front Roll is the better.

Of course it can only be about 13. Now I should like to know if that is the opinion generally of the gentlemen present. One gentleman remarked that he could do nothing with four Rolls. It seems to me that there must have been some defect in the machinery. I should like to know what there was in that gentleman's work, that he could do nothing with four Rolls, while the work went beautifully on three. The fact itself is not of much use to us, unless we know the cause of the fact.

The PRESIDENT. Will the gentleman suggest any method of getting at the opinion of the Association ?

Mr. I will say a few words in regard to drawing. I had occasion, a few years since, to make an addition to my Card room. I added one Drawing Frame and put in a 13 Roll, instead of 14. My idea is that the nearer you can get the Rolls together between the front and back, the more uniform you will get your Sliver. In the course of a few years we made another addition, and we put in the smaller size Roll. My opinion is that generally the grist is too large; we have too many Cards in a section, and we work the first section of drawing with too heavy a strand. We have to run our Drawing Rollers too fast, in order to get good work. If we run them much slower than we do now, we should produce better work. With short staple it looks as though there had been a snow storm. We should have more Drawing Frames, and run the Sliver of less size; that would be my idea of the Drawing Frame.

Mr. DRAPER. It seems to me that this Association should lay down, so far as it can, fundamental principles. If we can ascertain that a certain thing is decided, we have taken a step in the right direction. I have been about, a good many years of my life, and found a great many things that might be settled, undecided. My suggestion is this: I think it will be generally agreed that there is a necessity for making, for certain reasons, the front Roll somewhat larger than the others. How much larger for different kinds of goods, would be a question to be discussed. I think it would be well to put that question: How many members of this Association believe that the front Roll of a Drawing Frame should be made larger, for convenience and for good work, than the other Rolls? We all know that it

will not answer to make a Roll so large that you cannot get the bite of the Rolls together. I believe no one will vote against the proposition that in a Drawing Frame the front Roll should be made larger than the other Rolls. There may be other things that we shall find from time to time that we may in that way consider settled, unless we find some good reason to change our views.

Mr. NOURSE. I hope before we take a vote on that question that we shall hear from every member present.

The PRESIDENT. I would suggest that all the gentlemen present, who believe that the front Roll of a Drawing Frame should be made larger than those in the rear, should rise and stand until they are counted.

Every member present rose from his seat, and the question was consequently decided in the affirmative, unanimously.

The PRESIDENT. The question of the actual size of the Drawing Roller, as compared with those in the rear, is the one to be discussed.

A motion was made that no member of the Association shall hereafter have made any Drawing Rollers larger than 14 inches in diameter, and an amendment was added that the front Roll shall be of an inch larger than those in the rear.

The motion was lost, no one voting.

Mr. DRAPER. Unless you can settle down into something as being correct, and considered correct, it seems to me that your meetings will lose much of the value that might be derived from them. I did not introduce the proposition I made because I considered it of itself important to settle. I only introduced it as an entering wedge to give some form and purpose to your deliberations. I have seen a good deal of time and money wasted for the want of settlements; have seen one man spend thousands for making a thing in one way, and another man spend a large amount of money to alter it another way.

On motion of Mr. DAVIS, of Holyoke, the question was put as to how many gentlemen were of the opinion that 13 inches is the proper size for the front Roll of a Drawing Frame, for yarn from number 15 to 30.

None of the members voted on the proposition.

Mr. DAVIS. Perhaps the question was not clearly understood. A good deal of attention must be given to the kind of staple being used, the weight of Sliver, the draft, etc. Many points come in affecting the question. It seems to me the point. of inquiry is, Is that about a proper size for cotton generally used, for yarns from number 15 to 30? We want to find out

which is the proper size.

The PRESIDENT. Suppose I put the question in this shape: That the front Roll of a Drawing Frame should be as much larger than the Roll in the rear as it can be, while they are allowed to be as near together as the staple to be used will admit. A set of Rolls which would work perfectly upon a staple 14, would not work at all well upon 1ğ inches.

Mr. BLAKE. There are many points which come in to change our minds in voting on this question, therefore one is put in a rather awkward position. My experience in regard to using what we call the middling cotton, from 16 to 30 yarn, is to take a Roll about 14 and the other 1 inch. Then you may have it apply to cotton of that grade. You can get it close enough for the shortest, and could move it for the longest, unless you get it very long. So far as my experience goes I do not apprehend there is any objection to running the first and second Roll perfectly of a size, if you do not require quantity. You can run the front Roll just the same size as the second, and it will go just as well, only you cannot get the quantity. The reason we do not do that is, because it takes so much machinery.

