Abstract: An apparatus for feeding a reserve fibre sliver, as in a can creel machine, is shown as having a first piston-cylinder assembly actuatable to first piston-extended and second piston-retracted positions; the piston in turn operatively carries a reserve sliver guide and a second piston-cylinder assembly actuatable to a piston-extended condition and a piston retracted condition whereby when in a piston-extended condition a leading portion is constrained thereby and against a reserve sliver guide to prevent motion by said reserve sliver and whereby when in a piston-retracted condition the reserve sliver is free to move relative to the guide; the second piston-cylinder assembly, the guide and the reserve sliver held against the guide are moved, to a point in close proximity to the path of travel of a particular broken or run-out sliver, by the first piston-cylinder assembly when such is in the first piston-extended position; and the second piston-cylinder assembly, the guide and the reserve sliver carried within t

Abstract: An improvement in and to can creels for feeding fibre slivers to textile machines, wherein one or more reserve slivers are provided for and advanced when one or more of the normally fed fibre slivers are broken or run-out. A pair of feeding rollers automatically controls the advancement and the positioning of each reserve sliver in order to substantially maintain a feeding continuity between the broken or run-out normal sliver and the reserve sliver and between such reserve sliver and a newly introduced normal sliver.