in UJ >- :. / NOTE: The articles on Fibre and Binder Twine which have appeared from time to time in "The Harvester World" have com- manded world-wide attention. There have been so many requests for extra copies containing these articles that the supply is exhausted, and we therefore reproduce them in this form. 283077 CONTENTS Page Introductory -- 3 The Human Side of Twine - 4 The History of Binder Twine -6 Sisal Fibre - - 10 Manila Fibre - - -22 A Few Facts About Twine . 34 Twine Mills . . . . - 44 45 COPYRIGHT 1912 BY INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY OF AMERICA (INCORPORATED) CHICAGO USA INTRODUCTORY More than 1 50,000 tons of twine are required annually to bind the grain crops of the world. Sisal Fibre, from which sisal and standard twines are made, is grown in Yucatan, Mexico, where it is carefully cultivated by up-to-date plantation owners. Modern machines are used to remove the fibre from the leaves, and every effort is made to retain the smoothness and strength of the natural fibre. Manila Fibre is grown in the Philippine Islands; the fibre has a lustrous sheen, somewhat similar to wheat straw. The lower the grade, the darker the color. When manufactured into twine, the oil that is added gives a slightly darker tint. The manufacturers of twine maintain a corps of expert inspectors in the field and a second corps in the mills where the twines are made, and in this way the inferior fibre is detected and thrown out. During the busy rush of harvest it is very important that the twine shall neither knot nor break in the field, and that it be full length and have uniform tensile strength. THE HUMAN SIDE OF TWINE When we drive home from the implement dealer with our little load of sisal twine for the coming harvest, we do not often realize that we are giving that twine its final lift on the journey of many thou- sands of miles which it has taken months to make. Seldom do we appreciate when we give it its final resting place in the twine can, that the first hands which touched it were those of a Maya boy or girl in far-off tropical Yucatan Yucatan whose inhabitants were a great civilized people with temples and literature, centuries before Columbus came ashore in his red velvet suit. Or, if it is manila twine, the first step in its long pilgrimage was under the guidance of a bare-footed, brown-skinned little Filipino, who perhaps never heard of a binder, and whose agricultural imple- ments are a pointed stone or a crooked stick. Yet, if it were not for the industry of those two widely separated nations, the farmers of this rich country would still be obliged to bind ^-their grain with old-fashioned wire. In fact, the problem of twine was the problem of successful binding for years after the self-binder v was an established fact. It took many years and thousands of dollars to eliminate this primary drawback to the early grain growers of the country. One manufacturer alone spent $15,000 trying to make twine out of grass, $35,000 using paper as a substitute, and $43,000 on straw, all in the end to be discarded as unsatisfactory. Then, after searching the world with a close-tooth rake, as it were, it was found that two fibres could be made to do the work manila and sisal. The manila long, soft and even had generally been used in multiple strands for making cable and cordage; while the sisal strong, pliable and smooth was found to lend itself perfectly to the manufacture of a single-strand cord, such as the self-binder necessitated. Then commenced a merry struggle between the distant races for the honor of supplying the twine which was to make His Majesty, the American farmer, the greatest food producer in the world. At first, owing to the established position of the manila hemp trade caused by the cordage industry, the little brown brother in the Philippines forged ahead, but he made no progress in his methods of production, using the knife and block and other simple methods followed by his primi- Page Fo, tive forefathers in extracting the fibre. It was soon seen that sisal would either be the ultimate material to supply this demand or the demand would not be filled. At this point in the race a number of clever, aggressive Yucatecans, educated in the sciences in this country and abroad, sprang into the game. They saw the future commercial possibilities of the neglected sisal plant. At their own expense they built railroads into the arid, dry territories where henequen grew. They invented new machines, capable of cleaning 1 00,000 leaves a day, and soon began to compete on an equal basis with the manila fibre. The Spanish-American war temporarily advanced the price of manila fibre to such an extent that good grades of manila fibre com- manded a price which was practically prohibitive for binder twine. Therefore, manufacturers of binder twine concentrated their energy and genius in the production of a perfect binder twine from sisal. This required some adjustment of machinery and some change in methods, but manufacturers of twine succeeded so that the twine made from sisal has for some years been as perfect and satisfactory as any binder twine ever made from any material. This has resulted in the increased use of sisal, until during the past season a large per cent of the material which was used in the manufacture of binder twine in the United States was sisal fibre. More than $20,000,000 is spent yearly in the purchase of sisal and manila fibres which are imported from Yucatan and the Philip- pine Islands. In an effort to find a satisfactory substitute for these tropical fibres, the International Harvester Company expended more than $ 1 ,000,000 experimenting with home grown flax. The experimental work was successful, and a twine was produced which