A sample of Bunting, on the other hand, would be filed under section 14, sub-section 2; and if it were the thirty-first sample filed under that sub-section, it would be indexed under the letter B as Bunting, 14: 2: 31.

This decimal system of numbering and classifying samples lends itself to a refinement of subdivision unattainable in any other.

Generally speaking, samples, unless accompanied by certain descriptive information, are of little value, and care should be taken to describe briefly any salient feature connected with the fabric. This information may concern either the trade-mark, the importer, the value, or the date when the sample was entered into the collection, and brief particulars of the shipment of which it is a sample. This kind of information is of material value where the sample concerns a class, style, or quality of fabric not hitherto met with. With a comparatively small amount of trouble it would be possible to get together very valuable collections of samples. And if the individual would but give a little time and thought to the question of textile samples, and but a tithe of the time devoted to any hobby he may have, he will be amply repaid by the added knowledge he will acquire. All samples should be of uniform size (7 inches by 4 inches will be found a very useful size) and should invariably be in duplicate—one to use in obtaining all particulars necessary for classification and the other for the actual sample collection. Weave structure, nature of yarns, etc., may be studied and tests for components made and recorded.

Nothing will give a better idea of relative values of fabrics than knowledge of components, style of weave, etc. This, of course, does not apply to extrinsic values, i.e., values due to fashion, exclusive designs, or proprietary articles. There is nothing to go by in such cases better than market values; but in the plainer staples knowledge of construction, finish, etc., means ability to classify fabrics and estimate their approximate relative values.

Provisions for an index to sample collection have been made at the end of this book, enabling the ready adoption of the system now advocated.

Satin.—A term applied to silk goods woven on the same principle as Sateens, either Warp Sateens or Weft Sateens. In weaving most silk fabrics the warp and weft, or filling, are made to intersect each other every alternate time (as in plain weaving) or every third or fourth time in regular order (as in ordinary or plain twill weaving). In weaving Satin the same style of weave is adopted as in weaving Cotton Sateens, the object aimed at being an even, close, smooth surface and one capable of reflecting light to the best advantage. In a warp-weave Satin the warp only appears on the surface, the filling or weft threads being effectually and completely hidden. In passing over the filling the warps do not interweave at regular intervals; thus, they may pass over five, eight, ten, twelve, or sixteen, then under one and over eight more, and so on. Common Satin is what is technically known as an eight-leaf twill, the order in which the filling thread rises being once in eight times. The filling in the better qualities of Satin is of silk, whilst in the lower grades of this fabric cotton is generally used for the filling. Rich Satins may be woven on almost any number from five to twenty leaf twills. Satin at the time of leaving the loom has a somewhat flossy and rough surface—this is removed by passing the fabric over heated metal cylinders, which destroy the minute fibrous ends and increase the brilliance of the silk. Black Satins are often woven with a selvedge which is of a different colour to the piece.

Schreiner Finish.—This, like all other special finishes, is the result of a process through which a fabric is passed with the view of rendering its face more lustrous, i.e., capable of better reflecting light and hence having a more silky appearance. A Schreiner finish is given to a woven cloth by means of a specially engraved steel roller. This roller is engraved with minute lines running parallel to each other. When this roller has been suitably heated and set with the right amount of pressure the cloth is run between it and a plain backing roller. The engraved roller which comes in contact with the cloth impresses on it minute lines, which can readily be distinguished by means of a counting-glass.

In America a Schreiner finish is often known as a "milled" finish.

Scribbled.—When any two or more kinds of fibres have been thoroughly mixed together prior to being spun into a thread they are said to be "scribbled."

Seamless.—Applied to hosiery knitted in one piece on a circular machine, leaving an opening at the toe to be looped together. The shaping of the leg, heel, and toe is done by steaming and then drying on boards of proper form.

Seamless Bags.—All-cotton bags woven on looms which automatically measure the length of what is practically a tubular cloth required for each bag. What are virtually two cloths are "condensed" and woven together to form the bag bottom. In forming the body of the bag the loom weaves two fabrics, one over the other, and in weaving the bottom these are combined into one.

