A plan of a card is given at Fig. 108. The length of the card between the two peg holes A and B is nearly 14½ inches, and the distance between the centre of the top needles and the bottom needles is 1⅞ inch exactly. This holds good for all English-made machines, but the American index is different.
It will be seen that there are 26 rows on the _right_ of the machine and 25 rows on the _left_, and one is called the “26-side” and the other the “25-side.” The cards are always numbered at the “26-side,” and the cutting is commenced at this end. It may be as well to explain here the order in which the holes are cut from the design, as it will assist in following the point paper design to the loom. The cutting is usually done in a “piano” cutting machine, which will be explained more fully later on. By this machine one row of eight holes can be cut by operating eight punches and pressing down the right-foot treadle of the machine.
The number end of the card is gripped by the machine, and at the first stroke of the right foot, the lace holes EF and the peg hole A are cut, then one stroke of the treadle is made without cutting, and the pointer of the machine arrives at the 1st or spare row. If the selvedges are worked from this row, holes are cut accordingly. Then the pointer comes to the 2nd row, and in this row the cutting from the design is commenced.
At Fig. 109 the design is made on point paper, as it is required to appear in the cloth right side up, with the twill in the ground running in the same direction as shown on the design. When cutting, the design is usually turned round, as shown at Fig. 110, and the cutting commences from the top right-hand corner A. To show the matter clearly, the first row of holes cut are numbered, both in the design and the card, in consecutive order.
The first hole cut in the card is operated with the little finger of the right hand. Following this hole to the loom, we find it operates the _last_ or _400th_ end in the draft, and that the hole cut last on the card (numbered 400) operates the first end in the draft. This is the hole which operates the bottom needle in the last row on the “25-side” of the Jacquard machine, which, as was previously stated, is the hook from which the draft begins.