was satisfactory in every way except that crickets and grasshoppers ate it, causing the bundles to fall open in the field. Experiments extending over a period of several years have failed to find any treatment to which the twine could be subjected to make it immune from the attacks of insects, and twine manufacturers are compelled to continue the importation of sisal and manila fibres. Page Five THE HISTORY OF BINDER TWINE Binder twine as a staple article of commerce had its beginning in the year 1 880. Experiments with machines which bound grain with twine began several years prior to 1880, and in 1879 a few twine binders were successfully operated. From the beginning of these experiments, twines of various kinds were utilized, principally consisting of small cords composed of two or more strands and made from Ken- tucky and other soft fibres. Those engaged in the development of the twine binder early recognized the difficulty of securing binder twine of proper quality. Naturally the first experiments were made with types of twine and cord then in use, and as the work progressed the experts discovered that twine, in order to bind grain successfully, must possess some qualifications in addition to strength and uniformity of size. In order to work well on the knotter, the twine must possess a firmness or coarseness in order to strip from the hook after the knot is formed. It frequently developed that a very soft twine which was strong enough to do the work would cling to the knotter hook so tenaciously that when the bundle was discharged the twine would break instead of stripping off the hook. Another important qualification was strength on the knot. Many twines with sufficient tensile strength cut or break easily on the knot, which renders them unfit for binder twine. William Deering was one of the first to make thorough field ex- periments with the twine binder, and during the harvest season of 1879 he operated with considerable success a few Appleby binders. The question of twine suitable to do this work was found to be most difficult of solution; notwithstanding which, Mr. Deering had such faith in the new invention that he undertook the manufacture of three thousand twine binders for the harvest of 1 880. He immediately gave the problem of securing suitable twine his close, personal atten- tion. Among other experiments he untwisted a manila rope and used the strands, and became convinced that, if these rope yarns could be spun small enough, a successful binder twine would be the result. He approached several ropemakers, who promptly turned him down. Finally he went to Philadelphia, visited one of the leading cordage factories where large quantities of wrapping twine and other coarse cords were made, and tried to induce the proprietor, Mr. Bailey, to make some experiments with manila fibre. This Mr. Bailey refused to do, but stated that Edwin H. Filler, who owned a large rope factory in Philadelphia, was better equipped to make this experiment than any- one else with whom he was acquainted. Acting on this suggestion, Mr. Deering visited Mr. Filler, who, by the way, was for several terms mayor of Philadelphia, and who was a very keen and success- ful business man. Mr. Filler was disinclined lo make any experimenls, slaling lhal rope yarn as ihey were making il ran only 300 feel lo ihe pound and lhal il was praclically impossible lo spin il down lo 700 feel lo ihe pound, which was ihe size Mr. Deering required. How- ever, upon learning lhal if ihe experimenl proved successful, Mr. Deering would place an immediale order wilh him for a number of carloads, Mr. Filler, wilh his usual business acumen, recognized ihe possibility of increasing his business and immediately entered inlo an arrangemenl wilh Mr. Deering. He promplly began making adjust- ments on his preparalion and spinning machinery and quickly pro- duced an arlicle which in ihe lesls al ihe Deering faclory proved ihe superior qualilies of ihis lype of Iwine. A large order was execuled, and lhal was ihe beginning of a business which in thirty years has grown lo 300,000,000 pounds annually, valued al $20,000,000.00. The knowledge of Filler's success spread rapidly, and nearly all manufaclurers of hard fibre rope began ihe manufacture of binder twine, and finally some large mills were buill and equipped solely for ihe produclion of binder Iwine. The early success of Filler, followed by olher rope manufaclurers, was possible for ihe reason lhal praclically ihe same melhod of prepara- lion and same kind of spinning machinery were used ihen as now. Rope of good quality was produced al lhal lime, bul previous to ihe binder Iwine era no effort had been made to spin ihe yarns fine or lo make ihem absolulely uniform. The twisling of several strands into a rope made absolute uniformity of the individual yarns unnecessary. The cordage manufacturers at thai time also had balling machines which were praclically identical with those now used, and wrapping and olher commercial twines were put up in balls like the balls of binder twine lo-day. These poinls are mentioned simply to call atlenlion lo ihe facl lhal ihe cordage manufaclurers of 1 880 were only compelled lo adjust ihemselves lo ihe new product There was no necessily for radical changes in iheir mechanical equipment II will be of inleresl to know lhat ihe young man who was con-~~ dueling field experimenls for Mr. Deering al that time was no other u Page Seven than J. F. Steward, now expert of the I H C patent department. In the first days of the harvest of 1 880, Mr. Steward was in Texas, and while toiling in the broiling sun in an attempt to make a twine binder work successfully with a very poor article of hemp twine, he received the first ball of the manila twine