It has already been stated that in the batching department various qualities of jute are mixed as judiciously as possible in order to obtain a satisfactory mixture.  Fibres of different grades and marks vary in strength, colour, cleanness, diameter, length and suppleness; it is of the utmost importance that these fibres of diverse qualities should be distributed as early as possible in the process so as to facilitate the subsequent operations.

[Illustration:  By permission of Messrs. James F. Low & Co., Ltd. FIG. 16 WASTE TEAZER]

However skilfully the work of mixing the stricks is performed in the batching department, the degree of uniformity leaves something to be desired; further improvement is still desirable and indeed necessary.  It need hardly be said, however, that the extent of the improvement, and the general final result, are influenced greatly by the care which is exercised in the preliminary processes.

The very fact of uniting 10 or 12 slivers at the feed of the finisher card mixes 10 or 12 distinct lengths into another new length, and, in addition, separates in some measure the fibres of each individual sliver.  It must not be taken for granted that the new length of sliver is identical with each of the individual lengths and ten or twelve times as bulky.  A process of drafting takes place in the finisher card, so that the fibres which compose the combined 10 or 12 slivers shall be drawn out to a draft of 8 to 16 or even more; this means that for every yard of the group of slivers which passes into the machine there is drawn out a length of 8 to 16 yards or whatever the draft happens to be.  The resulting sliver will therefore be approximately two-thirds the bulk of each of the original individual slivers.  The actual ratio between them will obviously depend upon the actual draft which is imparted to the material by the relative velocities of the feed and delivery rollers.

It is only natural to expect that a certain amount of the fibrous material will escape from the rollers; this forms what is known as card waste.  And in all subsequent machines there is produced, in spite of all care, a percentage of the amount fed into the machine which is not delivered as perfect material.  All this waste from various sources, e.g. thread waste, rove waste, card waste, ropes, dust-shaker waste, etc., is ultimately utilized to produce sliver for heavy sacking weft.

The dust-shaker, as its name implies, separates the dust from the valuable fibrous material, and finally all the waste products are passed through a waste teazer such as that made by Messrs. J. F. Low & Co., Ltd., Monifieth, and illustrated in Fig. 16.  The resulting mass is then re-carded, perhaps along with other more valuable material, and made into a sliver which is used, as stated above, in the production of a cheap and comparatively thick weft such as that used for sacking.

CHAPTER VIII.  DRAWING AND DRAWING FRAMES