or watered effects are produced by running two pieces face to face through a calender or by means of an embossing calender. In the latter case the pattern repeats itself. For the production of silk crape the dyed (generally black) piece is impregnated with a solution of shellac in methylated spirit and dried. It is then “goffered,” an operation which is practically identical with embossing (see above), and may either be done on an embossing calender or by means of heated brass plates in which the design is engraved to the desired depth and pattern.
The measuring, wrapping, doubling, folding, &c., of piece goods previous to making up are done in the works by specially constructed machinery.
Finishing of Yarn.—The finishing of yarn is not nearly so important as the finishing of textiles in the piece, and it will suffice to draw attention to the main operations. Cotton yarns are frequently “gassed,” i.e. drawn through a gas flame, in order to burn or singe off the projecting fibres and thus to produce a clean thread which is required for the manufacture of certain classes of fabrics. The most important finishing process for cotton yarn is “mercerizing” (q.v.), by means of which a permanent silk-like gloss is obtained. The “polishing” of cotton yarn, by means of which a highly glazed product, similar in appearance to horsehair, is obtained, is effected by impregnating the yarn with a paste consisting essentially of starch, beeswax or paraffin wax and soap, and then subjecting the damp material to the action of revolving brushes until dry. Woollen yarn is not subjected to any treatment, but worsted yarns (especially twofold) have to be “set” before scouring and dyeing in order to prevent curling. This is effected by stretching the yarn tight on a frame, which is immersed in boiling water and then allowing it to cool in this condition.
A peculiar silk-like gloss and feel is sometimes imparted to yarns made from lustre wool by a treatment with a weak solution of chlorine (bleaching powder and hydrochloric acid) followed by a treatment with soap.
Worsted and mohair yarns intended for the manufacture of braids are singed by gas, a process technically known as “Genapping.”
Silk yarn is subjected to various mechanical processes before weaving. The most important of these are stretching, shaking, lustreing and glossing. Stretching and shaking are simple operations the nature of which is sufficiently indicated by their names, and by these means the hanks are stretched to their original length and straightened out by hand or on a specially devised machine. In lustreing, the yarn is stretched slightly beyond its original length between two polished revolving cylinders (one of which is steam heated) contained in a box or chest into which steam is admitted. In glossing, the yarn is twisted tight, first in one direction and then in the other, on a machine, this alternating action being continued until the maximum gloss is obtained.
The so-called “scrooping” process, which gives to silk a peculiar feel and causes it to crackle or crunch when compressed by the hand, is a very simple operation, and consists in treating the yarn after dyeing in a bath of dilute acid (acetic, tartaric or sulphuric) and then drying without washing. Heavily weighted black silks are passed after dyeing through an emulsion of olive oil in soap and dried without washing, in order to give additional lustre to the material or rather to restore some of the lustre which has been lost in weighting. (E. K.)
FINISTÈRE, or Finisterre, the most western department of
France, formed from part of the old province of Brittany. Pop.
(1906) 795,103. Area, 2713 sq. m. It is bounded W. and S. by
the Atlantic Ocean, E. by the departments of Côtes-du-Nord
and Morbihan, and N. by the English Channel. Two converging
chains of hills run from the west towards the east of the department
and divide it into three zones conveying the waters in three
different directions. North of the Arrée, or more northern of
the two chains, the waters of the Douron, Penzé and Flèche
flow northward to the sea. The Elorn, however, after a short
northerly course, turns westward and empties into the Brest
roads. South of the Montagnes Noires, the Odet, Aven, Isole
and Ellé flow southward; while the waters of the Aulne, flowing
through a region enclosed by the two chains with a westward
declination, discharge into the Brest roads. The rivers are all
small, and none of the hills attain a height of 1300 ft. The
coast is generally steep and rocky and at some points dangerous,
notably off Cape Raz and the Île de Sein; it is indented with
numerous bays and inlets, the chief of which—the roadstead
of Brest and the Bays of Douarnenez and Audierne—are on the
west. The principal harbours are those of Brest, Concarneau,
Morlaix, Landerneau, Quimper and Douarnenez. Off the coast
lie a number of islands and rocks, the principal of which are
Ushant (q.v.) N.W. of Cape St Mathieu, and Batz off Roscoff.
The climate is temperate and equable, but humid; the prevailing
winds are the W., S.W. and N.W. Though more than a third
of the department is covered by heath, waste land and forest,
it produces oats, wheat, buckwheat, rye and barley in quantities
more than sufficient for its population. In the extreme north
the neighbourhood of Roscoff, and farther south the borders
of the Brest roadstead, are extremely fertile and yield large
quantities of asparagus, artichokes and onions, besides melons
and other fruits. The cider apple is abundant and furnishes the
chief drink of the inhabitants. Hemp and flax are also grown.
The farm and dairy produce is plentiful, and great attention is
paid to the breeding and feeding of cattle and horses. The production
of honey and wax is considerable. The fisheries of the
coast, particularly the pilchard fishery, employ a great many
hands and render this department an excellent nursery of seamen
for the French navy. Coal, though found in Finistère, is not
mined; there are quarries of granite, slate, potter’s clay, &c.
The lead mines of Poullaouen and Huelgoat, which for several
centuries yielded a considerable quantity of silver, are no longer
worked. The preparation of sardines is carried on on a large
scale at several of the coast-towns. The manufactures include
linens, woollens, sail-cloth, ropes, agricultural implements, paper,
leather, earthenware, soda, soap, candles, and fertilizers and
chemicals derived from seaweed. Brest has important foundries
and engineering works; and shipbuilding is carried on there
and at other seaports. Brest and Morlaix are the most important
commercial ports. Trade is in fish, vegetables and fruit.
Coal is the chief import. The department is served by the
Orléans and Western railways. The canal from Nantes to Brest
has 51 m. of its length in the department. The Aulne is
navigable for 17 m., and many of the smaller rivers for short
distances.
Finistère is divided into the arrondissements of Quimperlé, Brest, Châteaulin, Morlaix and Quimper (43 cantons, 294 communes), the town of Quimper being the capital of the department and the seat of a bishopric. The department belongs to the region of the XI. army corps and to the archiepiscopal province and académie (educational division) of Rennes, where its court of appeal is also situated.
The more important places are Quimper, Brest, Morlaix, Quimperlé, St Pol-de-Léon, Douarnenez, Concarneau, Roscoff, Penmarc’h and Pont-l’Abbé. Finistère abounds in menhirs and other megalithic monuments, of which those of Penmarc’h, Plouarzal and Crozon are noted. The two religious structures characteristic of Brittany—calvaries and charnel-houses—are frequently met with. The calvaries of Plougastel-Daoulas, Pleyben, St Thégonnec, Lampaul-Guimiliau, which date from the 17th century, and that of Guimiliau (16th century), and the charnel-houses of Sizun and St Thégonnec (16th century) and of Guimiliau (17th century) may be instanced as the most remarkable. Daoulas has the remains of a fine church and cloister in the Romanesque style. The chapel of St Herbot (16th century) near Loqueffret, the churches of St Jean-du-Doigt and Locronan, which belong to the 15th and 16th centuries, those of Ploaré, Roscoff, Penmarc’h and Pleyben of the 16th century, that of Le Folgoët (14th and 16th centuries), and the huge château of Kerjean (16th century) are of architectural interest. Religious festivals, and processions known as “pardons,” are held in many places, notably at Locronan, St Jean-du-Doigt, St Herbot and Le Faou.