made by Filler. This ball of manila twine worked perfectly, and turned a difficult and more or less dis- appointing experiment into a pleasurable success. Mr. Steward at the earliest opportunity rushed to a telegraph office and sent Mr. Deering a characteristic and laconic message, "Manila splendid." Manila fibre at this time commanded a high price, and sisal, which had begun to attract the attention of rope makers, was much cheaper. Early in the history of binder twine, sisal was mixed with manila in about equal proportions and a very satisfactory binder twine running about 600 feet to the pound was produced. Finally some experiments were made with sisal alone, which, in consequence of the equipment and adjustment of machines then in use, were not in the beginning very successful, as sisal fibre was much shorter than the manila for which the machines were originally constructed. How- ever, minor changes in construction and adjustment of the machinery followed, and the result was a perfect binder twine from sisal fibre. The use of manila, however, has never been abandoned, and in some years when prices are favorable, a considerable quantity of pure manila and mixed manila twines is used. While the great bulk of the binder twine of recent years has been made from sisal and manila, there have been other fibres used suc- cessfully; usually, however, in connection with larger proportions of sisal or manila. New Zealand fibre, either in a mixture or used ex- clusively, makes a satisfactory twine, but it does not possess the lasting qualities found in the two principal fibres. Twine made from New Zealand fibre does not retain its strength if kept for a period of years, while sisal or manila twines do not deteriorate perceptibly for a long time. Manila maguey, mauritius, and istle, together with some other varieties of hard fibre, have been used to a limited extent with fail success. Fairly good working twine has been made from a mixture of jute and American hemp. A perfect working twine has been made from flax, but here again uniformity of product has been found very difficult, and with the increasing production of sisal and manila, and the lower prices which follow increased production, the percent- \age of binder twine made from other fibres is not important. Page Eight The Sisal Plant Page Nine SISAL FIBRE The plant from which sisal fibre is produced is known in Yucatan as henequen. It is one of the numerous species of agave, many varie- ties of which are found in tropical countries, and which when trans- planted to our greenhouses and conservatories in the North are usually called century plants. It would appear from careful investigation that the variation in agave plants is mainly attributable to differences of soil and climate. Yucatan furnishes the most ideal conditions for plants of this nature, existing and flourishing as they do largely on air and moisture in the atmosphere, and not being dependent upon rich soil. While all of the agave plants contain fibre, only a few are capable of successful cultivation. It can be stated as a general rule that plants which grow slowly contain a fibre superior in quality to that found in plants of rapid growth. It is also essential that the leaves contain enough moist pulp to permit the easy extraction of the fibre, which is very difficult where the leaves are thin and dry, and the pulp of an adhesive nature. It very frequently happens that plants closely resembling sisal are found in large numbers in different tropical countries, surrounded by conditions which would indicate the proba- bility of satisfactory results from cultivation. However, after careful experiments running through a series of years it is frequently found that the plants grow too rapidly, mature quickly, and die while still comparatively young, thereby producing fibre of inferior quality and necessitating the frequent renewal of plants, which is expensive and renders the business unprofitable. There are immense tracts of unimproved land in the tropics, and it is not unlikely that at some time in the future sisal will be successfully produced at some point outside the peninsula of Yucatan, but that country now produces a very large proportion of all the fibre of that class that reaches our markets. The northern part of the peninsula is a flat, low country barely twenty-five feet above sea level, and is a solid ledge of lime rock, originally of coral formation. There is only a limited amount of soil on the surface of this lime rock, probably little more than half the surface being covered with soil. In its natural condition the whole surface is covered with a jungle growth of tropical woods and plants ranging in height from ten to thirty feet. This jungle is cut and the Page Ten A Sisal Plantation ' Bundles of Sisal Leaves Page Eleven wood burned in order to prepare the land for planting. After the land is cleared, sisal plants of about two years' growth, previously started in the nurseries, are set out in rows eight feet apart, which will give about one thousand plants to the acre. There is no further cultivation necessary except the occasional cutting of the under- growth, which is done with the machete, a large knife with a straight blade from eighteen to twenty-four inches in length. While the plants are young this undergrowth is usually cut twice each year. After the plants are mature one cutting each year is sufficient. It requires from five to seven years for these plants to mature after having been set out in the plantation, so that the man opening a new plantation must be possessed of a good deal of patience as well as a means of support for a considerable period of time. When the plants reach maturity the cutting of leaves begins. Only the under or