This brings us to the last question, as to how far this Drawing process can be carried without causing injury to the work.

My answer to this question is, that every operation of Drawing, performed upon the Sliver of Cotton before it is twisted, in some degree tends to the injury of the fibre. We should consider in this

or fibre, as previously de

connection the character of the staple, scribed; viz., its ribbon-like shape, with its natural tendency to twist. The rapid drawing apart of these fibres, as they lie pressed in close contact with each other, not only tends to straighten them in the direction of their length, but it also flattens or untwists them, neutralizing to a considerable extent their naturally adhesive or entangling qualities. All of you are familiar with the great difference in the strength of two strands of Drawing of the same size and weight, one of which has just been condensed from the Card, and the other having passed, say, three heads of Drawing. It may be answered, that a weak Sliver of Drawing does not necessarily produce a weak thread; but I must still remain of the opinion, that the more of the natural curl, or twist of the fibre that remains to it when it passes through the front Rollers of the Spinning Frame, the better and st ronger will be the yarn produced.

In my own experience, we re-arranged a large Card-room, substituting Railways and Heads for the old plan of using cues at the Cards. This room, as first arranged, had three heads of Drawing, through which the Slivers were passed in succession, with four doublings and a draft of about four at each head. As re-arranged, ten Cards delivered to one Railway Head, and the three Drawing Frames were retained, the Drawings from the Railway Head passing through them in succession, the same as the Drawings from the Card before. No other change was made in the machinery.

This mill had been run but a short time after the new card-room arrangements had been completed, before there was a general complaint from spinners, dressers, and weavers, that the yarn was tender as compared with that produced before the change in the card-room. Careful observation and experiment proved the complaints to be well grounded, and also showed that yarns made. from Drawings taken from the second head were sensibly stronger than those made from Drawings taken from the third head; both

being of the same number, and in all other respects identical in preparation and manufacture. Of course the third Drawing Head was removed, and the Drawing process confined to the Railway Head and the first and second Drawing Frames, with such beneficial results to the work that all were satisfied.

Having thus examined, I am aware how crudely, such questions in regard to the Drawing process as most often present themselves to the practical manufacturer, I conclude that this process, as applied or used in the manufacture of cotton yarns, should be governed by the following principles :

1. No Drawing Sliver should be used of so large a size as to make it practically impossible to spread it equally and uniformly as it passes between the Drawing Rollers, or so large that, when so spread, it is difficult to hold the fibres of cotton with the Rolls lightly weighted.

2. The pairs or sets of Drawing Rollers should be so adjusted as to be from centre to centre a greater distance apart than the length of the longer fibre of the cotton to be drawn; and this distance should be increased somewhat, with the increased size of the Sliver passing between the Rollers.

3. The draft between the different sets of Rollers in the same head should be so adjusted as to begin the drawing down of the Sliver very gently at first, increasing as it passes from one series

of Rollers to the other.

4. A sufficient number of Frames should be used to do the required Drawing; so that the speed at which the fibre is drawn out should not exceed that of the surface of a Roller 14 inches in diameter, making 250 revolutions per minute.

5. The Drawing process, however managed, should not be continued or repeated beyond what is necessary to even, or equalize, the Sliver, and never beyond the third time. Ordinarily the fibre of the cotton is sufficiently straightened long before the evening process is completed.

I may be allowed to add that, in practice, manufacturers are too apt to lose sight of the necessity of keeping the Rollers of the Drawing Frame in the most perfect condition possible; and to sometimes forget that equal care should be bestowed upon all the

Rollers in the Frame, back as well as front. If you wish to make perfect Drawing, the same necessity exists for a perfect Roller to hold back the staple, as for a perfect Roller to draw it forward. How often you find the Rollers in a Drawing Head heavily weighted, thereby making endless trouble by injuring the staple, and, by the unnecessary friction, collecting electricity sufficient to cause continual "lapping up; and all to compensate for some imperfections in the Rollers, that could be easily remedied by a few minutes of intelligent labor!

many different varieties of and perhaps find an advocate several varieties among the

I might go on and examine the Drawing Rollers to be found in use, for the exclusive use of each of the gentlemen present. There is the fluted Roller, with straight flutes at even and regular distances apart; the straight-fluted Roller, with the flutes at irregular distances apart; the spirally fluted Roller. There is the top Roller in several forms, with the fluted and smooth top; the top Roller, with a loose top; and the same with the spindle geared with the bottom Roll. All these have their several admirers and advocates, and all, in their opinion, are made to accomplish wonderful results; but, whatever Roller is employed, its use should be in accordance with the principles I have stated.

