Save that gold, silver and other metals are occasionally used in cloth or gauze, Asbestos (Vol. 2, p. 714) is the only mineral employed in textiles, and its value for jacketing steam pipes and boilers and for insulating fabrics and fireproofing gives it great importance. Ramie (Vol. 22, p. 875) is not so largely used in textiles, but experiments in the production of better fibre are being made.
Shoddy (Vol. 24, p. 992) is an article which shows how unfair it is to treat the re-manufacture of “devilled” fabric as an illegitimate if not absolutely fraudulent branch of the textile industry, for really serviceable cloths are woven from it, and masses of poor people who would otherwise be in rags are thus comfortably clad. “Mungo,” another re-manufactured cloth, is described (Vol. 28, p. 906) in the article Yarn. Pine-apple fibre is described (Vol. 10, p. 311) as of exceptional fineness and is used in yarn cloths of the best quality. The article Pine-apple (Vol. 21, p. 625) describes its culture. Sisal Hemp (Vol. 25, p. 158) is used in bagging as well as cordage, and the same is true of Phormium (Vol. 21, p. 471), sometimes called New Zealand flax. Paper pulp yields a yarn which is used in some cheap fabrics as described (Vol. 5, p. 609) in the article Cellulose already mentioned.
Textile Merchandise
The many varieties of woven cloths are described in the articles already mentioned in the manufacture of cotton, linen, wool, and silk, and in articles on special fabrics. Hosiery (Vol. 13, p. 788) covers the textiles that are produced by knitting or looping, and gives an account, with illustrations, of the machinery employed. Net (Vol. 19, p. 412) covers the textiles of which the mesh is knotted.
Lace (Vol. 16, p. 37), by Alan Cole, contains some of the most beautiful full-page plates and other illustrations to be found in the Britannica, and is a very full treatise on the history and the present state of the lacemaking art.
Flannel (Vol. 10, p. 480) describes the true flannels made from wool, and Flannelette (Vol. 10, p. 481) the cotton imitations and the new fire-resisting fabrics of this class. Drill (Vol. 8, p. 580) covers both the cotton and linen tissues sold under this name. Crepe (Vol. 7, p. 379) mentions the curious fact that the Chinese and Japanese makers of soft crepe guard their secret processes, which are still unknown to western manufacturers, so carefully that the different stages of their production are carried on in towns far distant from one another.
Carpet (Vol. 5, p. 392) contains full-page plates of rare specimens and describes pile carpets, flat-surfaced carpets and the printed carpetings.
Tapestry (Vol. 26, p. 403) deals with another luxurious branch of the textile industry, and is illustrated with photographs of the finest specimens and with pictures showing the methods of weaving. Brocade (Vol. 4, p. 620) describes and illustrates this stately class of fabrics. Embroidery (Vol. 9, p. 309) with six full-page plates and Shawl (Vol. 24, p. 814) deal with other art textiles.
Tartan (Vol. 26, p. 431) describes the colours and patterns of all Scottish clan tartans. Damask (Vol. 7, p. 785) discusses this fine class of fabrics, the weaving of which is the subject of a special section (Vol. 28, p. 454) of the article Weaving. The enormous consumption of coarse bags for the packing of raw cotton and of sugar gives importance to the articles Bagging (Vol. 3, p. 200) and Sacking and Sack Manufacture (Vol. 23, p. 975). Canvas (Vol. 5, p. 223) discusses sail cloth and artists’ canvas, and Tarpaulin (Vol. 26, p. 430) deals with waterproof covers.
The Seventy Articles on Special Fabrics