rod. It shows what appear to be
two fibers united by the gum secreted at the same time that the fiber
was formed. Describe the silk fiber as it appears under the
microscope.

10. Silk is taken from the reel and twisted into a skein of raw silk
and thus exported.

11. The manufacture in the United States begins with raw silk. It is
handled here first by the _throwster_ who winds it from the skein and
makes different varieties of thread.

_Questions_

1. Why is the silk cocoon first placed in hot water?

2. What is known as floss?

3. What is meant by silk reeling?

4. What can you say of the length of the silk fiber?

5. In what way does the silk fiber differ from the other fibers?

6. What is the chief characteristic of the silk fiber?

7. What are other characteristics of the silk fiber?

8. In what form is silk exported?

9. In what countries is most of the raw silk produced? (See
_Textiles_, page 206.)

10. With what does the silk manufacture in the United States begin?

11. Who is the _throwster_ and what is his work?

=Experiment 12--Linen Fiber=

Apparatus: Microscope.
Material: Flax fibers.
Reference: _Textiles_, chapter xv, page 193.

_Directions_

1. The linen fiber is obtained from the flax plant. Certain fibers,
such as flax, jute, and ramie, are obtained from the stem of the
plant, hence are known as _bast_ fibers, and flax is the most
important bast fiber.

2. It is difficult to separate the flax or linen fiber from the woody
part of the stem. The process is called _retting_, which is really
rotting by soaking the stem in water.

3. Before the fibers are entirely free from the woody part of the
plant they undergo the processes of beating, breaking, scutching,
hackling, etc.

4. Read the account of each process. See _Textiles_, pages 194, 195.

5. Measure and record the length of two linen fibers.

6. Test the strength by trying to break the fiber.

7. Test for elasticity.

8. What is the appearance of the linen fiber when held to the light?

9. What is the color of the fiber? What is the process called by which
linen is whitened? (Bleaching.)

10. Examine the flax fibers under the microscope. Observe that the
fibers look like long cylindrical tubes. Describe the appearance of
linen fibers under the microscope.

11. The best flax is grown in Belgium and Ireland.

_Questions_

1. From what part of the plant are bast fibers obtained?

2. Name some