has not been always the case with manufacturers. It is but about twenty years, since the card-rooms of a mill of about 20,000 spindles were remodelled under the direction of a person who had obtained his reputation in one of our largest manufacturing cities as being one of the most skilful carders employed there. The mill referred to, when built, was arranged, according to the prevailing fashion of thirty years since, with double carding; the Lap for the Finishing Card being made upon the usual Lap-winder or "doubler," and with three Drawing Heads between the Finishing Cards and the Speeders. It was improved (?) by taking out the Lap-winder, and using all the cards as breakers, and so arranging them as to run the Drawings from seven cards into one head. This was done through a tin box, no belt or railway being used; and the Sliver was drawn at the head to the weight required for the Speeder. The Drawing Frames were wholly dispensed with, the only substitute being the head before alluded to; the "drawing" being taken from that head and put directly to the Speeder. The mill had been in operation for some years before these changes were made, and had earned for its manufactured goods a reputation equal to any in the markets. Two years' use of the improved card-room resulted,

1st, In a small saving in the cost of labor in the card-room, which was more than offset by the increased cost in other parts of the mill.

2d, In making a yarn that was excessively uneven and very difficult to make into cloth, and which, of course, made very imperfect and unsightly goods.

3d, In an entire loss of the good reputation the goods had formerly obtained, and finally in a change of management, a re-arrangement of the card-rooms, a reinstatement of the Drawing Frames, and a struggle for years after to win back the lost reputation of the goods.

To return to our Drawing. This term is first applied to the condensed Sliver delivered from the card, and was described by Mr. Forbes in his paper on Carding as 66 an even, uniform ribband or Sliver, free from all foreign substances, with its fibers parallel to each other, and in a condition to be reduced in size." If this description was practically true, and the drawing from the card could be found so perfect, we might almost dispense with the

services of the Drawing Frame; but probably none of us have ever succeeded in getting from our cards so perfect a product. Unfortunately, we are more apt to see it as described by Mr. Hussey, with the staple or fibres of cotton "lying in all directions, curled, knotted, cross-wise, and curved;" and we have to depend upon the Drawing Frame to accomplish a threefold work. 1. It has to equalize or even the Sliver of Drawing, and make it uniform in size or weight throughout its length.

2. It has to straighten and lay out the fibers of cotton lengthwise of the Sliver and parallel to each other.

3. It has to bring the Drawings to the proper size or weight for the Roving Frame.

Our means for obtaining these results are very simple, consisting merely of series of Rollers in pairs, running at different relative velocities, and so arranged that two or more Slivers of Drawing can be combined, after passing between the Rollers, to make one. But in using these means, simple as they are, questions of some difficulty present themselves, that are to be considered before we can settle upon the principles that should govern the use of the Drawing process.

1. What is the size of Drawing Sliver that is best adapted to the manipulation of the rollers?

2. What distance apart should the several pairs of Rollers in the same Frame be placed?

3. How should the drafts be arranged or proportioned between the different sets of Rollers?

4. What is the best velocity or speed for Drawing Rollers; and does the velocity with which the fibers are drawn out tend in any way to weaken the yarn?

5. How far can the Drawing process be carried without weakening the yarn to be manufactured?

True answers to these questions will, I think, develop the principles which should govern the use of the Drawing process.

Before considering these questions, we will examine for a moment the staple or fibre of our cotton. The Sliver, or ribbon of Drawing, upon which the Rollers are to operate, has already been described; but its treatment must of course be somewhat dependent upon the character of the staple or fibers which make it up. This fibre grows in the shape of a cylindrical tube; but, as it

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ripens and dries, it is flattened, and resembles a ribbon with thick, rounded edges. It is naturally disposed to curl or twist, and takes somewhat the form of a spiral. The fibers vary considerably in size, but in the cotton in common use with us are from

of an inch to 14 inches long, and are about ʊ of an inch in diameter. They are smooth upon their outer surface, and their natural tendency to adhere to each other arises from the twisted or spiral form which they naturally assume. Fibres of cotton that have not been subjected to the Drawing process will, when laid together, "tangle" somewhat like a lot of spiral wires thrown together.

We will now consider the several questions proposed in their order:

1st, As to the proper size of Sliver?

