When the above-mentioned upper roller descends, due to a decrease in
the thickness of the strick, the oblique rod and its fulcrum is
moved slightly counter-clockwise, and less oil is liberated for the
thin part of the strick. It will be understood that all makers of
softening machines supply the automatic lubricating or batching
apparatus when desired.

A view of a softener at work appears in Fig. 13. The bevel wheels at
the end of the rollers are naturally covered as a protection against
accidents. In many machines safety appliances are fitted at the feed
end so that the machine may be automatically stopped if the
operative is in danger. The batching apparatus for this machine is
of a different kind from that illustrated in Fig. 12; moreover, it
is placed nearer the feed rollers than the twelfth pair. The feed
pipes for the oil and the water are shown coming from a high plane,
and the supply is under the influence of chain gearing as shown on
the right near the large driving belt from the drum on the shafting.

The feed roller in this machine is a spirally fluted one, and the
nature of the flutes is clearly emphasized in the view. The barrow
of jute at the far end of the machine is built up from stricks which
have passed through the machine, and these stricks are now ready for
conditioning, and will be stored in a convenient position for future
treatment.

[Illustration: Fig. 13 Softening machine with batching apparatus]

While the jute as assorted and baled for export from India is graded
in such a way that it may be used for certain classes of yarn
without any further selection or treatment, it may be possible to
utilize the material to better advantage by a judicious selection
and treatment after it has undergone the operation of batching.

What are known as cuttings are often treated by a special machine
known as a "root-opener." The jute cuttings are fed into the
machines and the fibre rubbed between fixed and rotating pins in
order to loosen the matted ends of stricks. Foreign matter drops
through the openings of a grid to the floor, and the fibre is
delivered on to a table, or, if desired, on to the feed sheet of the
softener.

The root ends of stricks are sometimes treated by a special machine
termed a root-comber with the object of loosening the comparatively
hard end of the strick. A snipping machine or a teazer may also be
used for somewhat similar purposes, and for opening out ropes and
similar c