YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 36, 6 November 1917, Page 8

YORKSHIRE LETTER

'what are counts of yarns? (Erom Our Special Correspondent.) ■ Bradford, Augoist 30. Tho other day the writer was asked the. auostlon: What are counts of yarns, and how aro they calculated? The query was evidently put by one who has somo interest In tho trade, , and was anxious to receive further enlightenment, no doubt, for tho , purpose of developing business in some direction or other. Picquancy was added to tte Question by the fact that tho.writer knows that even Government officials' Tftio-are taking part in the prescnt.Vicheme^of'State control Dβve been known fto" ask similar one. It is evident that there is room for the reception of much knowledge in this direction, and the writer thinks the time « opportune ior ah explanation to bo given of the ■technical question which heads this paragraph. Perhaps the easiest w&v to explain what counts of yarn really are is to begin with the woven fabric. This is certainly not the usual way, and on the surface looks like workinjr backwards, but s,s a matter of fact the necessity for counts arises out of the faot that tho various manufactured articles vary very much in weight and thioknesa as well as in othsr respects. • Compare, for instance, a, ladies' Ireir-net ■vrUh the coarse heavy fabrio known as corduroy, or a. woollen fabric such as a blanket, or the woll-known woollen jerseys. The hair-net at its full extent only measure a lew square inches, but if we take a. piece of either tho corduroy or tho hosiery fabrio already named of the fame size, we shall find n considerable difference in the weight. The first-named can be concealed entirely in one hand. «nd no one would suspect that il was there. The other two aro bulkier and heavier. -The net is intended for exceedingly light use only, hosiery articles are intended for a purpose which involves more actual wear, whilst the oort material has pj&«d upon it still more wear and tear. There is a muoh larger amount of material in the coarse cloth than there is In the net, and it does not need a. lons stretch of imagination even on the part of the uninitiated to understand that unless some means of calculation had been dovitpd. it. would be impossible to lav what the actual weight of thcenme coarse cloth would be when it was finished. The Illustrations UEed nro undoubtedly extreme, but they should help all the mnre plainly to explain what counts really- are. There are differences in the weight of many woven fabrics which aro practioally otherwise identical. 'PIK3 difference la not tho result of chance, but i» produced entirely by tho will of Mie manufacturer, who uses such countß of yarn as ho knows arc necessary to attain the desired result.

What Is Yarn? , The terra yarn itself is one "which is capa.ble of explanation. It is tile product of the spinning machine, of which thcro are various types. Alter tho wool lias been combed into tli£ tops on the 'wonted principal it proceeds to, tho drawing, roving, and spinning, r.nd. after tho lastnamed operation is completed tho namo of tho semi-manufactured articlo is yarn. This yarn may eventually become cither jirarp or weft in tho ■weaving process, and it would of course, be 'impossible to stato with any decree of certainty what weight of fabric would result from thn-uec of warp and weft, unless their, actual thickness were known. Some .-means of definite calculation is needed, and it is done by wbst arc known as counts. . Counts Explained. Let up now go back to the beginning. Wn hare already said .that after wool has been combed on the worsted principle it is spun into what is known as "the yarn. Tho

method of calculation is as follows:—If 560 yards of yarn weigh one pouud it is called one's count. Having fliod tho length and the weight, tho thickness (to which "count" really -refers) becomes an invariable quantity. If there arc two hanks or lengths of yarn together each measuring 560 yards and weighing ono pound, it is called two's count. The length and weight again fix tho thickness. In actual practice 'there is no such thing as either one's or two's count, but thciie numbers are given simply for explanatory purposes. Working on the same basis, we arrivo at the conclusion that 30 hanks or lengths of yarn, rach measuring 660 yards and weighing 0110 pound, are called 30' a count. Sixty-four hanks of 560 yards and weighing one pound aro called 61's count. This is the method of calculation according to the worsted principle. In the woollen trade a different standard of calculation is used. The standard length ill tho Yorkshire or woollen skein is 1336 yards, which weighs six pounds, and is oalled one worten. Tho principle of calculation is that one hank 256 yardß long weighs one pound, 30 hanks .256 yards also woierli one pound, only 111 one case the designation is one's and in the other 30's. There are other methods of calculation in tho woollen manufacturing trade, among which may be mentioned that in iiEo in the West of England. There the standard of length and weight is that 320 yards weigh one pound. Extending this method of calculation we arrive at the conclusion that one hank.32o yards long and weighing one pound, is one's count, two hanks 320 yards long and weighing one nound are two's count, and thirty hanks 320 yards long, are 30's count. Then there is the Galashiels cut, which contains SOO yards in 240z. This resolves itself into tho number of times 200 yards is contained in one pound.

