The finishing touches are added to the cloth after the latter leaves the loom.  The first operation is that of inspecting the cloth, removing the lumps and other undesirables, as well as repairing any damaged or imperfect parts.  After this, the cloth is passed through a cropping machine the function of which is to remove all projecting fibres from the surface of the cloth, and so impart a clean, smart appearance.  It is usual to crop both sides of the cloth, although there are some cloths which require only one side to be treated, while others again miss this operation entirely.

A cropping machine is shown in the foreground of Fig. 41, and in this particular case there are two fabrics being cropped or cut at the same time; these happen to be figured fabrics which have been woven in a jacquard loom similar to that illustrated in Fig. 38.  The fabrics are, indeed, typical examples of jute Wilton carpets.  The illustration shows one of the spiral croppers in the upper part of the machine in Fig. 41.  Machines are made usually with either two or four of such spirals with their corresponding fixed blades.

[Illustration:  FIG. 41 CROPPING MACHINE AT WORK]

The cloth is tensioned either by threading it over and under a series of stout rails, or else between two in a specially adjustable arrangement by means of which the tension may be varied by rotating slightly the two rails so as to alter the angle formed by the cloth in contact with them.  This is, of course, at the feed side; the cloth is pulled through the machine by three rollers shown distinctly on the right in Fig. 42.  This view illustrates a double cropper in which both the spirals are controlled by one belt.  As the cloth is pulled through, both sides of it are cropped by the two spirals.[3] When four spirals are required, the frame is much wider, and the second set of spirals is identical with those in the machines illustrated.

[Illustration:  FIG 42 DOUBLE CROPPING MACHINE By permission of Messrs. Charles Parker, Sons & Co., Ltd.]

[Footnote 3:  For a full description of all finishing processes, see The Finishing of Jute and Linen Fabrics, by T. Woodhouse.  (Published by Messrs. Emmott & Co., Ltd., Manchester.)]

The cropped cloth is now taken to the clamping machine, and placed on the floor on the left of the machine illustrated in Fig. 43, which represents the type made by Messrs. Charles Parker, Sons &, Co., Dundee.  The cloth is passed below a roller near to the floor, then upwards and over the middle roller, backwards to be passed under and over the roller on the left, and then forwards to the nip of the pulling rollers, the bottom one of which is driven positively by means of a belt on the pulleys shown.  While the cloth is pulled rapidly through this machine, two lines of fine jets spray water on to the two sides of the fabric to prepare it for subsequent processes in which heat is generated by the nature of the finishing process.