mature leaves are taken. It is possible to cut from twelve to twenty leaves from each plant. The leaves average a little less than two pounds in weight. Usually from 3 to 3% per cent of market- able fibre, or about one ounce, is secured from an average leaf, making an average of perhaps one pound from each plant, or one thousand pounds from an acre. This is the result of a year's opera- tions. There is no particular season when leaves are harvested; on the contrary, leaves are cut every week in the year. Usually the manager starts on one side of his plantation and gradually works across, timing his work so that some of his plants are always ready for cutting. Each leaf is handled individually, being first cut from the plant, then the spines removed from the edge of the leaf, then the leaves packed in bundles of about fifty and carried to the edge of the plantation or to the nearest tramway. From there they are con- veyed to the cleaning plant, which is centrally located on each plan- tation. The leaves are put through the cleaning machine at the rate of about three thousand per hour. The fibre, after it leaves the machine, is carried into the drying yards and is spread on galvanized wire where it dries and bleaches in the sun, after which it is gathered and taken into the warehouse where it is pressed into bales in the same form in which it reaches the mills. The various operations have been so frequently described that we do not go into them in detail, but call attention to the immense amount of labor required to produce a comparatively small amount of fibre. This can be profit- Page Tweloe Loading Sisal Leaves on a Tram Car Mid-day Siesta on a Sisal Plantation ably accomplished only in countries where living is simple and cheap and where, consequently, labor is not expensive. In this connection, however, it is only fair to state that the cost of labor has doubled in Yucatan during the last ten years. The population is not great and climatic conditions are not specially attractive to immigra- tion; consequently the supply of labor is limited, and the natural competition among planters to increase the size of their henequen fields has resulted in every laborer being employed, and at increased wages. It may be of interest to know something concerning the char- acteristics of the people who form the principal laboring element of Yucatan. They are Maya Indians and are the descendants of an aboriginal race which has left behind it proof of a higher type of civilization than was found in other parts of the western hemisphere (possibly in making this statement regarding the ancient Mayas an exception should be made of the Inca Indians found in the Andes mountains of South America, although the latter did not possess the architectural ability of the Mayas). Yucatan possesses many ruined cities which students declare to have been in existence for at least two thousand years, some of the buildings being nearly intact and show- ing beauty of design and accuracy of finish of a very high order. Just why this ancient people became decimated and cities abandoned is not positively known. Legends handed down from generation to generation seem to indicate that at the height of their development they became the victims of internal dissensions and rival cities and tribes warred on one another until the race was nearly extinct. The present natives are amiable, cleanly, industrious, and capable. Although rather undersized, they are well formed and very powerful. They are trustworthy and faithful, and perform the labor required in that country better, perhaps, than any other workmen who could be employed. Notwithstanding some of the magazine articles written on the subject, there is nothing in the nature of slavery in Yucatan. Every man is free and receives his pay as regularly as the workmen in the American factories. The plantations are usually large, and in consequence of their size, somewhat isolated. A planta- tion consists of several thousand acres of land, only a part of which is cultivated. The buildings are usually in the center of the plantation. On the larger plantations there are several hundred families of natives. Each family has a small house, the workmen's houses usually being y H ^*- i Page Fourteen Hauling Sisal Leaves to the Decorticating Mill Exterior View of the Decorticating Mill Page Fifteen clustered about the main structures. The plantation always contains a church, and there is a resident physician employed by the plantation owner. Usually the manager of the plantation is the local magistrate, and this clothes him with authority, which all will recognize as necessary in order to preserve discipline in a community of several hundred people. Each workman is usually given one day off during each week. He frequently utilizes this day for taking care of his little garden patch, where he raises corn, beans and other vegetables. The planter permits each family to have its own plot of ground and to raise its own food. The houses furnished by the planter are usually made of stone, often with tile roofs, and are superior in every respect to the huts which the natives build for themselves when they are not employed on the big plantations. After extensive traveling through the fibre plantations of Yucatan, one is convinced that these workmen are better housed, better clothed, better fed, more cleanly, and are treated with greater consideration than the negroes in the southern part of our own country. There is a law which prevents a workman from leaving his employer while in debt, and it may be possible that at times this law is construed and the conditions manipulated to the disadvantage of the workman, but such cases are rare, and there is usually the very best of relations