Mr. SCOTT suggested that before the next meeting of the Association the Secretary supply each member with a blank containing the questions discussed as to the size of Rolls, distance, etc., and let each one give his opinion. When it comes to the staple and size of Sliver, let him put his opinion there. We should in this way get at the maximum and minimum of size and speed, which would be the result of actual observation. Mr. BENJ. SAUNDERS, of Nashua, N. H. I came here for the purpose of learning, not of speaking, and long experience has taught me I err often, and form erroneous opinions. If I had a Drawing Frame, and the front Roll was 14, I should not could run, and make clear, good work. I think the weight of If it was 14 I think I

throw that Frame out for that reason.

Rollers has more to do with good work than the size. I have recently introduced two new Frames with Mr. Hussey's device for spinning, with four Rolls; also a Railway Head with 16 Cards, making the draft 44, and running the Sliver 128 grains. I consider that a very poor arrangement thus far. The Rolls were running 400; reduce to 300 and they run perfectly well. None of us here feel willing to make any record of any par ticular size for Drawing Rollers. I think that the weight, the quantity we run through, has more to do than the size of the Roll. I have found no difficulty in making good work by throwing the weight off the back Roll, to let the drawing have full effect.

The PRESIDENT suggested that perhaps it would be better that the question should be left to a Committee; that is, let the Committee decide upon and propose the questions; or the matter could be left to the Board of Government, if preferred by the Association. The form and matter of the questions should be very carefully considered.

Mr. DRAPER. Mr. Scott suggested that he thought the proper way was to prepare a set of those questions. I hope his suggestion will be adopted, and that he will be made Chairman of a Committee for this purpose.

Upon motion of Mr. DRAPER, it was

Voted, That a Committee of three be appointed by the Chair, to prepare a set of questions relating to this subject, for submission to the members of the Association.

An amendment was passed authorizing the Committee to add other questions at their discretion.

The Committee appointed consisted of Messrs. Scott, of Waltham, BORDEN, of Fall River, and SAUNDERS, of Nashua.

The next topic for discussion was Card Clothing.

On motion of Mr. DAVIS, this subject was passed over, and that of the Distribution of Oil in the Mills was taken up.

At the request of the President, Mr. CUMNOCK submitted the following Paper, descriptive of the system in use for delivering oil at the Boott Cotton Mills:

LOWELL, MASS., Oct. 20, 1868.

As the question of the Distribution of Oil is one of the themes for our meeting to-day, I beg leave to submit the following Paper, hoping that it may lead to a better method than that which I am about to describe.

We have at these Mills an "Oil Room," 63 feet long, 14 feet wide, in which are four Oil Tanks, of the following dimensions:

2 Tanks 33×48 in., 5 ft. deep.

51×8 ft., 51"

66

Attached to these tanks, which are made of common boiler iron, are glass tubes, outside of the tanks, connected at the bottom of the tank with a piece of pipe, on the end of which is a brass stuffing box, to which the glass tube is attached. When you pour the oil into the tanks, it passes through the pipe, inserted in the bottom of the tank, and up through the glass tube; so that this indicates uniformly the height of the oil inside of the tank. Outside of the tank, and running parallel with the glass tube, is a gauge, made of wood, and attached to the tank. This gauge is marked from 10 to 1500 gallons on the large tanks, and from 10 to 600 gallons on the small.

The object of all this is, that at a glance the Agent can learn the quantity of oil on hand, without the "guessing" we have had in such matters. Another object is to measure accurately the quantity of oil received. Thus when we receive a given quantity of oil, we take the number of gallons in the tank before we begin to pour in, and also after we have put in the amount purchased; and can readily determine whether we have received the number of gallons billed to us.

We have a man in charge of this room, who has under his care two sets of Oilers—one set in the Mill and one set in this room. Except for the Weaving and Dressing Rooms, which are supplied once each week, it is his daily practice to fill the set of Oilers in the " Oil Room," weigh the amount of oil put in the Oilers that belong to each department, try the Oilers to see that they are in good running order and are not leaky, and then take them into the department that they are charged to. Here he passes to each hand his or her Oiler, and receives the Oiler that has been in use the previous day. He then returns to the