It is for export that the bulk of cotton goods are manufactured, for although the home trade is extensive when considered separately, yet if compared with the foreign trade it becomes unimportant. Goods for export may be classed into a few standard makes of cloth distinguished by some special feature as to length, yarns, finish or other characteristics such as are described later.

Before leaving the mill, the classification of the goods by name receives no attention, the order to which they belong being the only distinguishing description.

Cloth-looking.

The pieces are brought into the warehouse off the mill, by the weavers, and are hooked in folds of 1 yard. This operation is performed on the hooking or plaiting machine, a contrivance which requires little or no special description, as a few minutes’ examination of it will suffice to acquaint even a tyro with its construction and working. In some concerns the looking is done on this machine. Probably the cost is lessened and the cutlooker sees the whole of the piece (not missing one side of the “flue,” as not infrequently happens in the counter-looking), but the fact that the smaller faults are not all seen renders the advantages questionable, unless the cloth is afterwards counter-looked.

The cloth-looker’s duty is to examine each piece of cloth, reporting any fault to the person responsible, and throwing out as seconds the pieces which are not up to quality. The faults attributable to the weaving are:—

Faults in Cloth.

Bare, badly-covered cloth, caused by the back rest of the loom being too low, the shed too large, late treading and picking, too much weight or uneven sheds. Cockly cloth looks raw and has raised lumps on the face caused by too little weight. Cracks are sometimes weavers’ faults in not letting back after weft breaking, take-up motion working unequally, or through some parts not being screwed up tightly. The reed case also requires attention in case of this objectionable fault. Uneven cloth is generally attributable to the unevenness of the weft, although anything tending to unequal release of the warp from the beam, such as weights touching the floor, damp ropes, or loose pivots, may cause it.

Reedy cloth is caused when a few dents of the reed are bent out of position.

Bad sides are either slattered, caused by unsatisfactory bottoming, or are frayed and raw from lack of sufficient side ends. Occasionally a bad picker catches the weft and causes a peculiar ridgy selvage.

Floats are the result of obstruction in the shed generally, broken twist keeping down the warp threads and preventing their interweaving with the weft; a raw place is caused which can generally be obliterated.

Mashes are on a larger scale. If the shuttle is entrapped without the reed flying out, in loose reed looms, or the protector acting in fast reeds, the twist is entirely broken out for several inches in the width. To piece up all these ends leaves an ugly place, and it is occasionally preferable to weave on and seam the piece, after cutting out the obnoxious part. A shuttle spelling will cause the same effect as trapping.

Broken picks are caused by several layers of weft coming off the cop into one shed. These should be picked out by the weaver, as, besides being unsightly, they are objectionable in certain after processes—printing, raising for oilcloth purposes, etc.

In figured work faulty patterns, slattering borders, and missing picks or ends require attention.

Black oil—that is, oil discoloured by being mixed with the particles of iron ground off the shaft necks and bearings—must be washed out with soap and water. Oxalic acid is often applied to the spots, combining with the iron and forming oxalate of iron, which, being soluble in water, can be rinsed out. This substance, unless thoroughly cleansed out, acts somewhat corrosively on the fibre, and for this reason is tabooed by some cloth buyers. In coloured work care must be taken that the colour shows up well and bright. According to the prevalence of any of these faults in a piece of cloth, the cloth-looker has to select and classify his deliveries. Other important items are included in the scrutiny—short lengths and widths, short or uneven weights, too light reed and pick, wrong headings, are all very important points, necessitating careful attention, and instant report of same to the persons responsible.

Headings.

Headings, or cross-borders, are bars of coloured wefts placed at the end of each piece of cloth for distinction from other pieces. These headings are also placed at other parts of the cloth, indicating where the pieces are to be separated by the retail dealers. These headings are very fanciful and intricate in some instances, ranging, as they do, from the simple stripe heading of 2 or 4 picks, to the extensive Sarrie or Madras heading 15 or 20 inches in length. The principal headings are the Bombay, Ceylon, Sarrie, Calcutta, and Madras.

Packing.

After having been passed the goods are made up into portable bundles of about 10 pieces in each, and are ready for forwarding to the warehouses in Manchester, or possibly to the bleachers or printers, or to some Glasgow or London house. Some few manufacturers have also a shipping connection, when the cloth is packed and forwarded direct without passing through the hands of the Manchester agent. The bulk of the cloth goes to Manchester, and here undergoes a second scrutiny preparatory to packing if shipped “in the grey,” or previous to being forwarded to the bleacher, dyer, finisher, or printer, if it has to undergo these processes before export.