We find Slivers of Drawing passing between the Rollers, of all sizes, from one of one thousand grains to the yard, running up to Railway Head, down to one of forty grains or less, running up to some Roving Frames. Of course there is a limit in both directions to the size of the Sliver, if you desire to work it with economy and ease. It cannot be below or less than a certain size, for the reason, that, being without twist, it cannot without great compression, which is injurious, be made to hold together so as to be drawn from the Can for delivery to the Rollers. It ought not to be greater than a certain size; otherwise, it cannot be so distributed between the Rollers as to enable them to so hold the fibers as to draw them out evenly and uniformly. The evideuce that the Sliver used is too large, is often seen in the ragged and uneven edges of the Drawing as it comes from the delivering Roll. Whatever the size of Sliver, however, it should be so spread out upon the surface of the Roller as to be uniformly of as little thickness as can be managed, since it is evident that the more evenly and directly every separate fibre is held by the Rollers, the better will be the Drawing. Generally a due regard to economy of space and means compels the manufacturer to use a Sliver of Drawing as heavy as he can contrive to make his Rollers manipulate properly; and, so far as I am able to judge, the error of using too heavy a Sliver is general.

The size of the Sliver used enters also into the consideration of the second question, as to the proper distance apart to place the Drawing Rollers.

It is obvious that the pairs of Drawing Rollers should be placed at a greater distance from centre to centre than the length of the longest staple or fibre of the cotton to be worked. If there be a great difference in the length of the fibre in the same lot, the distance need barely exceed the length of the longest. If the Rollers are not a greater distance apart than the length of the fibre, but are so placed as to nip both ends of it at the same time, they must either break the staple, to its great injury, or, if this does not happen, as it may not if the Rollers are lightly weighted, the slipping of the fibre under one Roll or the other is very certain to produce uneven drawing. The Drawing Rollers may be more safely placed too far apart than too near, for the reason that the pressure of the Rollers is exercised upon the fibre to some extent, after it has passed and before it reaches the centre, through their action upon the other fibres of the Sliver which are under the Rolls. This transmitted pressure, aided by the natural tendency of the fibres to adhere to each other, enables us to draw a Sliver in which there is a great difference in the length of fibre, and where the centres of the Rollers are much farther apart than the length of the shortest.

The size of the Sliver to be drawn is also an element to be considered in deciding what distance apart to place the Rollers. The larger the Sliver the greater the distance should be between the centres of the Rollers; as the larger the Sliver, the more it will be compressed at the "bite" of the Rollers. By the "bite," I mean that point in their circumference in a line between their centres. This compression of the Sliver will extend the "nip" of the Rollers along their circumference both ways from the "bite," and is maintained and transmitted, as before mentioned, by the From this it will be seen that a greater elasticity of the material. distance is necessary between the back Rolls than is needed between the front ones.

How should the draft be proportioned between the different sets of Rollers?

Drawing Frames are usually constructed with either three or four pairs of Rollers, and the Sliver, passing through the head, is to be drawn out more or less between each pair; that is, in a Frame of three pairs of Rollers we get two Drawings, and in one with four pairs we get three Drawings. As the Sliver comes from the Card, or Can, in a somewhat mixed condition, as has been previously stated, the drawing between the first Rollers should be gentle, and barely sufficient to strain a little upon the fibres, drawing them apart from each other but very slightly; in fact, the action between the first and second pairs of Rollers should be such as to prepare the Sliver to be drawn, rather than to draw it. In a three-roller Drawing Frame, this leaves a considerable amount of work to be performed between the middle and front pairs of Rollers; and I have often found Frames working with a draft at this point as high as 4 and above. Clearly This may be the best arrangement is to use the four-roll Frame. done with a draft, between the back pairs of Rollers, of to 1; between the middle pairs, a draft of 14 to 24; and, between the front pairs, a draft of from 2 to 24. The lowest drafts above named give a total draft of about 4, and the highest a total draft of about 6; and within these limits the Drawings are easily made.

As to the best speed for Drawing Rollers, and the effect of rapid Drawing upon the cotton fibre.

In practice there is a great variation in the speed at which Drawing Rollers are driven; necessity in most cases induces a higher rate of speed than is desirable. I have seen them run at as high a rate as 250 feet per minute for the surface speed, and as low as 75 feet per minute; the former velocity corresponding to about 600 turns of a 14-inch roller, and the latter to 180 turns. My own experience leads to the belief that the lower speed is the more economical; and at that speed the Drawings are made better, and with less injury to the staple. The Frame can be run with the Rollers lighter weighted, and, of course, with less friction and less cutting of the fibre; and I think that there can be no doubt but that the staple is often seriously injured by the velocity with which the fibres are separated from each other, when curled or twisted together in the form they naturally assume.