comparatively simple operation, consisting
solely of winding the yarns from the spinning or twisting bobbins on
to a wide swift or reel of a suitable width and of a fixed diameter,
or rather circumference. Indeed, the circumference of the reel was
fixed by an Act of Convention of Estates, dating as far back as 1665
and as under:

"That no linen yarn be exported under the pain of confiscation, half
to the King and half to the attacher."

"That linen yarn be sold by weight and that no reel be shorter than
_ten quarters_."

The same size of reel has been adopted for all jute yarns. All such
yarns which are to be dyed, bleached, or otherwise treated must be
reeled in order that the liquor may easily penetrate the threads
which are obviously in a loose state. There are systems of dyeing
and bleaching yarns in cop, roll or beam form, but these are not
employed much in the jute industry. Large quantities of jute yarns
intended for export are reeled, partly because bundles form suitable
bales for transport, and partly because of the varied operations and
sizes of apparatus which obtain in foreign countries.

YARN TABLE FOR JUTE YARNS

90 inches, or 2-1/2 yards = 1 thread, or
the circumference of the reel
120 threads or 300 yards = 1 cut (or lea)
2 cuts or 600 yards = 1 heer
12 cuts or 3,600 yards = 1 standard hank
48 cuts or 14,400 yards = 1 spyndle

Since jute yarns are comparatively thick, it is only the very finest
yarns which contain 12 cuts per hank. The bulk of the yarn is made
up into 6-cut hanks. If the yarn should be extra thick, even 6 cuts
are too many to be combined, and one finds groups of 4 cuts, 3 cuts,
2 cuts, and even 1 cut. A convenient name for any group less than 12
cuts is a "mill-hank," because the number used is simply one of
convenience to enable the mill-hank to be satisfactorily placed on
the swift in the winding frame.

The reeling operation is useful in that it enables one to measure
the length of the yarn; indeed, the operation of reeling, or forming
the yarn into cuts and hanks, has always been used as the method of
designating the count, grist or number of the yarn. We have already
seen that the count of jute yarn is determined by the weight in lbs.
of one spyndle (14,400 yds.).

For 8 lb. per spyndle yarn, and for other yarns of about the same
count, it is usual to