The vats (which are made of wood) and the coppers are all furnished with a steam perforated copper coil at the bottom. Over this at a slight distance, so that the heated pipes cannot come into contact with the plait, is laid a perforated tray, be it of wood or copper. The plait is laid, as described above, on this tray, and when sufficiently pressed down is covered with a perforated copper lid to prevent the plait from rising above the surface of the dyebath. This is then brought to the boil and continued for sufficient time, according to the nature of the material and colour required, to ensure perfect penetration and regularity. This time may vary from even less than twenty minutes to several hours. When the desired shade is achieved, which is proved by testing, the plait is lifted carefully from the dye bath on to a crated topped carrier, similar to a funeral bier. Formerly on arriving at the drying shed the plait was put on rods and thoroughly shaken to cast off as much moisture as possible, and then hung in the air so that the drying might not be too rapid and thus render the plait brittle. Now the plan is to place the plait, when taken from the copper, in a centrifugal wringer or “hydro-extractor,” which, revolving at great speed, throws off all free moisture and leaves the plait almost dry. Placed then in a chamber with large power-driven fans, the drying process is most speedily completed. Before dyeing, for easy handling, all plait is “strung.” Every piece of plait is received either wound up in “sticks,” as they are technically termed, or in some looped formation which allows a fine string to be easily threaded through and tied in such a manner as to form a means of either carrying the piece or of hanging it on a wooden rod. These rods are made of convenient thicknesses and length to carry the plait in the drying departments (be it in the room, or in the open air), when suspended either in the former case on trestles mounted at suitable distances, or in the latter on lines fixed to uprights and stretched across the drying area. Each lot of plait for dyeing carries a numbered wooden “tally,” the number corresponding with the dye ticket left in the office or “giving out” room. When dry by means of these tallies, the plait is collected into its original lot, and is carefully tied up in suitably sized bundles. Some plaits receive, when dyed, a “finish” of a glucose mixture which has two effects, it gives better gloss to the material and it assists in preventing the colour coming off during the manufacturing processes. These mixtures are all of a starchy or farinaceous nature, in which some substance, say “farina” itself, is dissolved in water, brought to a boil and rendered crystal in appearance before being used for the finishing process.