between the workmen and their managers. Suitable laws and their proper enforcement must be determined by the mental, moral, and physical condition of the governed. The population of Yucatan, other than the natives above referred to, consists largely of people of Spanish descent, many families trac- ing their ancestry back to the conquest three hundred and fifty years ago. While there is a sprinkling of English, German and perhaps other European races, the Spanish type prevails. As the country has developed only one important resource sisal there has not been the rapid development nor the accumulation of great fortunes which has been witnessed in the United States. It is true that the owners of large plantations have acquired a reasonable competence and are living in comfort. They educate their children, and in many instances send them to Europe or to the United States in order to give them the benefit of a wider culture. They build comfortable homes and fur- nish them very much as the well-to-do American furnishes his. They are people of intelligence and refinement, who take life earnestly and Page Sixteen Feeding Sisal Leaves into the Decorticator Fibre Coming from the Decorticator Page Seventeen who are loyal to their country, remaining in Yucatan and improving their property after becoming financially independent. They put back on the plantations a large part of the money, which the pro- duction of fibre yields. The plantation buildings are substantial and attractive. The best of machinery has been purchased and installed in their cleaning and pressing plants. Thousands of miles of narrow- gauge tramways have been laid through the plantations, making the transportation of leaves economical. Everything has been done to get the largest possible results from the limited amount of labor at their command. In this connection it may be well to state that not more than 20 per cent of the best fibre-producing lands of Yucatan are cultivated, the scarcity of labor being the reason. The planters are almost universally men of a high type, hospitable and courteous to an extent seldom found outside the Latin countries. Drying Sisal Fibre Page Eighteen MS Along the Wharf at Progreso, Yucatan Bales of Sisal Fibre Loading Sisal Fibre at Progreso Page Nineteen Steamboat at the Wharf at Progreso, Yucatan Page Tioentv .-. s- The Manila Plant Page Twenty-One MANILA FIBRE The manila fibre of commerce is the product of a plant or tree known to the scientist as musa textilis, but called abaca by the natives of the Philippine Islands, which country alone produces this plant. Efforts to cultivate it in other countries have so far failed. It is there- fore evident that we must continue to look to our island possessions for the necessary supplies of this fibre, which is most important in the manufacture of rope and many other forms of cordage. The manila plant is identical in general appearance with the banana tree. The trunk consists of a cluster of from twelve to twenty sheathing leaf-stalks which spread out into a crown of huge leaves, rising to a height of from 12 to 25 feet. These leaf-stalks over- lap each other and grow together tightly so as to give the appear- ance of a solid trunk from six to twelve feet in height. It is from these stalks or layers that the fibre is extracted, and not, as many have supposed, from the long leaves, as in the case of the sisal plant. About four years are required for the mature growth of manila plants from the time the suckers or young shoots are set out in the plantation. Before the plant reaches maturity other shoots spring up from the root of the original plant, so that after the mature plant has been cut it will be only a few months until the oldest shoot is also mature. Soil which is largely composed of volcanic ash appears to be the natural home of the manila plant; in fact, it does not thrive outside the volcanic zone. The plant requires plenty of rain, but must be grown in a soil where the drainage is good, and it is, therefore, cultivated with the greatest success on the sides of mountains and hills. While there are a few large manila plantations, the great bulk of this fibre is produced from small parcels of ground cleared out of the jungle, frequently containing only five or six acres, and sometimes even less. The land is largely owned by wealthy merchants who arrange with the natives to work these small tracts of abaca; thus, one man may have a large number of these small fields of cultivated ground. This small field is called a late (lat-ta). The native usually takes care of the late and strips the fibre "on shares," receiving one-half of what he produces. The work is done in a very crude manner and with tools Page Twenty-Two of the most primitive sort. The principal item ot equipment is a heavy steel knife from twelve to sixteen inches in length, exclusive of the handle, fitted with a wooden handle from eighteen to twenty inches in length. The handle acts as a lever and is fitted into a fulcrum at the inner end of the handle near where it connects with the steel knife. A piece of very hard mahogany wood is made to exactly fit the edge of the knife. This block is placed on the top of a convenient log or section of a large bamboo tree. To this same log is fastened the fulcrum in which the knife is operated. Sometimes this fulcrum consists of two stakes driven on either side of the log and tied together with thongs of rattan, which grows plentifully in the jungle. The edge of the knife, in order to obtain the best results, should be smooth. However, as a rule, it is provided with small notches like saw-teeth. The natives prefer this condition of the knife for the reason that the fibre strips more easily. The edge of the knife is held down