New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-04-27

SOUTHERN ENTERPRISE,

Last week we paid visit to the establishment Of
Messrs Campbell Il Boudreaux, at the corner Of
Customhouse and Prieur streets. These gentlemen
are conducting business peculiarly their own-the
preparation of Spanish moss for use, by steam. :
ii The business of preparing moss is by no means
new ; but it has been conducted in the simplest and
most primitive manner heretofore. It is the invention
of machinery and the application of steam to the bust
ness that is new. The old plan of preparing moss is
to gather it from the trees, rot it for several months
and dvest it of its bark and dirt by picking and
crushing with the hand-a very slow and laborious
operation. Now, by the invention of Messrs. Camp
bell Il Boudreaux, this last operation is performed
with twenty times the rapidty of hand labor and the
work is twice as well done
Mr.. Boudreaux informed us that he had followed
the manufacture in the oldashoned way for ten
years that the righteousness and tedousness of the
business at last suggested the idea of machinery to
him. and that by degrees he worked the idea out into
tangible shape and effect He was then in operation
at Thbodaux. Three years ago he constructed rude
cardng Or combng machine, which he worked by
mule power. 1t helped him on great deal, and by
practice he was enabled to add improvements to it,
which helped him on still more. Finally, he achieved
capacity of manufacture which required more ex-
has Joined his interest with that of Mr.. Campbell,
another experienced hand in the moss business. They
have erected steam mandatory at the place above
named, and have been in successful operation about
two months.
The machinery is simple but unique, and altogether
admirable. small boiler and engine propel the
machine now in use, and have power to prope a
number more. The moss, in its rugged, dirty con-
& n iS fed
into the machine on piece of coarse linen which
passes rollers 1t is erked from the linen by the
projecting spikes of roller, and is essentially torn
into looseness by the spikes Of twin roller. These
rollers throw it up to the carding machine, which
consists of two cards. boards brstling with iron
boar's teeth; the under card being stationary, with
the teeth pointing slightly forward and the upper
card being movable, witha rapid scooping movement,
the teeth pointing backward and mixing so closely
with the stationary teeth below, to give the
very complete tousling The peculiar pointing of the
teeth of the cards causes the moss to go through
slowly, two steps forward and one backward it
does So shower of sticks dust and dirt rains the
ground beneath the machine, whilst the moss comes
out at the end clean, black and gossy-nicely combed
and ready for 1t is put up in neat ronbound bales
of $50 pounds each and is then ready for expectation
This machine does the labor of fifteen persons at
the hand process-turning out from $500 to 1000
pounds per day. The moss is of different qualities,
and is put up separately the price being from five to
eight cents per pound. Messrs. Campbell & Bou-
dreaux claim not to have made more than bare be-
ginning in the business as yet. They have second
machine nearly ready to go into operation, which will
turn out over 5000 pounds of moss per day, and as
the business ncreases-for the demand for moss is
constant and world-wide-they will add still other
machines, for which they have plenty of room.
That the business will become extensive and lucra
tive there can be no question. The raw material
exists all over the South, in neXhaustble quantities.
being, it is neither more nor less than the beard of
our patrarcha trees No tree in the South can pre-
tend to be tree without crop of this flowing gray
beard and when shorn it loses no tine in producing
another crop. The trees look wild and weird enough
in this shaggy garnture which the new beholder
would be tempted to regard the yerest trash in
nature; yet little labor only is requisite to discover
it to be of the many things which Providence in
its bounty has prepared for the comfort and conye
nience Of man.
Those interested in the trade will find it in
erestng to visit the establishment of Messrs Camp
bell & Boudreaux.