Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-11-17
How Pins are made.

"A correspondent OF the New Ork Ecen1ng
Post writing from Seymour, Connecticut, gives
the following account of how pins are manufac-
tured:
The pin machine is one ofthe closest approa
ches that mechanics have made to the dexteri-
ty of the human hand. A small machine, about
the height and size ofa ladies' sewing machine,
only stronger, stands before you On the back
side a light belt descends from the long shaft at
the ceiling that drives all the machines, ranged
in rows on the floor. On the left side of our ma
chine hangs on peg small reel of wire, that
has been Strengthened by running through
compound system of small rollers
This wire descends and the end of it enters the
machine. This is the food consumed by this
snapnish, voracious little dwarf: He pulls it
in and bites it off by inches, incessanty one hun
dred and forty bites to the minute. Just as he
seizes each bite saucy little hammer, with a
concave face, hits the end of wire three taps and
"upsets it to head, while he gripes it in a
counter sunk hole between his teeth With an
outward thrust of his tongue he then lays the
pin sidewise in little groove across the rim of
small wheel that slowly revolves just under his
nose. By the external pressure of a stationary
hoop these pins roll in their places, as they are
carried under two series of small files, three in
each These files grow finer toward the end of
the series. They lie at a slight inclination on
the points of the pins, and by series of cams,
levers and springs are made to play like light
ming" Thus the pins are pointed and dropped
into box. Twenty eight pounds of pins is
day S work for one of these jerking little autom-
atoms. Forty machines on this floor make five
hundred and sixty pounds of pins daily. These
are then polished. Two very intelligent machines
rejectevery crooked pin, even the slightest
irregularity of form being detected.
Another autOmaton asserts half a dozen lengths
erringly, when careless operator has mixed the
contents of boxes from various machines Last
ly, perfect genius of a machine hangs the pins
by the head in an inclined platform through as
many ''slots' as there are pins in row on the
papers. These slots con verge into the exact
spaces spanning the length of a row. Under
them runs the strip of pin paper A hand like
part Of the machine catches one pin from each
of the slots as it falls and by one movement
sticks them all through two corrugated ridges in
the paper, from which they are to be picked by
taper fingers in boudoirs, and all sorts of hu-
man fingers in all sorts of human circumstances
SAVE THE DEAD LEAvEs-If every horticul-
turist and farmer would think for moment on
the nature of fallen leaves, which contain not
only the vegetable matter, but the earthly salts,
lime, potash, ect., needed for the next season S
growth and fertility, and, that too, exactly in
the prOpOllOn required Dy the tree or plant fro m
which they fall nay, more, if they would consid-
ef that it is exactly in this way, by the decom-
position of these very fallen leaves, that nature
enriches the soil, year after year, in her great
forests, it would hardly be possible for such re-
fecting horticulturist or farmer to allow these
leaves to be swept away by every wind that blows
and finally lost altogether Nor would he give
them away as many now do He would rather
collect, from week to week, the leaves that fall
under each tree, and by digging them under the
soil about the roots, where they will decay, pro-
vide in the cheapest manner the best possible
food for that tree If this plan should be tried
we should not see old orchards dying out for
want of nourshment; but they would, in this
simple manner receiveall the enriching they re
quired. Pear trees and doubtless the peach,
would be greatly benefited by this procedure
In certain vineyards in France and Italy, the
vines are kept in the highest condition by sim
ply burying at their roots every leaf and branch
that is pruned off, or falls from the vines at the
close ofevery season. viii not some of our farm
ers of inquiring minds give this simple process
a trial during the season? 1t is we'll known
fact that no manure is more eagerly sought for
by the florist than leaf manure. 1t enters large
ly into the compost prepared for potting. Leaves
collected and mixed with harnyard manure great
ly enchance its value Therefore, gather up the
leaves that nothing shall be lost.