OF linen, as il apt TO be the
case with rather inexpensive en-
broidered handkerchiefs. and table
linen" may be mercerized cotton.
cotton and linen. or even ordinary
cotton.
To distinguish linen from cotton,
examine the threads carefully: cot
ton is made up OF short fbers which
project from the surface OF the
thread and become fuzzy when the
thread is rubbed between the fin
gers; when broken, cotton has
tufted end. while the linen fbers
break more unevenly and leave a
more pointed end. The linen thread
should be stronger than the cotton:
II has more luster and is usually
more uneven. Some kinds have fat
threads. but cotton is frequently
finished in imitation OF hat-thread
linen.
The old test Of moistening the
finger and putting il under the cloth
is not always a sure one. as tie
moisture will not come through "a
heavy linen. or one with much
starch in Il. and il will come
through a sheer. tightly twisted cot
ton. A better test is 20 put a drop
OF olive oil on the cloth and press
between blotting papers. The linen
becomes more transparent than the
cotton. There is a peculiar leath-
cry feel about good table linen
which cotton will not give. and the
luster is different, although the diff
ference is hard 10 describe
The most reliable tests for a mix
ture Of cotton and wool are chemi-
cal or microscopic, but. as these are
not practical for the average buyer.
others must be sought. Wool has
luster and kinks; the ends OF the
wiry. When a sample is carried
home, burning will serve 10 dis
tinguish between the two. Wool
burns slowly. chars, has an oGor OF
burnt feather, goes out easily. and
leaves a crisp ash; cotton burns
quickly with a name, with little
odor and leaves no ash. little
practice in breaking the threads viii
help one 10 distinguish between the
two; the difference is not one that
can be easily explained, but the eN-
perienced housewife knows IL well
In olden times the price OF silk
was much greater than now, bv the
material was much more dur ie
silks which have been laid away for
a hundred years are still In fairly
good condition. Now our silks are
much cheaper, and the result il
that, when they are put away. even
for a few months. they may fall I'm
to bits, and their wearing quality
cannot be compared with the good
old silks OF long ago. The reason
for this change is not hard 20 find.
The cost OF raw silk is about 30
times that OF raw cotton. and the
waste at least FIVE times that OF cot
ton. The manufacturer must make
up in some way II ne is 20 sell the
silk at prices demanded by the pub
lie.
Burning is the simplest test for
good silk; a thread OF pure silk viii
burn slowly, leaving as IL burns "a
very small amount OF crisp ash IN
ball at the end OF the thread. Heay-
lily weighted silk burns and leaves
the ash in The form Of the original
thread; this ash, OF course. drops 20
pieces readily