The bobbin and fly frame is now the most common roving machine fur fine spinning. its main feature consists of a system of vertical spindles, on each of which is placed a reel or bobbin, and also a kind of fork called a "fly," still farther removed than the bobbin from the axis of the spindle. The drawing or delicate silver of cotton is first drawn through or between rollers, and elongated to the state of a roving ; then this roving passes down a tube in one prong of the fork or fly, and becomes twisted by the revolution of the fly round the bobbin, while at the same time the twisted roving becomes wound with great regularity upon the bobbin. The machine in fact performs three different and distinct operations; it first attenuates the " drawing " to a state of still greater thinness and delicacy than it had before ; it then gives to the " roving " thins produced a slight twist, sufficient to enable the fibres to cohere ; and lastly, it winds this twisted roving upon a bobbin, on which it is convenient ly transferred to the spinning-maehine.
The next, or finishing operation is that of spinning. One of the earliest machines e. D is the clasp or clove, having a han dle for lifting its upper jaw a little way, in order to allow a inches of the soft roving to be introduced. The compound
I, being now pushed forward upon its friction wheels to A, was next gradually drawn backward, while the spindles were made to revolve with proper speed by the right hand of the operative turning the fly-wheel B. Whenever one stretch was thereby spun, the clove frame was slid home towards a; the spindles being si multaneously whirled slowly to take up the yarn, which was laid on in a conical cop by the due depression of the faller wire at A with the spinner's left hand. The machines which are now most in use for spinning, are the throstle, or water-twist frame, and the self-acting mule, which are both so perfect as to work almost without the aid of manual labor. These machines are so complex as to preclude the possibility of rendering them intelligible here. Suffice it to say, that the principle of their operation is substantially the same as that of the ma chine described, the improvements in creasing the amount of work performed, improving its quality, and dispensing in a greater degree with manual labor. The yarn being spun into either fine or coarse thread, is applicable for the warp or weft in woven goods ; when the weav ing is done at home, it is by band-loom; when in a factory, it is by power-loom. This process will be followed under