fibres that occur in the material. In all cottons there is a variation in the length of the fibres, some exceeding and some falling below the average. The rollers are always set to work the average length, whilst that portion which much exceeds it gets broken in the drawing, or escapes such a fate in the manner indicated. The draught upon the cotton in this position is such that the fibres are not only changed in their relationship to each other, but their arrangement in parallel order is greatly advanced. The front or fourth pair of rollers having only a very slight gain upon the speed of the third pair have as their function little more to do than take hold of, and conduct the sliver to the point at I which it is delivered. After the sharp action involved in drawing there is a crispness or tendency to curl in the fibre, and the delivery rollers exercise a useful function in slightly calendering the sliver, thereby preventing it from flying from the position into which it has been the object of the process to place it. This brief description will fully explain the principle of the machine, and the purpose for which it is introduced into the series necessary for transforming cotton into yarn.

It will now be proper to give a more detailed description of this machine, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, Figs. 38, 39, 40. The sliver cans from the card are arranged behind, as shown in Fig. 38. The slivers, 1, from them are passed upwards through guide holes, I′, extending the length of the frame. The function of this is to prevent the sliver being drawn into the rollers in knots, kinks, or an otherwise entangled condition. Emerging from here they pass over the polished convex surface of a guide-plate, 1", to the spoon levers, J, which form a portion of the ingenious arrangement for stopping the machine when a sliver breaks or becomes exhausted. The opposite end of this lever in some machines extends backward beneath the convex guide-plate just mentioned, and has a pendant or tail-piece jointed to it. The whole is then nicely balanced in the centre on a pivot, or, as in more

recent machines, on a knife edge, which is more sensitive, with the inclination slightly on the side of the tail-piece. The illustration is of a machine of the latter kind. In actual work, the passage of the sliver through the spoon forming the head rather more than counterbalances the slight difference of weight in favour of the rear end of the lever, and holds it up. When, however, it breaks or becomes exhausted, the latter drops, and the tail-piece falls into a position where it arrests the oscillation of the shaft, F, causing the lever, D, to lift from the fulcrum point, E', into a fresh position, from which it swivels the tumbler catch, G, into the position shown by the dotted line, which releases the strap fork rod, and stops the frame, which cannot be started until the sliver is pieced, or another supplied. Leaving the spoon the sliver passes over another guide-plate on its passage to the rollers whose functions have already been described. Emerging from these, it passes between a pair of calender rollers, which compress it into a ribbon form, and deliver it to the revolving head of the coiler, such as described in connection with the card, by which it is neatly deposited in the slowly revolving can. The back stop-motion is to prevent the formation of single in the sliver; but there is also one in front by which waste is prevented. In ordinary machines, before passing the calender rollers, the sliver is conducted over the head of a double lever, the rear part of which extends to the back of the machine. This part is fitted with a movable weight, that can be set at any desired point, which enables the lever to be easily arranged in such a position that the passage of the sliver over the opposite end shall elevate the weighted end. The breakage or removal of the sliver therefrom at once allows the latter to drop, when its extremity falls into a like position to that of the pendent bar of the back stopmotion, and arrests the revolution of the same shaft with a similar effect. In the one under illustration this end is obtained by a different arrangement, as will be obvious

from the following brief details of its general mechanism and operation. The first motion shaft carries the pulley, A, by which it is driven from the line shaft. A strap upon the pulley, A', extends upwards, and drives the fast pulley, A", upon the fluted roller. This roller carries a pinion, which gears into and drives the first of a train of wheels, B (Fig. 40), actuating the eccentric wheel, B', to which is attached the connecting rod, c, coupled to the lever, D, the latter being in turn connected with the motion box, E, by

means of the stud, E', the box being keyed on the shaft, F. One end of the tumbler catch, G, extends to and rests upon one end of the lever, D, whilst the opposite rests in a notch in the strap fork rod, H. When the sliver breaks at the lever spoon, L', it falls, and acting through a connecting bar and lever, stops the shaft, F, as in the previous case.

The drawing frame has attained its present degree of perfection very slowly. For a long time it was impossible to overcome the difficulties above described regarding the occurrence of "single," though on every side numerous