Another side line of the knitting industry is the production of what are known as meat bags, with which the carcasses of frozen and ordinary mutton and beef are covered prior to transport. These bags are usually made on circular knitting machines of large diameter using the latch needle, and as the size of the yarn is fine compared to the set of the needles a gauze-like character is obtained which allows free circulation of air as well as affording a clean method of handling the meat and protecting it in the course of transport on ship, train and truck. PLAIN KNITTED TUBE Examples are given by the accompanying illustrations of a few products of the narrow fabric branch of the trade. It will be evident at once what an interesting field of application is afforded by this division of the knitting industry. Fig. 1 shows a plain knitted fabric worked in circular form on a knitting machine using the latch needle in which we have 40 needles in the circumference, so that in this tube, front and back, are 40 stitches shown here in flat form. [Illustration: Fig. 1 Fig. 2] [Illustration: Fig. 3 Fig. 4] It is evident that this tubing can be used for the purpose of covering wires and cables which slide inside the fabric. It has more elasticity than woven fabric of similar form and is generally produced in a more simple and direct manner. It should be pointed out, however, that this fabric is susceptible to being torn and if it breaks at any point a little further strain will cause it to unravel in a rapid manner. Thus it is clear that it cannot be used by itself to any great extent in cases where great strain or pull will be applied to it. Made in suitable materials, there is nothing to hinder this tube from serving as lamp wicks. INTRODUCTION OF FANCY STITCH Fig. 2 shows the same fabric with a fancy stitch introduced at one needle on the cylinder of the knitting machine to produce what is known as “tuck” work. In this work the needle in question is made to hold its thread for one course without knocking over its loop, and takes a second thread on the next course so that two threads are knocked over together, giving rise to the effect shown in the middle of the illustration. This effect is produced by inserting a needle at this point with a latch which is longer than the other needle latches of the machine, with the result that it does not knock over its stitches with the ordinary needles unless it receives a specially deep draw down, which it gets every second course. All the stitches made on this needle are double as compared with the single stitches in the rest of the tube. In a machine with 20 needles in the circumference, one needle would be inserted with this extra long latch to give a tuck stitch right down the tube.