A machine for spinning textile fibers comprises a carding drum with a toothed surface which generates a cylinder during rotation, a mechanism for feeding a roving or sliver of the textile fibers to the carding drum for disintegration thereon and a spinning station arranged to receive the disintegrated fibers from the carding drum and for spinning them. The feeding mechanism comprises a pair of nip rollers in surface contact, each nip roller having an elastic surface layer, a smooth-surfaced large diameter feed roller close to the nip rollers and spaced as closely as possible from the cylinder defined by the toothed surface of the carding drum, the smooth roller surface and the cylinder defining a triangular space therebetween, and a small diameter feed roller in the triangular space and in contact with the smooth surface, the smaller diameter roller having an elastic surface layer and preceding the larger diameter roller in the direction of rotation of the carding drum. A guard is closely spaced from the large diameter feed roller and extends arcuately therefrom in the direction of rotation around part of the cylinder. The guard is spaced from the cylinder as closely as possible and the roving or sliver is disintegrated between the toothed surface of the carding drum and the guard.