Bleaching is the removal of any colour from the cloth by the action of chemicals.

Printing is the colouring of the surface of the cloth according to a figure or design, and may be in several colours.

In finishing, the cloth is coated with filling substances and has a gloss imparted to it, greatly improving the appearance of the fabric.

In such fabrics as cotton blankets, or for the thin oilcloths known as American cloths, the fibres on the surface of the cloth have to be raised; this operation is performed in a raising machine, where, by means of pointed filleting, the face of the fabric is abraded until the fibres form a nap.

In packing, the pieces are arranged in bales and compressed to about half their bulk when loose. The layer of protective material round the bales consists of white paper, brown paper, followed on the outside by black oiled sheets and pack sheeting. Occasionally, linen sheets are introduced between the inner and the outer layers as an additional protection against stain or damage. The bales are hooped in the press.

Varieties of Cotton Cloth.

The principal makes of cotton cloth are given below, together with remarks concerning export, sizing, etc., and at the end a list of the standard sizes is attached. The first group of cloths includes the shirtings, dhooties, and long-cloths:—

Shirtings are heavily-sized goods, 125 per cent. not being unusual. The widths vary from 38 to 50 inches, length about 37-1/2 yards long-stick. Reed and pick from 12 square to 19 × 18. These goods are made to weight—thus, a 39-inch 16 × 15 weighs 8-1/4lb.; a 45-inch, 9lb.; a 50-inch 10lb. Various kinds are made, some medium-sized. What is known as Indian shirting is the heavy-sized class.

Shirtings are exported to India, China, Japan, Turkey, Italy, Levant. A good class is made, bleached, and exported to Egypt, Japan, India, and China, as white shirtings.

Dhooties are shirtings ornamented by stripes of grey or coloured yarn, and in suitable lengths for Hindoo loin cloths. The stripes are not of very varied character in grey dhooties, being simply tape edges formed by cramping grey or bleached yarn at the selvage. In coloured dhooties, stripes of vari-coloured warps are introduced about an inch from the edge of the cloth, and varying from half an inch in width to 4 inches, sometimes being introduced at intervals all across the piece. In dobby-dhooties these stripes are woven in figures.

A range of dhooties includes all widths from 22 to 50 inches, and the length of scarf varying from 2 yards in the smaller size to 5 yards in the larger. A scarf is the distance between the headings, which in these goods are very extensive, sometimes reaching to 20 inches in length at the juncture of the two scarves.

A Range = 22 inches and 23 inches = 2-yard scarf.
24 inches and 25 inches = 2-1/2 " "
26 inches and 28 inches = 3 " "
29 inches and 32 inches = 3-1/2 " "
35 inches ... ... ... = 4 " "

The higher widths being variously 4-1/2 or 5 yards.

Dhooties are made up in about 40-yard lengths—thus, a piece 44 inches wide would contain 4 double scarves. The yarns employed vary similarly to shirtings, from 30/40’s warp, 36/60’s wefts.

The dress of a male Hindoo consists of a dhootie containing 4 square yards, a doputta of 8 square yards, and a turban of 12 square yards; whilst in addition the Hindoo woman wears sarrie, a similar cloth to the dhootie. India is the recipient of the dhooties in greatest quantity. Sarongs go to Java, patadiongs to the Phillipines.

The shirtings here mentioned must not be confused with the home trade shirtings—goods in which only the finest yarns are used, free from any of the objectionable filling referred to above. To this class belong long-cloths, mediums, Wigans (plain and twill), double warps and twills. Export long-cloths are plain goods, shirting style, 36 yards long, generally 36 inches wide, 12 square, medium size.

Another group of sized cloths, next in importance to the shirtings, consists of the T-cloths, Mexicans, domestics, and madapollams. T-cloths are always 24 yards in length, of coarse yarns, heavily sized, from 28 to 32 inches wide, 12 × 10 to 16 × 16,[4] 4lb. and 6lb. in weight. The name is derived from the mark [T] of the first exporters. Exported to India, China, Japan, South America, Roumania and Servia.

Domestics are from 28 to 39 inches, 60, 72, 80, or 96 yards. Warp, 18/24’s; weft, 16/40’s; and from 14 to 16 reed and pick; medium to heavy size. Exported to South America, Italy, Levant, Turkey, Egypt. A somewhat better class is made and used extensively by the home trade.

