Mr. DRAPER, of Hopedale, said that in looking over the published reports of the Weighings of Picker Laps, it seemed to him that a table might be adapted that would show the results of such Weighings in a much more satisfactory manner. With this view, he had prepared some tables which might be used to show what different results can be produced. These tables he desired to have submitted to a Committee appointed for that purpose, to take into consideration the returns of the Weighings of Picker Laps, heretofore made and published in the last and previous publications of the Association.

Having submitted a motion to this effect, it was adopted. The Committee for this purpose were appointed by the Chair, and consisted of Messrs. GEORGE DRAPER, of Hopedale, A. G. CUMNOCK, of Danielsonville, Conn., and I. R. Scort, of Waltham; and they were instructed to report at the next meeting of the Association.

Mr. LOCKWOOD, of Lewiston, Me., said that while this matter was up, of the Weighings of Picker Laps, he would like to make a single remark. He sent to the January meeting of the Association the results of three separate Weighings, from different rooms, and from different Frames, where the standard of the Laps was different, varying, he thought, an ounce. In the report they are summed up to an average, making the extreme difference of the Laps appear just about twice what it really was. In one case the standard weight was 7 ounces. He gave the variations, in that case, from that standard. In another, 8 ounces. That fact is not recognized, and the statement shows an entirely wrong result. Whilst the extreme variation was about one ounce, the tables show two ounces or more.

The speaker then called attention to the paper upon Drawing, read by the President before the last meeting of the Association, and referred to the eighteenth page of the Report, where the question is asked, "What is the size of Drawing Sliver that is best adapted to the manipulation of the Rollers?" What he had in his mind was the weight of the Sliver as it leaves the Railway Head. The subject is brought up, considered briefly; the question asked, but not answered distinctly; and he would like the views of the President on that point more in full.

The President replied that the matter in order was the criticism of the papers which had been read before the Association. It would hardly be becoming in him to criticise his own Paper. He should be very much pleased to hear from the speaker a specific answer to that question; meaning, of course, to have it apply to common-sized Rollers, as ordinarily used upon Drawing Frames of the common construction.

Mr. LOCKWOOD. I did not raise the question, Mr. President, for the purpose of discussing it myself, but rather to bring the subject before the Association for discussion. It is a matter to which I have given a good deal of attention, first and last, because I consider it one of the most important connected with the Drawing Frame, and with the whole process of cotton spinning.

As was said in the Paper, probably in a majority of cases the Sliver, as it leaves the Railway Head, is too heavy. My own impression is that this is true. Though I do not know precisely what many other persons are doing, I know what I do myself, and form some judgment of others, from what I see and hear, without positive knowledge.

I am inclined to think that, generally, there is too large a body of cotton passing through the Railway Head—the Sliver is too heavy. I know of Mills, or at least I have known of Mills, where the weight has been 200 grains to the yard, and

often more than that.

I have failed to produce satisfactory results with a heavier Sliver than 120 grains to the yard, and usually arrange for about 110, varying from 100 to 120 grains to the yard; and I never go beyond 120, unless forced to it by circumstances beyond my control. I think I never should do so in organizing a new Mill. Sometimes in rearranging old Mills we have to be governed by circumstances. I do not think there is much gained in making the Sliver lighter than 100 grains to the yard, and think there is great disadvantage in going beyond 120; that is, as it leaves the Railway Head. The weight, at other stages, must be governed by the number of the yarn, the drafts, etc.

I would like to hear the experience and opinions of others on that point.

Mr. WHEELOCK, of Norton, said that he had noticed in the paper on Drawing, now under discussion, that a preference had

been given to the Four-roll Frame, but his own experience was unfavorable to the use of the Four or the Five-roll Frame. His observation had been that we were liable to more imperfect work with these than with the Three-roll Frame. If you put in a small Sliver, which is preferable, you must draw mostly between the front and the middle rolls; there should be almost no draft elsewhere, if we wish to do the work perfectly. He was therefore glad to learn that some Frames were being built on a better principle, so far as his experience went, than any Four-roll Frame he had ever worked.

In working fine numbers we say that we sacrifice everything to make a level thread. No matter what it costs, we must make a straight thread, a level thread. To do this requires care and attention; you can construct no machine which will do that for itself. There must be a mind that watches and attends to it.

