The remaining processes in worsted spinning closely resemble those for cotton, and are sufficiently described under SPIXNING; the products of these are: 1. Fleece (Lincoln 2. Combed "top." 3. Nods, or short wool. 4. Sliver from first drawing frame. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Slubbings from second, third. fourth, fifth, sixth, and sev enth drawing-frames. 11. Roving from roving-frame. 12. Spun yarn.
Figured worsted yarns are woven by various kinds of looms (see JACQUARD LOOM and 1151); plain kinds are woven in looms like those for woolens. Unlike woolens, when worsted goods leave the loom they require only a superficial dressing.
Worsted stuffs are usually classified according to the materials of which they are composed, viz.: 1. Fabrics composed entirely of wool. 2. Fabrics composed of wool and cotton. 3. Fabrics composed of wool and silk. 4. Fabrics composed of wool, silk, and cotton. 5. Fabrics composed of alpaca and mohair mixed with cotton or silk. The first of these classes includes the fabrics so well under the name of "merinos." and so called because they were first made of Spaaish wool; for the "double-twilled' kinds, the French still maintain their superiority ; but for the " single-twilled," the Yorkshire makers are considered the best. This class also comprises slialloons, says, serges, lastings—all stout and heavy fabrics—besides durants, buntings, moreens, dam• asks, reps, Russells, carnlets, and many others, both for dress and furniture. Mous seline de laine was, as its name implies, originally all wool, but it is now more generally mixed with cotton, and printed.
The second class includes two fabrics, of which the consumption• for female dresses has been immense—viz., Coburg and Orleans cloths, the former being twilled and the latter plain. Many of the names used in the all-wool class are retained in this, with the addition of the word "union," as union merino, union shalloon, union damask, etc. Winceys, now so popular for ladies' winter dresses, on account of their warmth, are made of wool and cotton, from yarns of a heavier and coarser kind than thpse used for cloths like Coburgs. Winceys are largely made at Aberdeen, Perth, Glasgow, and other places in Scotland, as well as in Yorkshire.
The third class includes the rich poplins (q.v.) and tabinets (q.v.), made chiefly in Dub lin, and giving employment there to about 1200 hands. Paramatta or Henrietta cloth,. Canton cloth, and others, are made both of silk and wool, and cotton and wool. Some Coburgs, Orleans, Russells, and damasks are likewise made with silk warps.
The fourth class—viz., mixed goods, in which silk, wool, cotton, and sometimes linen are used—includes peculiar kinds of some of the fabrics named above, and also vestings, linings, cravats, shawls, scarfs, quiltings, boot and shoe cloths, bareges, etc. .
The fifth class includes alpaca lusters and mixtures—plain, twilled, and figured; alpaca poplins, umbrella and parasol cloth ; mohair lusters, glaces, Verona serges, bareges, etc.
The term "worsted" is said to have derived ith origin from a village of that name in Norfolk, where this manufacture was first carried on. Up to the end of last century worsted goods were a staple trade of Norwich ; but the neglect of the factory system there led to its being transferred to Bradford, which has become renowned as the metropolis of the worsted manufacture. It is also extensively carried on at Halifax and other places in Yorkshire.
The statistics of the worsted manufacture, on the following page, are gathered from the government inspectors' reports for 1875, and refer to that year: The same remarks apply here as in the case of the return of persons employed in the woolen manufactories, given under that head, and with still greater force, for there are a very great number of small trades connected with the worsted manufacture. The imports of both worsted and woolen yarns have greatly increased of late years, and is no doubt greatly owing to the ingenuity of the Belgians in spinning good yarns from cheap wools, Belgium being the country from which by far the greater portion comes, In 1877, woolen and worsted cloths to the value of about .25,230,000 were imported.
With respect to the exports, the following will show the increase which has taken place from 1860 to 1874: 1860—worsted yarn, 26,455,000 lbs. (£3,578,000); worsted stuffs, 148,685 yards (C7,013,000). 1865—worsted yarn, 30,221,000 lbs. (£5,074,000); worsted stuffs, 233,078,000 yards (£13,361,000). 1874—worsted yarn, 34,263,916 lbs. (£5,472.612); worsted stuffs, 261,135,081 yards (£11,888,072). In 1877, the exports had seriously de clined—worsted yarn, 26,972,536 lbs. (£3,609,456); worsted stuffs, 194,777,034 yards (£7,725,414).
The rapid increase of the worsted manufacture as compared with the woolen, is no doubt to be ascribed to the greater simplicity of the processes, to the recent introduction of combing-machines, but most of all to the introduction of cotton-warps in 1835, which not only cheapened the goods, but vastly increased their variety.
Information regarding such special branches of the woolen and worsted industries as carpets, shawls, hosiery, bonnets, etc., will be found under their separate heads. We may state here that the Scotch bonnet-trade, carried on at Kilmarnock and Stew artou, employs from 2,000 to 3,000 hands, and sends out about 500,000 bonnets annually.