on the hardwood block by a spring pole which is connected with the outer end of the handle by a string or thong, the amount of tension on the knife being regulated by the size of the pole or the extent to which it is bent when the connection with the handle is made. The device for raising the knife from the block of mahogany in order to insert a layer for cleaning is very simple. Another string, also attached to the outer end of the handle, is connected with a short bamboo pole, one end of which lies on the ground, the other being suspended a few inches above the ground by this last named string. When the operator wishes to raise the knife from the block he steps on this partially suspended pole, which acts as a foot lever or treadle. When released by the operator's foot, the knife returns to its position on the block, and, as previously described, is held there by a large spring pole which is swung overhead. When the strip or layer from the plant is drawn under the knife only the fibre is pulled through; the pulp and skin of the strip, being scraped loose from the fibre, fall in front of the knife. The strip is usually held more easily and more firmly by the operator by the use of a small, short stick of hardwood or bamboo, around which the strip is wound. In order to clean the end originally held, a second and reverse movement is necessary during which the cleaned ends of the fibre are held in the same manner. The operator places the cleaned fibre on a convenient pole, or Page Twenty-Four Cutting Down a Manila Plant Removing Layers from Manila Plant Page Twenty-Floe sometimes in the crotch of a tree, from which it is taken by the women and children and spread out on bamboo poles in an open spot where the sun dries the fibre in a few hours. The product of each day is gathered up toward night and twisted into convenient hanks and placed under cover. The work of cutting the plants, separating the strips, and carrying the strips to the apparatus above described, is usually performed by the workman's wife and children, who also spread the fibre and gather it after it is dried. Some of the lates are so located that the fibre stripper goes each morning from his hut in the village. Frequently, however, the dis- tance to the lat is so great that the fibre stripper and his family leave the village and remain in the late for two, three, or four days at a time. They improvise temporary shelter from branches of palm trees and the leaves of the manila plant, and seem to live about as comfortably under those circumstances as the ordinary American does when in camp during a summer vacation. The stripping apparatus is so simple that the operator carries to the lat only his stripping knife and the hardwood block which is fitted to the blade. With his machete or bolo he very quickly installs the knife and block and is ready to begin stripping. Under the conditions described, the equipment is so easily moved that only a small number of trees are cleaned on one spot. Another reason for frequently changing location is the rapid accumulation of the refuse from the stripping, the cleaned and dried fibre representing only from one to two per cent of the weight of the trunk which is stripped. The average day's work of an expert stripper is about twenty-five pounds. The best quality of fibre is produced by stripping the same day the plants are cut. If the plants or the separated layers are permitted to lie for any considerable time after being cut, fermentation, the beginning of decomposition, takes place, and this is a distinct injury not only to the color but also to the strength of the fibre. Possibly the reader, after considering the crude methods followed in the production of this important article of commerce, resulting as it does in a business of from $1 5,000,000 to $20,000,000 (gold) annually, may wonder why machinery has not been introduced for stripping this fibre. Large prizes and bounties have been offered to the inventor who would first produce a successful fibre-cleaning machine. Many attempts have been made, and while some machines have given Page Twtntylx Removing Fibre from Layers Page Twenty-Scoen ^-^ ^- -^ considerable promise, none has reached a point where general intro- duction is possible. The great difficulty seems to be in the lack of uniformity of the texture of the fibre itself, and of the layers from which it is extracted; and no machine yet produced has the delicate sensitiveness of the human hand to adjust itself to the varying con- ditions. It may interest the reader to study for a little time the char- acter and surrounding conditions of the fibre stripper. As a rule, he is possessed of a kindly nature and a cheerful disposition; is fairly tem- perate, and not particularly indolent when his necessities are taken into consideration. At maturity he usually marries and nearly always lives happily with his wife during their lifetime. They raise a family of children, and there appears to be a very strong family affection. The man is neither cruel nor arbitrary. At the beginning of his domestic career he proceeds immediately to build what, in that country, is a thoroughly satisfactory dwelling. His wants are few. A small amount of cotton cloth provides clothing for the entire family. In many instances the women manufacture fabrics from which a large part of their clothing is made. These fabrics are made from either very fine manila fibres, or from the fibre of the pineapple plant. Consequently the expense for clothing is very slight. The food consists principally of fish, which is very abundant and costs nothing; and rice, which in most cases the fibre stripper is com- pelled to buy, as very little rice is produced in those sections of the country where fibre