TECHNOLOGICAL HANDBOOKS. EDITED BY H. TRUEMAN WOOD, Secretary of the Society of Arts. COTTON SPINNING. TECHNOLOGICAL HANDBOOKS. COTTON SPINNING: ITS DEVELOPMENT, PRINCIPLES, AND PRACTICE. BY RICHARD MARSDEN, MEMB. Soc. ARTS. WITH AN APPENDIX ON STEAM ENGINES AND BOILERS. LONDON: GEORGE BELL AND SONS, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 1884. 1577 M34 THE PREFACE. HE impetus recently given to technical education in this country, whilst it has induced a great demand for books suitable for the use of students in our various industries, has revealed in our literature a remarkable deficiency of this class of works. A want of this kind, however, cannot long exist without a supply being forthcoming, and already there are prospects of its early gratification. The following little treatise has been written with the view of providing, partially at least, for the needs of students of the cotton trade. Until within the past few years this trade has, with rare exceptions, been so profitable, that persons having little or no knowledge of it, who invested capital therein, hardly ever failed to secure a good return. But this is the case no longer: the growth of competition, both domestic and foreign, has reduced profits to such a low point, that to conduct a cotton-spinning business successfully to-day requires that those having charge of it should be either themselves, or in the persons of their trusted servants, thoroughly conversant with both the principles and details of every process through which the material must pass to reach the mercantile form. A correspondingly perfect acquaintance with the market is also required in order to conduct the commercial section of the business safely and profitably. The former is necessary in order to enable those in charge to exercise strict supervision over every employé, to enforce care and |