scoured wool passes to a travelling band for delivery from
the machine. Sometimes the wool is not entered into the trough direct,
but is put on a travelling apron which opens it and delivers it in a
more open form into the trough. The movement of the forks causes some
degree of agitation in the scouring liquor which facilitates the
penetration of the liquor through the wool, and thus brings about a
better scouring.

After the wool has passed through the machine it is taken and run once
more through the machine. Some scourers use the same liquor, but it is
better to use fresh liquors, after which it is washed in the same
machine with water two or three times. With a single machine there is
some time and labour lost in transferring the wool from one end to the
other between the separate treatments, and in large works where a
great deal of wool is scoured it is usual to place three or four of
these machines end to end.

The first is filled with strong scouring liquor, the second with (p. 022)
a weaker liquor, while the third and fourth contains wash waters, and
the wool is gradually passed by the action of the machine through the
series without requiring any manual aid. Between each machine it is
passed through squeezing rollers as before, and finally emerges
thoroughly scoured. A good plan of working in connection with such a
series of machines is to have four as above, two washing machines and
two soaping machines, the soap liquor is run through these in a
continuous stream, entering in at the delivery end of the second
soaper and passing out at the entering end of the first soaper. The
wool as it first enters the machine comes into contact with rather
dirty soap liquor, but this suffices to rid it of a good deal of loose
dirt; as it passes along the machine it comes in contact with cleaner
and fresher soap liquor, which gradually takes all grease and dirt out
of it, and, finally, when it passes out it comes in contact with fresh
liquor, which removes out the last traces of dirt and grease. In the
same way it passes through the washers, being treated at the last with
clean water. By this plan the scouring is better done, while there is
some saving of soap liquor and wash water, for of these rather less is
required than by the usual system. These are matters of consideration
for wool scourers. The wool-washing liquors after using should be
stored in tanks to be treated for recovery of the grease which they
contain.