I have now only to apologize for the length of this Paper,longer than I had intended, and I am afraid much more tedious than any one expected. Whether the suggestions made herein meet with general favor or not, I hope to have succeeded in attracting your notice to the subject under consideration, and, if so, have no doubt the Association will be benefited, if in no other way, at least by the criticism to which I may be subjected.

In reply to a question as to the size of Drawing Rolls and its effect, the President stated that, in his opinion, the size should be governed to some extent by the length of the staple that it is proposed to use. If a staple, say six inches long is used, he would like the Roll to be as large as five inches in diameter.

ROVING FRAMES.

BY THOMAS J. BORDEN, ESQ., OF FALL RIVER, MASS.

In compliance with a request of the Board of Government, I submit, for the consideration of the gentlemen present, the following ideas in relation to Roving Frames.

The object to be attained by the use of Roving Frames, is to take the Sliver of cotton delivered by the Drawing Frame, and put it in a suitable condition to be worked by the Spinning Frame or Mule. It would be impracticable to supply the latter with Slivers from Cans, therefore the necessity for putting it in the form of a Bobbin for that purpose.

Were it possible to accomplish all the doubling and drawing required for straightening and evening the Slivers of cotton previous to spinning, by means of Drawing Frames, it would only be necessary to use one set of Roving Frames. Cotton can be doubled and drawn on Drawing Frames at less expense than on Roving Frames; but, when the Sliver becomes reduced below a certain size, it has not sufficient strength to bear that method of working without being twisted somewhat; and, as it cannot be twisted to any considerable extent on the Drawing Frame, it becomes necessary, at that stage of the process, to take it to the Roving Frame, or, as it is more generally termed, the Slubber.

It is an important matter to determine how fine a Sliver can be drawn up from the Can on the back side of the Slubber; and any appliance that can be devised to facilitate that matter will be a valuable acquisition to the cotton manufacturer; inasmuch as it will render it practicable to increase the number of processes on Drawing Frames, and dispense with at least one set of Roving Frames. There is an arrangement in use in England, consisting of a spiral spring placed in each Can into which the Sliver is

delivered by the Drawing Frame. The coils of this spring are of nearly the same diameter as the interior of the Can, and on top of the spring is placed a circular sheet of tin, fitting loosely in the Can. The spiral spring is so proportioned, that, when there is no cotton in the Can, the tin plate which it supports is within three or four inches of the top of the Can. As the Can is filled, the increasing weight of the cotton gradually depresses the tin plate until within an inch or two of the bottom of the Can, the top of the cotton meanwhile retaining about the same height as when the Can began to fill. As the Sliver is drawn out of the Can by the Slubber, the weight on the spiral spring is steadily reduced, and it gradually expands, causing the top of the cotton to be retained near the top of the Can until it is all drawn out. By this arrangement, the length of Sliver to be sustained by its own strength, when being delivered into the Can by the Drawing Frame, or drawn out of the Can by the Slubber, is less than onehalf what it is when worked in the ordinary way.

The fineness of the Sliver to be drawn up on the back side of the Slubber must of course depend much on the staple of the cotton being worked. For middling cotton, I think it is not generally worked finer than orhank, although I have run it quite well at 25 hank. The Egyptian and Sea-Island cottons

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are worked as fine as hank at that point.

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Having determined that we must use Roving Frames, we are naturally led to inquire as to the comparative merits of the various kinds. That machine which is the best in each of its several

parts would, of course, be the most desirable.

There are three distinct offices to be performed by the Roving Frame:

1st, Drawing the Sliver.

2d, Twisting it.

3d, Winding it on the Bobbin.

For drawing the Sliver, I conceive it to be advisable to use as large Rolls as the length of the fibre of the cotton will allow. The larger the Sliver, or the longer the staple to be worked, the larger the Rolls may be.

Some builders of Roving Frames have placed their Roller Stands at a considerable angle from a horizontal position. In such