are paid from 2 cents to 60 cents per yard for weaving the
different fabrics, and other operations vary greatly in cost; for
instance, the cost of printing is entirely dependent upon the work and
the number of colors used, whether it is blotch printing, discharge
work, or block printing. Different processes in finishing have widely
varied costs. At the present time moire work is done which costs as
high as 25 cents per yard. There are also other materials which can be
finished for as little as 1/2 cent per yard. Some goods have to be
finished over and over again in the dyeing and finishing while others
are very simply done. Many printed goods are handled 150 times after
they come from the loom.

When it comes to relative values of similar goods produced by
different manufacturers there are a few general principles by which
good construction can easily be determined. Most pure dye fabrics when
burned will rather shrivel and boil than burn, while those which are
weighted heavily with metallic salts will simply char and turn white
without losing the structure of the fabric.

A fabric in which the quantity of warp and filling are of equal weight
gives the maximum strength for the amount of material used. For the
same weight and material, that having the most bindings of warp and
filling will give the greater service. Fabrics with an insufficient
number of warp or filling threads slide easily and do not give good
service, though sometimes fashionable. A fabric having a twist in the
warp and filling will last longer than one using the same amount of
silk and the same binding with less twist.

All of these things may be taught to women many times over, but if the
fashion demands an article which breaks all of the above laws and is
everything that it should not be, they will buy it in preference to a
serviceable fabric. As a general rule, the consumer will be safest in
buying goods produced by houses of good reputation and whose products
are well known.

A large part of the retail value of silk goods is their fashion demand
and is quite independent of their cost of production. For instance, at
the present time crepe fabrics, brocades, and prints are commanding a
premium while such goods as plain taffetas could not be sold for the
cost of production.

The advantages of the better kinds of silks over the cheap ones are
pure dye, long wear, and more expensive manufacturing.

=Experiment 60--How to Determine the Count of Y