For d3eing purposes, copper, wooden, or stone vats are usually employed. Of these, perhaps those of stone are most eligible, for they do not absorb and retain the colours to tbe detriment of succeeding baths, as do those of wood, and are rarely if ever affected by acids, as is sometimes the case when they are composed of metals.
Several hank-dyeing machines of considerable merit have of late years been introduced into the various textile industries wherein dyeing is a branch of the process, and these have found favour amongst carpet-manufacturers, because of the greater uniformity of colouring obtained by their use. The hanks of yarn are by means of the machine simultaneously immersed in the dye-bath, and in like manner withdrawn when required, all being thus uniformly exposed. A recent improvement also enables the hanks to be automatically wrung, which ensures every hank being twisted exactly alike, vvhereby the liquid dye is equably expressed, and evenness of shade is secured.
By these various improvements, carpets are now produced, and enabled to be sold at very low prices, whilst retaining excellence of quality and beauty of design.
Besides the pile-warp, which is always composed of worsted, there are three other varieties of yarn that enter into the composition of a carpet : the "chain," the " shute," and the " stuffer." The former is amongst manufacturers preferred to be of linen, for the reason chiefly that it gives weight and firmness to the fabric in a superior degree to cotton, though the latter is a better wearing article when of good quality, and is often if not always more economical. When linen warps are used, the sizes are usually 5i, 5i, or 6 lea good tow yarns, the rniddle number being the most comrnon. In cotton, the numbers are usually 8's 9's and 10's 3-fold, the first prevailing as regards quantity consumed. Jute has been tried, but has not been found to be a satisfactory substitute. For the shute or weft of the fabric, linen is always used, as, not requiring to be so hard spun as the shorter fibre of cotton, it is more easily embedded in the warp threads, and covers them in a superior rnanuer. The stuffer warp is composed of low cotton-waste yarns, called "bump " yarns, the single thread of which runs about 70 yd. to 1 oz. Its purpose is to stuff or fill tapestry carpets, hence its name. This class of yarn is the best known article for the purpose. It is
produced principally in the neighbourhood of Oldham. The chief requisite of quality is evenness.
Chain, shute, and stuffer yarns are all sized before beiog used. The " si zes " employed are composed of different materials, such as horn piths, old pickers, glue, and one which is glue in art unfinished state. These are preferred by individual manufacturers for different reasons, some of which can hardly be distinguished from sentiment or prejudice.
Designs.—The most important part of carpet manufacturing is to secure good designs. In 9 cases out of 10, if not in 99 out of 100, a carpet is sold by the design, the intrinsic quality being taken into consideration only as a secondary matter. Of course, the best designs are always utilized for the highest qualities, because they are most likely to be selected by consumers possessing taste and culture, which qualities are usually found associated with fair means or social position. Large establishments possess designing departments under the superintendence of first-class men. Smaller establishments procure their patterns from professional desig,ners, who make designing a separate business and sell their productions to all comers. Schools of art have done much to irnprove taste and increase competition in this branch, and it is not difficult to obtain excellent designs in this manner.
Another important requisite of this branch of the art is that of being a good colourist. A capital design may easily be spoiled by incongruous or inharmonious colouring. When a good design, however, is secured, it is desirable to make the rnost of it, which can often only be done by bringing it out in from three to ten or twelve colourings, in order that it may harmonize readily with a great variety of surroundings. It is frequently discovered also that the designer's arrange ment of colour can by a slight modification be improved upon, and this is sure to show itself under this varied treatment. To most establishments is attached a man whose duty is to try the effect of slight alterations in the colourings, and improve them where possible. An indifferent design when skilfully coloured is often more successful in striking the public taste than a better one where the colouring is not so well done.