grows. The meat which they consume is largely chicken and pork, which they themselves raise, although these two articles are considered a luxury, and are not very frequently indulged in. Fruit is used to a considerable extent, and that is always at hand. This simple life makes it possible for the fibre stripper to secure for himself and his family everything which he desires by laboring three or four days each week. Consequently he does not exert him- self to "lay up something for a rainy day," which in his case seldom or never comes. Page Twentu-Eight Device Used to Remove Fibres from Layer* ' yn V Manila Fibre is Noted for its Length Manila Fibre Hung Up to Dry Page Twenty-Nine Bringing Fibre Down from the Mountains Page Thirtu . * . Pje Thtrtv-Onc i Wharf Near the City of Manila PageTl ^5llL^^3i Page Thirlu-Two Filipino Cart and Water Buffalo Page Thirlv-Thne A FEW FACTS ABOUT TWINE In the preceding pages we have been told how the fibres for manufacturing binder twine are obtained, and the following pages will be devoted to the finished product, the twine itself. The rapid increase in the use of the twine binder soon created a demand for sisal and manila twines far in excess of the surplus capacity of the cordage factories where the first binder twine was made, and the in- ability of the binder manufacturers to secure binder twine in sufficient quantities, at the proper time, and of the right quality, became a serious draw-back to the progress of the twine binder industry. They were, therefore, brought face to face with the problem of either providing for a larger supply of better and cheaper twine, or seeing their already established binder business seriously handicapped, and thus they were forcibly brought to consider the question of manufac- turing their own binder twine. To do this required the spending of large amounts of money in factory buildings and expensive machinery. Practically all the machinery at that time had to be imported from abroad, and this, to- gether with the fact that the season for using twine covered only a Storing Fibre in the Warehouse Page Thirty-Pom TV JL Inspecting Fibre at the Warehouse Another View Showing the Inspectors at Work Page Thirtu-Flve small portion of the year, which made it necessary to purchase, pay for, and manufacture large stocks of fibre into twine several months in advance of the time that it could be disposed of, made the proposition one which involved large expenditures of money with very ^ little prospect of satisfactory, direct returns. The purpose being to encourage and stimulate the use of twine binders by furnishing good, cheap twine, even though it had to be manufactured and sold at very little or no profit, the investment of money in the twine industry by the harvester companies was looked upon as a matter of necessity -^rather than one of profit. The first harvester company to build a mill for the manufacturing of binder twine was William Deering & Company, this mill being built in 1 886. From this starts the history of the manufacturing of binder twine by the harvester companies, who within the next few years, nearly all found it necessary to follow the same course as a matter of self-preservation. They knew that the future of the twine binder depended largely on their ability to supply the purchasers with a sufficient quantity of suitable twine at a reasonable price. When the harvester companies engaged in the manufacture of twine, it was done for no other purpose than to insure the success of their binder business which was already established; therefore, the question of the highest possible quality was their first consideration. It was well known by the users of twine that some fibres were more suitable for binder twine purposes than others, but the question as to just what available fibers were best suited had never been definitely settled, and this, and the proper kind of machinery to be installed, were some of the first problems that had to be solved. It was soon found that much of the fibre ordinarily used in the manufacture of rope and commercial twines was not at all suited for binder twine purposes, due to the variety of conditions that had to be met by the new product. First, it had to be strong and of uniform size so as to work satisfactorily through the tensions, on the knotter hook, and in the disk, and remain soft and pliable when subjected to treatment met when shipped and stored under all kinds of conditions. Second, after it was put on the bundle of grain, it had to stand the weather exposure for quite long periods. Third, it was necessary that it be immune from the ravage of insects. In the early years manila fibre was very extensively used for this purpose, but in later years 85 to 90 per cent of the binder twine used has been manufactured from sisal fibre. \ Combing the Fibre First Process Preparatory to Spinning Fibre Starting through Spreading Machines Page Thirlu-Seoen The reason for this is that sisal fibre as it is procured on the market is of much more uniform quality than manila; that is to say, there is very little variation between the higher and lower grades. There- fore, twine manufactured from sisal fibre can be depended upon to give more uniform results than that made from manila of low grade. The comparative value of sisal fibre and high grade manila makes it necessary to run manila twine a greater number of feet per pound, and consequently of smaller size, to get the price per unit of length to compare favorably with that of sisal. Therefore, it has not, as a gen- eral thing, met with the same favor from the user as the shorter and larger twines. In the manufacture of fibre into twine, the first operation is the selecting, mixing, and grading of the different fibres. This