pending the hanks from a square roller into bleaching powder
solution contained in a shallow stone trough. The roller revolves
slowly, so that the hanks, while passing continuously through the
bleaching powder, are for the greater part of the time being exposed
to the air. (3) Sour in sulphuric acid. (4) Scald in soda ash. (The
term "scalding" means boiling in a kier.) (5) Reel in bleaching
powder. (6) Sour in sulphuric acid. (7) Scald in soda ash. (8) Dip,
i.e. steep in bleaching powder. (9) Sour in sulphuric acid. (10) Scald
in soda ash. (11) Dip in bleaching powder. (12) Sour in sulphuric
acid. For a full white, two more operations are usually required, viz.
(13) scald in soda ash, and (14) dip in bleaching powder. Washing
intervenes between all these operations.

Pieces are not stamped as in the case of cotton, but thread-marked by
hand with cotton dyed Turkey red. They are then sewn together end to
end, and subjected to the following operations:--

Boil with lime in kier.

The pieces are now separated and made up into bundles (except in the
case of very light linens, which may pass through the whole of the
operations in rope form) and soured with sulphuric acid.

First lye boil with soda ash and caustic soda.

Second lye boil. For some classes of goods no less than six lye boils
may be required.

Grass between lye boils (according to their number).

Rub with rubbing boards. This is also a speciality in linen bleaching,
and consists of a mechanical treatment with soft soap, the object of
which is to remove black stains in the yarn.

Bleach with hypochlorite of soda.

Scald. The two latter treatments are repeated three to five times,
each series constituting a "turn." Grassing intervenes between each
turn, and in some instances the pieces are rubbed before the last soda
boil.

[Illustration: FIG. 9.--Diagram showing the Horizontal Drying Machine
threaded with Cloth.]

The pieces are next steeped in large vessels (kiers) in weak
hypochlorite of soda, and then in weak sulphuric acid, these
treatments being repeated several times.

Ultimately the goods are mill-washed, blued with smalt and dried.

_Bleaching of other Vegetable Textile Fabrics._

_Hemp_ may be bleached by a process similar to that used for linen, but
this is seldom done owing to the expense entailed. _China grass_ is
bleached like cotton. _Jute_ contains in its raw