Some machines were better than others, but with a dead atmosphere or with a dry atmosphere, the Four-roll Frame with the broad boss will leave you minus. By this process, at the end, you will find more or less spaces in the yarn too fine, in spite of all the care and attention that may be bestowed upon it. If you draw between these fine places, you flatten it out as it is drawn, until it is drawn uneven. You cannot draw down cotton fine after you have worked it slight, unless it becomes cloudy, somewhat, as it leaves the rolls of the Calender. If you spread it under the rolls you will still more expose it, and the cape of the Sliver will gather under the short bosses of the roll.

The President, in his Paper on Drawing, has said that the Sliver ought not to be worked beyond two frames, and in the case he cited in support of his position, the third Drawing Frame was taken out, and the complaint in reference to tender yarn was silenced. It is quite likely that some point in the process described was defective, or he would not have had that difficulty.

The speaker cited a case in his own experience, which illustrated the necessity of carefully watching every stage of the work. At one time during the war he had a lot of cotton to work that came from Brazil very tough cotton, with long staple, whereas he had been working short fibre. An alteration was made in the machinery, to accommodate it to the long

staple, and very fair yarn came in with short staple.

was made.

The next lot of cotton The machinery, with the exception of the Slubber, was then put back to where it was before the long staple cotton was used, and the yarn made from the short staple cotton was very tender. It was finally discovered that the Slubber had not been altered, but was running with the stands thrown off as far as possible. The Slubber was put back to its original position, and the difficulty was cured.

The speaker said he once dropped a remark before the meeting, which, as it read, looked rather extravagant: that you cannot hurt the cotton by excessive working under the rollers. The fibre of cotton is indestructible, so far as you work it on the roll. You may work the cotton as long as it can be drawn up the back side of the Slubber. A certain weight is there wanted, and if it stands without going to waste, it is all right; then you may draw the twist in.

There are very many causes of bad yarn, with the most careful doublings and drawings. If the carding and spinning were to be managed by one man, the tendency would be to perfect the work. As it is, we have one man in the carding room and another in the spinning room. Each knows nothing, or professes to know nothing, of the other's department. A man who knows how to spin, as he ought to know, should know how to card, and the carder should know the whole working of cotton

into

yarn; therefore, a man at the head of a large establishment should be made responsible for the work, from the carding room to the spinning room. He will, if he is versed in his profession, produce level thread, because he has a position of importance, and his reputation is at stake.

It had been maintained at a previous meeting that the doubling process in spinning was resorted to, to equalize the work; that it was the effect of two Slivers put together to equalize imperfections. However this may be, they are not put together by English spinners. In common practice they are put together rather for the two chances of twist to draw from, than for two Slivers of Roving to equalize imperfections.

In reference to the twist of Roving, the speaker remarked that when the fibres are straightened the tendency is to separate. It is the twist which will protect you in drawing down.

If cotton is worked excessively, and you spin fine numbers, put the twist into the Roving and set the stands up beyond the long fibres, and put the weight on the middle roll, and the twist will protect you in drawing down. In drawing fine you cannot work a single Roving to spin 100-hank yarn; there is not substance enough. Take 20-hank Roving and you cannot do it; but put two Slivers there and draw ten, and you have a perfect thread. It is not the effect of the two Slivers put together to equalize it, but it is the two chances of drawing through the twist. The spinners on the Lowell Frames have for a long time practiced weighting the middle roll only, but the speaker had never seen any perfect, level yarn of No. 30 or 40 made in that way, but thought he could make it by putting the twist into the Roving, and carrying the middle roll beyond the reach of the long fibre.

Mr. Davis, of Holyoke, suggested that in compliance with Mr. Lockwood's proposal the meeting should be adjourned until October.

Mr. LOCKWOOD. Before that motion is put, I would like to say that the suggestion was made believing that if it were adopted a larger number would be present, and the weather would be such that we could comfortably and profitably spend a few hours in a discussion of the various topics now before the meeting, as well as others; and as it has been proposed to change the time of meeting to October, it seemed to some of us here, on conferring together, that it would be better not to spend very much time to-day, but to defer the discussions which are properly before this meeting to the October meeting, and that was the object of this motion to adjourn-to carry this business over.

It seems to me that we ought not to leave these topics where they are. This matter of Drawing, of Doubling, of Drafts and the Distribution of Drafts, and the matter of the Fly-frame, are of too much importance to be passed over with an hour, or even two hours of discussion. While I have been very much interested in the reading of these papers, yet it seems to me that they might all be profitably discussed on various points, bringing out each other's views and observations. Hence I suggest that in the adjournment it be borne in mind that it is for the