Mexicans are of better quality than the foregoing, and are always above 17 × 17 reed and pick, yarns, twist, coarse; weft, medium; medium size; 28 to 32 inches in width. Exported to South and Central America.

Madapollams are lighter in reed and pick than the foregoing, being about 11 and 12 square; width, 28 to 32 inches, and similar in length to the T-cloths and Mexicans; sized medium. Exported to India principally, also to Mediterranean States and to South America.

Dyeing and printing cloths form an important department.

Under the first heading Turkey reds are prominent. These, like printers, are cloths of good quality. Shirting counts and widths, but about twice the length; pure size. Exported to Japan, China, India.

Printers, Burnley makes, sometimes dubbed Burnley lumps, are 32 inches, 116 yards, 16 × 16, 32’s/50’s yarn. Quality important, yarns good, lightly sized, warps even and hard-twisted, weft free from unevenness, snarls, etc.

Glossop printers, 36 inches, 19 × 22; 50 yards, 11-3/4lb.

These are not the only descriptions of printers, coarse cloth of varied dimensions being required, which, when stamped with patterns of every conceivable style, are exported to India, Persia, Italy, Brazil, Levant, Java and Japan.

In light goods, tanjibs, jacconetts, mulls and cambrics may be classed together.

Tanjibs are the coarsest; 30 to 50 inches wide, 38 yards long, 12 square, 32’s/40’s; lightly sized.

Jacconetts and nainsooks are finer; 39 to 44 inches, 14 × 14 to 16 × 16, 32’s/50’s, about 20 yards long.

Mulls are somewhat similar in style; 39 to 50 inches wide, 20 yards, 16 × 16 to 20 × 20, from 60’s to 100’s yarn; pure size.

Cambrics are the finest of the group; generally wide from 24 square to 36 square, 80 to 160’s yarn; pure size.

Turkey, India, China, Japan, Roumania, the Levant, Egypt, are all customers for these four cloths.

Book and tarletan muslins are very fine home trades.

A variety of cambric called embroidery cloth is largely made in some districts. It is of first-class quality, usually about 50 inches wide, and cut up into short lengths. It is chiefly exported to Germany and Switzerland, there to be embroidered by the machines spread over the country districts, and returned as Swiss work, etc.

Sheetings are very wide goods; 60 to 100 inches. The yarns are coarse, generally 12’s to 20’s, although fine sheetings are frequently made.

Waste plains are coarse goods woven with yarn spun from waste.

Ginghams, checks, zephyrs, although coloured goods, are of plain weave, and of unclassifiable dimensions.

Other plain cloths needing little remark in consequence of their unimportance are:—

Victoria lawns, fine goods, and Taffechelas, formerly important goods, are now in little request.

Cotton cloths other than plain:—

Drills.—Heavy 3-shaft twills, narrow, heavily sized. Exported chiefly to China, few to Cyprus, Levant, Turkey, and Brazil.

Cretonnes.—Printed twill, made from coarse waste wefts, finer warps, various widths, generally narrow. Home trade; also exported to Turkey and British Colonies.

Jeans.—Finer 3-shaft twills, plain borders, narrow, for printing or finishing.

Sateens.—5-shaft broken twills, 30 to 36 inches, 75 to 90 yards, 70 to 96 reed, 40 to 80 picks, 36’s to 80’s weft.

Velveteens.—Narrow, heavy-picked cloths, from 90 to 120 to the quarter-inch, yarns fine and best quality, 80 to 100 yards. Home trade and general export.

Cords, Fustians, Corduroys.—Heavy, figured cloths, 20’s yarn, 90 to 140 picks to a quarter-inch, 70 to 90 yards.

Brocades.—Fancy jacquard goods; 36 inches, 75 yards; 72 to 96 reed, 20 to 26 picks.

Doriah Stripes.—Cloth carrying crammed stripes—not in colour—are often narrow, 26 to 30 inches, 10 yards long, 12 to 30 reed by 13 to 14 picks; yarn, 40/50’s T; and finer wefts.

Leno.—Narrow, generally 30 inches; 24 to 40 yards, very variable in reed and pick; yarns.

In white check we find:—

Figured Checks.—30 to 36 inches, 13 × 16 to 18 × 20; 12 yards single cuts.

STANDARD MAKES.

In this connection, as reliable and comprehensive a list as it is convenient to gather is placed before the reader; although, from the varied character of cotton cloth, many specialities are omitted, such, maybe, as those cloths used in the hat trade for lining, the oilcloths, umbrella cloths, and numerous milliners’ and drapery requirements for the home trade.