Selvedges, or lists, of a colour different but of a material similar to that of the bulk of the fabric denote that the fabric has been woven of dyed yarns and that it has not been piece-dyed. Obviously, if piece-dyed, the selvedge would be of the same colour as the bulk of the fabric. Distinctive styles of selvedges have given rise to special names of fabrics, such as Spanish Stripes. The actual quality of a fabric cannot be always told by the selvedge, but other conditions being equal, it then becomes a good guide to quality. A silk selvedge thread or threads, or the initials of the manufacturer in silk, appearing on the selvedge of an all-wool fabric generally denotes a superior quality of fabric. The following, from a work dealing with cotton fabrics, shows the generally accepted value of selvedges as an indication of quality: "Advertising has educated the retail dealers and consumers to the fact that cotton warp goods with a white selvedge, the ground being of colour, are more to be depended upon not to crock than similar cloths of solid colour."

Serge (Cotton).—All all-cotton fabric woven with a decided twill and having a special finish imitating wool; usually printed with hair-line stripes to imitate woven effects.

Shirtings.—A generic term applied to any material originally and usually employed for the making of shirts and covering such varieties as Grey, Harvard, Oxford, Zephyr, Sateen, Grandelle, etc. The term Shirting, if used by itself, would in most instances be used with reference to the Grey Shirting so largely exported from England and America. This Grey Shirting is a plain-woven cloth of low-quality and heavily sized yarns which has not been bleached.

Short Stick.—This term implies a yard of precisely 36 inches, in opposition to the term "long stick," which is by trade custom a yard of 36½ inches in length.

Shot.—A weaving term having the same value as "pick." When a fabric is described as having so many "shots" to the inch it means that there are so many weft threads to the inch. When used to describe a colour effect in fabrics, it applies to fabrics which are woven with different coloured warp and weft, and which, according to the way they are held when looked at, appear to change in colour.

Sicilienne.—A Mohair of heavy weight.

Silk Beaver.—Silk Beaver is a pile fabric woven so as to imitate the prepared fur of the beaver. Like many other fabrics of this style the pile is all silk and the foundation cloth or back is all cotton. This fabric appears to be dyed invariably a rich brown, and this differentiates it from such similar fabrics as Silk Seal, which are dyed black. The quality of Silk Beaver depends upon the depth and closeness of pile. If looked at from behind, the pile threads will distinctly show as small shiny spots where they are bound into the back. The closer these little silk dots are to each other the heavier the pile and the better the quality. The value prior to 1914 ranged from 5s. to 12s. per yard but has since increased. The pile may have a length of as much as half an inch in the best grades. Generally framed in lengths of from 30 to 33 yards. As this is bulky material when framed, the landed cost in the East is greatly increased. Average width, 48 to 50 inches.

Silk Seal might be mistaken for Silk Beaver if not judged from the point of view of colour. Silk Seal is black, Silk Beaver is brown. There is a variety of this fabric known as a Fancy Silk Seal, similar in construction and components but having stamped in outline by means of rollers a design resembling the irregular scales on a crocodile's skin. Along the lines demarcating these scales the pile has been crushed and fixed down by heat. This fabric is not a true Silk Seal. Quality in this, as in other pile fabrics, depends on the closeness and depth of the pile. There is a possibility of mistaking Silk Seal with cotton back for a Silk Plush with cotton back, but generally the pile of Plush is shorter than that of Silk Seal. Average width, 48 to 50 inches.

Spanish Stripes, Cotton.—A plain-woven all-cotton fabric, sometimes woven from dyed yarns, but oftenest met with as a piece-dyed material woven with a simple one-over and one-under weave. The selvedge is often woven with black warp threads to the width of about 1 inch. The filling weft threads are soft and full, the warp threads are much finer and hard-twisted. The surface is raised and the general appearance of the fabric is similar to Flannelette. Often met with in bright vermilion. Average width, 56 inches; length, 25 yards per piece; and value (nominal), 7d. per yard.

Spanish Stripes, Woollen.—Essentially an all-wool fabric, free from any ornamentation of weave, printing, or embossing, this class of fabric is woven with a plain one-over and one-under weave. Soft of handle, Spanish Stripes are generally dyed bright red and have as a distinguishing feature a selvedge of coarser warp threads from 1½ to 2 inches in width, some of which are dyed, prior to weaving, a different colour (generally black) to the rest of the warp threads or weft filling threads. These coloured warp threads go towards making generally three separate coloured stripes in the selvedge and have given rise to the name of this particular fabric. In width measuring up to 62 inches and with a length of 29 to 30 yards per piece, Woollen Spanish Stripes are met with in a limited range of quality and the average price of same taken over the period 1904 to 1914 was 1s. 8½d. per yard.