What They Mean to the Crower. The above may appear to some to be too technical, and just bordering upon the incomprehensible. Still, if what is written is read over again, it will convey some idea of \yhat is meant by the count, of yarn. Carrying the idea expressed right back to the fleece of the sheep, they mean the quality of the wool which the sheep owner is trying to grow on his Bock. Merino sheep como as a rule under the category of 60's and upwards, while crofisbreds rango anywhere from 32's to 68's. whatever he the class of sheop pastured, we would urgo upon ownere the importance of keeping the best, and nothing but the.best. Jn deciding the connt of yarn a spinner knows full well that he must Ket wpol. the quality of which is well above the actual count number rcauired, because at the present time the standard of tops made is anywhere from 15 to S5 per cent, worse than formerly. At least, tops mads just before the war hroke out had greatly depreciated in nplnninsr value, due to a greater proportion of inforior wool being used for topmaking purposes. The (.tandard ranee of tope being turned out by the Government to-day is better than for some years past, because good fleece wool is brine used. Otherwise, when nieces and bellies arc largely used, the top is bound to be inferior when compared to those made from good fleece woql. Interchange of Counts.

Perhaps one thought which will striko the reader is the number of different methods of calculating yarn counts, and in this ho is'not alone, for even those who are intimately connected with the trado havo often found thin to bo somewhat of a, stumbling block. The methods of calculating appear to be somewhat on a, par with those appertaining to the various weights aad measures used in different parts of tho country for different commoditicß which are bought and sold in the commercial .world every day. It may also bo compared to the lack of uniformity, ■which is seen in methods used in 'different countries in counting money. Readers will probably know that thero are those who aro keen advocates of tho universal use of the decimal system of calculation, and -with regard to the counts of yarns used in the textile trado some hate also said that if thcro could be more regularity it would bo better for all. This, however, is not likely to happen yet, much prejudice will havo to bo overcome, thero are undoubtedly real practical difficulties in tho way, end the multitude of fabrics turned out by tbo textile- trade also shows such diversity of construction and actual constituents, that one can scarcely ever hope to sco tho day when everything will bo reduced to a perfectly uniform standard.

In all systems of counting of folding yarns, with tho exception of spun silk, the yarn is named according to the counts of tho single threa.ds in the yarn, prefixed by the number of threads forminn It. Example: .When a twofold is made of 32's worsted, it is called twofold 42's, although thore will bo only 16 hanks in the pound. In folding ipun silk yarns the number of hanlis in the pound is used to denote the count, with the number of threads in the yarn affixed to it. Thus two threads of 32's counts spun silk twisted together would, be called Mil. In order to frivo the reader a tangible idea what is meant, by interchange of counts the writer appends the following three examples:— (1) Since ZO's worsted represents 20 by M 0 yards in lib., which, is equal to 11,200 yardß, and since there , are 256 yards in one Torkshiro skein; then 11,200 divided by 256. or 48.75 equals count in Yorkshire skeins.

(2) Since 20's woreted represents 20 by 560 yards in lib. and since 840 yards- represents l's cotton counts, then (20 by 660) divided by 840, or 13 1-3 equals cotton coant equivalent to 20's worsted. (3) Since 20's worsted represents 20 by 560 yards in lib., and since tho Gala, hank contains M 0 yards on the pound basis, then 20 by £60 divided by 200, or S6's Oalacouots is equivalent to 20's worsted.