BALASORE A species of the cotton manufacture, in which the Indian fabric is imitated, and the name preserved. To those who arc conversant with the general manufacture of mus lifts, the Balasore handkerchief will present little no velty. The fabric is similar to that of the Jacconoit ntuslins, which arc of an intermediate degree of close ness between the most dense and the lightest. The border of the handkerchief is formed in general mere ly by using coarser yarn than the body of the fabric; and this yarn may be so disposed, as to form many different patterns. The texture is merely plain or alternate; and the only additional care which it' is in .cumbent on the weaver to use, is that of rolling his cloth when finished on the receiving beam. When a piece of these handkerchiefs is newly begun, very little 'difference of tension will be perceived, but as it proceeds, the difference always increases, and it very soon becomes necessary that it should be counter acted, or the whole fabric would be inevitably inju red. The cause of this is the accumulation of the 'coarser and more bulky material near to each selvage Of the cloth. As the coarse warp occupies a greater 'space than the fine, it follows.that at every successive convolution, the diameter of the beam must increase 'in a greater ratio than the former. Again, as the tension of the warp is preserved by the action of the warp and cloth beams in contrary directions, it ne -cessarily follows, that the ratio of tension must de pend upon the measure of each diameter ; but as by successive convolutions, the diameter of that part where.thelsorders are wound becomes progressively greater than that which is occupied by the interme diate Cloth, the tension of the coarse warp is rapidly increased by the augmentation of the cylindrical mea sure of the beam. Hence the coarse boarders would be burst asunder by excessive tension, before the bo som of the handkerchief had acquired so much as would moderately stretch the warp. To counteract this, layers of paper, ur pasteboard, and sometimes small slips or rods of wood, are cut, so as to fill the bosom, and wound upon the beam between the folds of cloth. By the thickness of these being added to that of the cloth, the accumulation upon the beam is kept pretty nearly equal in all parts, and the defect is in a great measure removed., The fabric of the Ballasore handkerchief being nearly the same as the Jacconott, N° GO, 62, or 61, may be taken as an average set for a 1200 reed, and the different grada tions for liner or coarser reeds will be found by the rules laid down in that article. Some allowance, how ever, must be made fur the finer fabrics, or they will -appear much more dense than is generally desirable.
The reason of this is also pointed out in that article. The difference being merely matter of taste, cannot be exactly specified. By the calculation for a 1500 reed, No 100 would be required. Now in common practice, N° 110 may be considered pretty near the general standard ; so that the difference is ten num bers. For a 100.), N° 45 would be taken by the ' calculation, and this is very near the usual practice.
In warping the coarse yarn for the borders, dif ferent plans are used. It is sometimes warped sepa. rately, and beamed at either side of. the fine, being crossed over it obliquely before it comes to the rod;„ At other times, it is warped along with the rest. The coarse yarn is sometimes doubled, give it a b.••ler appearance in the cloth, at other times a great number of threads, as four, and sometimes six, are crowded into the same interval of tH reed. The latter produces much the finest appearance, hut is yastly more troublesome to the weaTer ; for when so many threads are confined in one space, the friction becomes very great during the alternate rising and sinking of the warp ; and every small knot or ob struction of any kind, produces much inconvenience both in the warp and woof.
Coloured or dyed yarn is also frequently used for the borders of these handkerchiefs, and may be dis posed exactly as the common Balasore borders. In this species, although it is not necessary that the dif ference of fineness should he so conspicuous as in the white handkerchiefs, where the whole appearance is given by superior density; still the dyed yarn ought to be very considerably bolder than the body of the web, that the colour may appear conspicuously through the intervals of the woof. When coloured borders are composed of single threads of warp, and many threads are crowded together in the same in terval of the reed, they appear to very great advan tage, because the weft covers so little of the colour ed yarn as hardly to produce any perceptible ..
tion of the effect ; but for the reasons formerly given, they arc excessively troublesome to the weaver du ring the operation. When cords are used, the diffi culty is still further increased, although these, when judiciously disposed, greatly heighten the brilliancy and appearance of the border. Balasore handker chiefs are sometimes checked through the bosom, either with cording or coarse yarn, and the coloured borders are also frequently checked. These arc the Only peculiarities of this fabric, which, in every other respect, is merely a piece of plain Jacconot muslin. (J. D.)