Spanish Stripes, Wool and Cotton.—This class of fabric, being a mixture and not a union fabric, answers to the description of a Woollen Spanish Stripe but differs from it in that it is woven from yarns which are composed of a mixture of wool and cotton. The "handle" is very nearly that of an all-wool fabric, the average width some 62 inches, and the length per piece 29 to 30 yards. The distinctive selvedge of this class of fabric is maintained in the wool and cotton variety.

Split Foot.—Refers to black or coloured hosiery having a white or unbleached sole.

Sponge Cloth.—A fine cotton or wool fabric having a surface resembling that of a small sponge.

Spun Silk.—Applied to a low grade of silk used in the cheaper lines of silk hosiery. It is made from floss, injured cocoons, husks, and waste from reeling, and bears the same relation to silk as cotton waste to cotton or shoddy to wool.

Staples.—Staples is a term used to designate those fabrics which are woven in the same way year after year, varying only in the colouring given to them, which may change in accordance with the demands of fashion and of the buyer.

The principal dress goods staples are Brilliantines, Sicilians, Mohairs, Imperial Serges, Storm Serges, Cheviots, Panamas, Batistes, Taffetas, Voile, Muslins, Nun's Veiling, Cashmere, and Shepherd's Checks.

Surah.—A light, soft, twilled silk.

Swansdown.—Like Cotton Flannel and Flannelette, Swansdown is a fabric made of cotton with a "raised" or "napped" surface. Being raised but on the back of the cloth, it is "single raised": heavy and closely woven Swansdown is a typical raised cotton cloth. The weave is on the satin-weave principle.

Swiss Embroidery.—This process of ornamentation closely resembles lappet spots, but, unlike lappet spots, they are in reality the result of a subsequent process of weaving. The essential difference in the manner of attaching the thread which is used for the figuring to the cloth can readily be seen. In Swiss Embroidery there is an equal amount of floating thread used to form the spot on the face of the cloth and on the back, thus producing what may be termed a solid spot on both sides and therefore reversible.

Swivel Figures.—High-class fabrics are often ornamented with swivel spots and figures, which are easily distinguished from the lappet or extra warp figures. In this style the figure is interwoven with extra weft by small shuttles into the ground cloth structure. Each figure is produced by an independent weft thread quite distinct from the weft pick forming the ground structure or body of the fabric. The figure threads are well bound into the cloth, the bulk of the material being on the surface. Where no figure is required in the space between, the shuttles remain idle in the loom, and the single thread from each shuttle joining the swivel figures is often cut away. Often used where a silk figure or a mercerised cotton figure is required on a cotton or worsted ground.

Tapestry.—A yarn-dyed figured fabric composed of two sets of warp and weft threads, woven on a Jacquard loom.

T-Cloth.—An all-cotton plain-woven fabric, usually woven from low-quality yarns, generally sold in the grey or unbleached state. Most of the T-Cloth imported into China is a heavily sized cheap grey cloth, usually 30 to 32 inches wide, 24 yards per piece, with a woven coloured heading somewhat similar to the heading in Grey Shirtings. Some T-Cloth is imported measuring 36 inches wide by 24 or 40 yards per piece. These Grey T-Cloths are generally packed 50 to 75 pieces per bale. Bleached T-Cloths, 31 and 36 inches wide, are also imported in small quantities. These are generally packed in cases of 50 pieces. The fabric derives its name from the mark T under which it was first exported. T-Cloth is also known as "Mexican."

Teasels, or Teazels.—Thistleheads with curved bracts, used in cloth raising.

Terry Cloth.—A weave in looped effect. A Velvet in which the loops have not been cut. Frequently applied to cotton fabrics of the order of Agaric and Sponge Cloth. See Turkish Towelling.

