ced to the use of paraffin wax in the sizing of the warps. In this
case the stains are more or less streaky in form, and extend along the
length of the piece. They are due to the fact that paraffin wax is not
saponifiable by the action of the alkalies used in the process, and is
therefore not extracted. When the goods are chemiced the chlorine acts
upon the paraffin and forms chlorine compounds, which are acted upon by
light, and turn yellow by exposure to that agent and to the atmosphere.
Paraffin, when used for the sizing of warps, may sometimes be completely
extracted from the fabric, but this depends upon the proportion of
tallow or other fat which is used in the composition of the sizing
grease. If the paraffin is only present in small quantities, and the
grease well mixed, then it may be possible to extract all the paraffin
out of the fabric during the bleaching process, but if the paraffin is
in large proportion, or the grease not well mixed, it is scarcely
possible to extract it all out, and stains must be the result. These
stains can hardly be considered the fault of the bleacher, but are due
to the manufacturer of the cloth using cheap sizing compositions on his
warps. There are no means which can be adopted before bleaching to
ascertain whether paraffin exists in the cloth. If found to be present,
the remedy which is the easiest practically is to saturate the cloth
with a little olive oil, or better, pale oleic acid. Allow the fatty
matter to soak well in, and then boil the goods in a little caustic
soda. Another cause of oil stains is the use of mineral oils in the
lubrication of cotton machinery. These mineral oils partake of the
nature of paraffin in their properties, and therefore they are
unsaponifiable by the action of alkalies. Like paraffin wax, they
resist the bleaching process, and much in the same manner produce
stains. Oil stains show themselves in various forms--sometimes as spots.
These may be due to the splashing of oil from the spindles during the
process of spinning, or they may be in patches of a comparatively large
size over the pieces.

These are perhaps due to the oil dropping on to the piece during the
process of weaving when in the loom. The oils used for the lubrication
of spinning and weaving machinery should contain a fair proportion of
some fatty oil, such as olive or rape or cocoanut oil. Not less than 10
per cent. should be used. More would be better, but the cost of course
would