part of the work falls to the inspection department, where all the different shipments of fibre, both manila and sisal, are inspected and passed upon as they are received. Regular sisal and standard twine is manufactured from sisal fibre, and on account of the uniformity of this kind of fibre, the inspecting and mixing is comparatively simple. When we come to deal with manila fibres, where there is such a large variety of grades on the A View Showing the Spreading Machine Page Thirlu-Eigfil Fibre Passing through the Drawing Frame Another View of the Drawing Frame Room The Finishing Machine* Tr Page Thirty-Nine market, ranging in texture from a very fine, soft, and tough fibre to that so coarse and brittle as to resemble fine sticks, and ranging in color from snow white to black, the question of inspecting becomes a very important one, as the low grades cannot be used in the manu- facture of high grade twines. After the different fibres have been inspected and passed upon by the inspection department, they go to the preparation room where the opening and mixing is done. The fibre is then put through several softening and combing operations the number depending upon the different grades of fibre which soften, comb, and form the fibre into a continuous ribbon called a sliver. These slivers pass from machine to machine where they are continually doubled up and redrawn until they form a well-worked, continuous sliver of prac- tically uniform size. During these combing and drawing operations, the fibre is care- fully watched by experienced and competent operators. All the machinery used for these purposes is very complicated and expensive. After the fibre in sliver form is finished in the preparation department, it goes to the spinning room where it is spun into twine. One of the Spinning Rooms Pane Forty Balling Machine in Operation Page Fortu-One This process consists of combing, drawing, and twisting the fibre until it is formed into a smooth, even twine. While passing through this process, it is continually watched by competent operators, and any twine found to be of a defective nature is promptly rejected. The spinning machinery on which this work is done is also of a very complicated nature. As the twine is spun, it is wound on bobbins and when these are full, they are removed from the spinning machine and passed into the Storing Twine in the Warehouse Page Fortu-Tioo nrtv balling room, where the twine is wound into balls (so familiar to every user of binder twine), weighed, inspected, and put in sacks ready for the market. During this process, the operator of the balling machine has an opportunity to inspect every bobbin of twine from end to end and reject such as do not come fully up to standard. The inspection is a very important part of twine manufacture. To protect the reputation of the binders as well as the twine, it is necessary that not only the finished goods, but every intermediate step in manufacturing be carefully supervised by competent incpectors. During the process of forming the fibre into sliver and of spinning sliver into yarn, every step is carefully inspected, and when the twine reaches the balling room, the twine on each bobbin is carefully inspected by the operator while it is being wound into a ball, and the operator's name or number marked on the back of the tag. In case a ball should develop any defects in the field, all the user has to do is to return the tag with the defective twine and the manufacturer can immediately locate the operator responsible for letting same pass out. After the balls are completed and weighed, each ball is carefully inspected before it is put up in the sack. Each sack contains a slip of paper showing the number or name of the man who passed on the bale of twine, and in case any defect occurs in the bale, all the con- sumer has to do is to return the slip and one of the tags on the balls and all the persons responsible for allowing the bale of twine to pass out can be located. Trained testers are continually testing and watching the work as it is being done. The ordinary consumers of twine who use from 50 to 500 pounds per year do not realize the importance of the twine industry when compared with the agricultural implements ordinarily used on the farm, until they are unable to get a supply of this article in the harvesting time. If no harvesting machines were manufactured for a whole year the farming community would, undoubtedly, be put to some incon- venience, but would manage to get along with no serious loss. On the other hand, if the supply of twine for one harvest were suddenly to be cut off, it would mean not simply a national, but an interna- tional calamity, as it would be impossible to secure help enough to gather the crops. Page Forty-Three McCormick Twine Mills Chicago, U. S, A. iisiiiwS" m Osborne Twine Mills Auburn, N. Y., U. S. A. Page Forty-Four Deering Twine Mills Chicago, U. S. A. Neuss Twine Mills Neus*. Germany Page Forty-Floe . '," Page Forty-Six THE PURPOSE OF THIS BUREAU IS TO FURNISH. FREE OF CHARGE TO ALL. THE BEST INFORMATION OBTAIN- ABLE ON BETTER FARMING. IF YOU HAVE ANY WORTHY QUESTIONS CONCERNING SOILS. FARM CROPS. LAND DRAINAGE. FERTILIZER. ETC.. MAKE YOUR INQUIRIES SPECIFIC AND SEND THEM TO THE I H C SERVICE BUREAU HARVESTER BUILDING. CHICAGO USA BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILL. BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY WILL INCREASE TO SO CENTS ON THE FOURTH OVERDUE. 9EC 4 1933 DEC 7 1933 J\irM/ "i 1 - * fVr - 1 WtJV J5t l oilll JB ; '- '& MAY 25 Vm ! 8Jan'535S^ JAN27195S y ; 5Dflr. J ;; s m ,- mf , "fH T^ECTD UO jSR 32 taS9 LD 21-100m-7,'33 UATLUHU BH MAKERS SYRACUSE, N.\ PAT. JAN. 21, 1908 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY