Method of and apparatus for applying withdrawal strings to tampon pledgets wherein string is pneumatically looped around a pledget, the ends of the loop are knotted, and the knotted loop is driven through a hole in the pledget. A dimension is associated with a set of data references, which reference stored data items. The transition duct includes an inlet, an outlet, and a passage extending between the inlet and the outlet and defining a longitudinal axis, a radial axis, and a tangential axis.