Tests by Burning.—Yarns or fibres of different origin burn in different manner. Cotton, linen, ramie, rhea, china grass, etc., ignite and burn readily with a bright smokeless and odourless flame, leaving but a small amount of ash, this being the characteristic of vegetable fibres. Animal fibres, on the other hand, are slower to ignite, the appearance of the flame is lifeless, and the fibres burn more slowly than vegetable fibres. Wool, when burnt, emits a disagreeable odour, and the residue or ash takes the form of a bead or knob. Silk burns in the same way as wool when it is free of "weighting." When artificially weighted, silk may have its weight increased to almost any desired extent—from 80 to 200 per cent. increase in weight can be obtained without creating suspicion. When such weighted silk is burnt, instead of forming itself into small black beads or knobs, it burns leaving a distinct ash, which retains somewhat the shape of the original material. Artificial or cellulose silk burns readily and in burning does not give off any odour.

Test for Artificial Silk.—The burning test should in most cases be sufficient to distinguish artificial from true silk, but if a chemical test is necessary, by immersing the suspect sample in a caustic potash solution it will be seen that artificial silk turns yellow, whereas true silk does not change colour. Artificial silk, which is a nitro-cellulose, burns very rapidly, leaving practically no ash whatever. A simple way of recognising artificial silk is by testing the threads under moisture. Unravel a few threads of the suspected fabric and place them in the mouth and masticate them thoroughly. Artificial silk readily softens under this operation and breaks up into minute particles, and when pulled between the fingers shows no thread, but merely a mass of cellulose or pulp. Natural silk, no matter how thoroughly masticated, will retain its fibrous strength.

Tests for Silk.—If a silk and wool mixture or union fabric is boiled in strong hydrochloric acid for 15 minutes, it will be found that the wool merely swells, whilst the silk acted upon by the acid completely dissolves. By careful weighing before and after the test it becomes a matter of simple calculation to arrive at the percentage of silk present in the fabric.

Test for Wool.—If a fabric suspected of containing wool and cotton or other vegetable fibre is boiled for 15 minutes in a solution made by dissolving either 1 ounce of caustic soda or caustic potash in a pint of water it will be found that all the wool will be destroyed and only the vegetable fibres remain. This test, which is based upon the well-known fact that caustic soda dissolves wool, may be used to ascertain the percentage of wool in a cloth if the sample tested is thoroughly washed, dried, and weighed before the test is applied. After testing and drying, the loss in weight represents the amount of wool which was present and destroyed during the test. This test may be reversed and the cotton destroyed by treating the sample with an 80 per cent. sulphuric acid solution. This, however, is a longer test, necessitating the sample being kept in the sulphuric acid solution for about 10 or 12 hours. Prior to drying and weighing the sample should be well washed in alcohol.

Textile Fibres.—The principal fibres which enter into the construction of textiles can be divided into the following six classes:—

Thickset.—One of the many varieties of Fustian, which comprise Corduroys, Velveteens, Moleskins, Thickset, etc.

Thread.—In general, a twisted strand of cotton, flax, wool, silk, etc., spun out to considerable length is called thread. In a specific sense, thread is a compound cord consisting of two or more yarns firmly united together by twisting. Thread made of silk is technically known as sewing thread; that made of flax is known as linen thread; while cotton thread intended for sewing is commonly called spool cotton. These distinctions are generally observed by the trade.

Three-quarter Hose.—A variety of ribbed-top stockings made for children and reaching nearly to the knees.

Tram.—A thrown silk thread taking its name from the French trame, meaning weft, softer and more flossy and having less twist than organzine. It is generally used for weft, which, as it bears little strain in weaving, need not be as strong as the warp, but should be soft and bulky, so that when beaten in successive threads will lie close together and fill up the interstices of the web.

Tram and organzine are, with the exception of spun waste silk, the only kinds of silk thread used for weaving—varying, however, in quality of silk, amount of twist, and in size.

Trunk Length.—Applied to women's hosiery midway between ordinary and opera length, usually widened gradually above the knee.

Tubular Cloth.—The most commonly met with examples of Tubular Cloths are the ordinary pillow slip, tubular lampwick, tapes, etc., which are in common use.

Tulle.—A plain, fine silk net. Practically the same as Maline.

Twin Needle.—A double row of interlocked machine stitching used for covering raw edges and seams of knit underwear.

are grouped under the heading "Unclassed Native Cotton Cloth." This group comprises:—