So much can he said on this subject that whole books could be written regarding the construction and quality of mattresses. While showing the interior of a mattress to a customer a salesman had occasion to speak of the felting process through which the cotton passes in manufacturing mattresses. The customer was surprised to find the interior to be cotton, as she wanted a "felt" mattress and thought she would get a felted mattress resembling the wool felt she had seen in felt cloth. Thousands do not know the difference and will not admit it, and rather than be enlightened on the subject will usually buy what they think they can afford.

There are very few matttresses made that contain the best grade of cotton, for the reason that it is too expensive to put into mattresses and is used for the manufacture of cloth. After the best is selected, the balance called "linters" is collected and put into mat-tresses. Most mattresses, then, are made from linters.

After the cotton is taken from the cotton bolls, the seed is removed from the fibre and there still adheres to the seed a short hairy fibre. This seed is reginned (usually at the cotton seed oil mills) and the short fibre cotton is known as "linters," and sells at about half the price of regular cotton, which accounts for the low price of cotton mattresses.

The seed from the upland or Sea Island cotton (the long fibre cotton) yields no linters. These seeds are known as bald or "Peterkin" seed.

After the linters are gathered they are assorted and the better grades go through a process termed "felting," producing fluffy layers as used in the cotton felt mattresses. The felt mattresses do not get lumpy or knot up as might those made of picked cotton that is put into a bag and sewed up.

There are good, bad and indifferent grades of linters, owing to the condition of the cotton when picked and the treatment of seed after ginning and before being reginned at the oil mill. Cotton seed heats and moulds when stored away, sometimes causing a disagreeable odor, which is noticeable in the lower and poorer grades of linters. Hence, the advisability of selecting good grades of linters in mattresses.

The bleaching of cotton is not especially advisable, as it tends to age the fibre since the natural oil of the cotton (which is from .25 to 1.25 Per cent. weight of the fibre) is attacked and the real life of the fibre is removed, thus causing it to break and crumble more readily. There is, therefore, no advantage in bleaching cotton except for the sake of appearance, and as the inner side of a mattress is not exposed while in use, it is not essential.

As said before, a goog mattress and spring make the life of the bed, so be sure to get a good outfit; it will pay in the end.

Box Mattresses

Box mattresses are still being used, l»ut for the Bake of sanitation the box spring with a removable padded top and slip cover that fastens to the frame of the spring is recommended by the best stores. The slip may he taken off and the padded top removed, and all easily cleaned and replaced. A cover made to slip over and lace around any bed spring affords an inexpensive and sanitary cover. The only means of cleaning a box spring mattress is to send it to a renovator, which is rather expensive.