The first stage in the production of bottles by hand, and also for most of the machine processes, is that of gathering the requisite quantity of glass. The bottle-blower’s pipe is between 5 and 6 ft. long, and is provided with a slightly enlarged end or “nose” upon which the glass is gathered. Three gatherings are generally sufficient for the production of ordinary bottles, but for extra large bottles, and especially for carboys, heavier gatherings are necessary, and for these the gatherer must go to the furnace four, five, or even six times. When the requisite quantity of glass has been gathered on the pipe the gathering is worked and rounded by rolling it either on a flat metal plate or “marver,” or in a hollowed block made of wood or more rarely of metal; by this process the glass is formed into a well-rounded, symmetrical pear-shaped body. The blower now distends the mass gradually by the pressure of his breath, at the same time swinging the pipe, the effect of these movements being to draw the bulk of the glass downwards, leaving a thinner and colder portion having the rudimentary shape of the neck of the bottle next to the pipe. In the oldest form of the process the next stage in the production of the bottle is accomplished by the aid of a cylindrical mould of fire-clay, whose diameter is that of the external size of the finished bottle. The pear-shaped bulb of glass is for this purpose re-heated at the melting furnace, and is then placed inside the fire-clay mould. By vigorous blowing, and a rapid rotation of the pipe and glass, the bulb is forced to assume the cylindrical shape of the mould, the glass forming the neck of the bottle being at this stage of the process too cold and stiff to be further deformed. The next step is the formation of the concavity found in the base of wine and beer bottles; this is produced by pushing up the hot plastic glass that forms the bottom of the bottle as it leaves the clay mould. This is done by a second workman using an iron rod known as the “pontil,” upon which a small mass of glass has previously been gathered. This mass of glass remains attached to the bottom of the bottle, which is thus for the moment fastened both to the “pontil” and to the blower’s pipe. The blower, however, immediately detaches the bottle from the pipe at the point where the neck of the bottle is intended to end, effecting this by locally chilling the glass--a process known by the descriptive term of “wetting off.” The unfinished bottle is now attached to and handled by means of the “pontil.” The neck is softened by re-heating it over the furnace, and is then moulded into the desired shape by the aid of specially-shaped tongs. Finally a thread of glass is wound round the end of the neck to produce the thickening usually found at that point. The finished bottle, still attached to the “pontil,” is now carried to the annealing kiln, where it is placed in position and detached from the “pontil” by a sharp