Steam, Oil, and Milk for Wool

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I noticed in your valuable paper of March 12th, under the head of Events of the Week, " Milk ior Lubricating Wool in England." I would as soon attempt an improvement upon the old stage coach to compete with the railroad cars as to think oi using milk, or even oil of any kind, upon wool, which is a very great detriment to the process of manu facturing and requires an additional expense to be cleansed out again to the injury of the staple ot the wool and the color. We intro duced George L. Mason's Patent Steam Card ing and Spinning in Sept. 1849, and have not used any oil or milk or any substance to lu bricate our wool since except steam. The expense oi steam for this purpose is about one dollar per day. Our bills for oil and cleans ing soap were more than five thousand dol lars per year. The cost of introducing the steam including the patent is about $150 per set of cards, this expense is more than saved in four months' time. We have used, since introducing the steam, more than seven thousand pounds of wool. Some of the benefits resulting from steam carding and spinning not named above, are more perfect carding and spinning, which pro duces a much finer and more even yarn, so much so, that we reduced our price ot weav ing two cents per yard, which amounts to ten dollars per day, and our weavers make more wages than formerly. The average of our yarns is about two runs per pound finer than with oil. One important item is the removal of all risk of spontaneous combustion irom a wool en mill. Finally, all the benefits resulting from steam carding and spinning combined, are worthy of the consideration of woolen manu facturers in these perilous times of high pri-ces for wool and low prices for goods. C. W. COOKE, Supt. Waterloo, N. Y., March 19, 1853. An " Ornamental Tree Society " has been formed in Stoneham, Mass.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 8 Issue 28This article was published with the title “Steam, Oil, and Milk for Wool” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 8 No. 28 (), p. 219
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican03261853-219a

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