cher," which opens it out
from the rope form to its full breadth, and is then dried on a
continuous drying machine. Fig. 8 shows the appearance and
construction of an improved form of the horizontal drying machine,
which is in more common use for piece goods than the vertical form.
The machine consists essentially of a series of copper or tinned iron
cylinders, which are geared together so as to run at a uniform speed.
Steam at 10-15 lb. pressure is admitted through the journalled
bearings at one side of the machine, and the condensed water is forced
out continuously through the bearings at the other side. The pieces
pass in the direction of the arrow (fig. 9) over a scrimp rail or
expanding roller round the first cylinder, then in a zigzag direction
over all succeeding cylinders, and ultimately leave the machine dry,
being mechanically plaited down at the other end.

If the bleaching process has been properly conducted, the pieces
should not only show a uniform pure white colour, but their strength
should remain unimpaired. Careful experiments conducted by the late
Mr. Charles O'Neill showed in fact that carefully bleached cotton may
actually be stronger than in the unbleached condition, and this result
has since been corroborated by others. Excessive blueing, which is
frequently resorted to in order to cover the defects of imperfect
bleaching, can readily be detected by washing a sample of the material
in water, or, better still, in water containing a little ammonia, and
then comparing with the original. The formation of oxycellulose during
the bleaching process may either take place in boiling under pressure
with lime or caustic soda in consequence of the presence of air in the
kier, or through excessive action of bleaching powder, which may
either result from the latter not being properly dissolved or being
used too strong. Its detection may be effected by dyeing a sample of
the bleached cotton in a cold, very dilute solution of methylene blue
for about ten minutes, when any portions of the fabric in which the
cellulose has been converted into oxycellulose will assume a darker
colour than the rest. The depth of the colour is at the same time an
indication of the extent to which such conversion has taken place.
Most bleached cotton contains some oxycellulose, but as long as the
formation has not proceeded far enough to cause tendering, its
presen