two and a half inches, have been removed from this
mohair, the comb is set so that any fibers shorter than four or five
inches, shall be held as noil, and only those fibers which are longer
than four or five inches shall be included in the top. This combing
completed, we have a collection of mohair fibers none of them less than
about five inches in length. This top is now ready to spin. This combing
is rendered necessary by the fact that all of the mohair contains an
admixture of kemp, and kemp cannot be spun with the finer grades of
mohair. In getting this kemp out of the mohair many of the short mohair
fibers are lost, so that combing is an expensive process. It costs in
time, labor and mohair.

SPINNING.

Many strands of this Lister top are now drawn down into a single thread.
This thread, if the fibers comprising it are coarse, may have some
projecting ends, which give it a rough, uneven appearance, and if so,
these ends are burned off. The thread is passed through a gas flame at a
given rate of speed by machinery, and the projecting ends are singed.
This is called genapping. The yarn is now ready for manufacturing. In
Bradford, England, there are mills which only spin the yarn. Their trade
is with the manufacturers, both at home and abroad, and it is a known
fact that, while France and Germany manufacture much plush and braid,
they buy all of their yarn from Bradford.

CARDING.

Short mohair, that is, mohair less than six inches long, is not run
through combs, as above described. It is run over a carding wheel, or a
large metal cylinder covered with small brads, which mix all the mohair
and kemp. After passing over a number of these wheels, which revolve in
different directions, the material thus carded is ready to spin.

NOIL.

Some of the noil collected by the combing process is composed of a large
percentage of short mohair. This noil has a considerable value and is
sometimes carded. The lower grade noil is sold to carpet manufacturers
and various users of low grade stuff. Noil usually brings from twelve to
twenty cents a pound.

USES OF MOHAIR.

As yet mohair has been used for only a limited number of things. Its
possibilities have not been developed. New uses for the fiber are being
discovered, and it seems probable that there will be many things made of
mohair in the future. The yarn has a beautiful luster and is very
durable. When ladies' lustre goods are in fashion a large amount of
moha