#Piece Goods.#--Piece goods are mostly washed in machines, of which two broad types may be recognised. First those where the pieces are dealt with in the form of ropes or in a twisted form, and second those where the pieces are washed while opened out full width. There are some machines in which the cloths may be treated either in the open or rope form as may be thought most desirable. Figure 26 represents a fairly well-known machine in which the (p. 203) pieces are treated in a rope-like form. It consists of a trough in which a constant current of water is maintained; at one end of this trough is a square beating roller, at the other a wood lattice roller, above the square beater and out of the trough are a pair of rollers whose purpose is to draw the cloth through the machine and also partly to act as squeezing rollers. As will be seen the cloth is threaded in rope form spirally round the rollers, passing in at one end and out at the other, pegs in a guide rail serving to keep the various portions separate. The square beater in its revolutions has a beating (p. 204) action on the cloth, tending to more effectual washing. The lattice roller is simply a guide roller. [Illustration: Fig. 27.--Cloth-washing Machine.] Figure 27 shows a washing machine very largely used in the wool-dyeing trade. The principal portion of this machine is of wood. The internal parts consist of a large wooden bowl, or oftener, as in the machine under notice, of a pair of wooden bowls which are pressed together by springs with some small degree of force. Between these bowls the cloth is placed, more or less loosely twisted up in a rope form, and the machines are made to take four, six or eight pieces or lengths at one time, the ends of the pieces being stitched together so as to make a continuous band. A pipe running along the front of the machine conveys a constant current of clean water, which is caused to impinge in the form of jets on the pieces of cloth as they run through the machine, while an overflow carries away the used water. The goods are run in this machine as long as is considered necessary for a sufficient wash, which may take half to one and a half hours. In figure 30 is shown a machine designed to wash pieces in the broad or open state. The machine contains a large number of guide rollers built more or less open, round which the pieces are guided, the ends of the pieces being stitched together, pipes carrying water are so arranged that jets of clean water impinge on and thoroughly wash cloth as it passes through, the construction of the guide rollers facilitating the efficient washing of the goods. SOAPING.