The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-07-27
How PaIm-Leaf Hats are Made.

In America, the only places where the
leaf of the palm tree is manufactured into
wearing apparel are in Massachusetts.
Amherst in Hampshire county, Palmer in
Hampden, and Barre and Fitchburg in
Worcester, are each the site of the manu-
factories, but of these (says the Boston
Advertiser) the first-named is the largest
in buildings, business and completeness
of work Several of the others perform
only a part of the whole course Of opera
ton necessary to tit the goods tor market.
From Cuba the raw leaf is shipped to
New London, Connecticut, in bunches of
twenty-five leaves each, and the stock is
unloaded and placed on cars which stop
at the door of the bleaching house. AS
delivered, the leaf is from four to five
feet long. This, standing on the stock
end. is closely packed in the bleaching
rooms, where it is kept sixteen days
Birthstone is used TO whiten the leaf The
rooms are closed air-tight, and the brim-
stone burnt in pans standing in the room.
When bleached to the requisite whitcness
the next process the leaf undergoes is
splitting. Nearly Il third of all that pass
es the splittcrs is absolutely worthless for
use here. Till recently it was thrown
away; but since paper manufacturers have
been Strengthened for material, this palm
leaf waste has been found to make good
paper. Fifty dollars q ton are paid tor it
at the paper mills.
When the straw is now ready to be
worked into hats. all this work must be
done by hand. In all the New England
States, except Rhode Island, are the
agents of the firm who send the leaf ont
into the country among the wives and
daughters of the farmers, by whom it is
braided into hats and woven into webs for
Shaker hoods. Large teams are constant
ly passing over the rugged hills. carrying
material to be braided, and gathering up
the work that has been finished. The
number of people who find employment
in this business is very great. Little child
rem are kept at it, for it is light work. and
a nimble-iingered girl of ten or twelve
can earn as much in day as an adult
woman.
The pay tor the work is too small to
earn even decent wages, if not q person
of remarkable dizziness of hand, but it is
with many a work of odd moments which
would otherwise be misimproved, so The
frugal housewife will include in her days
work 'stent" of so much brading to be
done. In some parts Of the country chair
bottoming is practiced in the same way
Country merchants frequently take the
leaf and put it out in their neighborhood
They are satisfied if no profit is made on
the braiding, for they pay for it from their
stores, making the increase of business
! thus secured afford them fair profit.
| Some, however, make a profit at both
ends, and in any case the blader's recon-
pense is Il mere pittance.
Too LARGE AN OPENING Mr.. VIM
Caffrey, of Chicago, who discovered an
opening for new daily paper in Fort
Scott, Kansas, reports through Rowell's
Gazette, that the opening was too large
and his enterprise fell through. The fol-
lowing extract from his communication
suggests moral which it is entirely I'M
necessary to put into words:
My cotemporary did not like me, and |
was not much in love with him. A friend
sought the use of my columns through
which to throw dit, over his own sigma
ture, at our mutual enemy. The conse-
quence was the commencement of u pile
of suits for SANDER, some civil and some
criminal, and unappreciated visits from
the sheriff, resulting in the transfer of my
Office key from its hole in the lock to the
bailiff's pocket. One of the suits against
me was for 100000. Shades of all edi-
torialdom! 1t was just little more
than $4,000 over and above my availa-
BILE assets. Court would meet in few
months, SO | procured bail and came
hlther to cditorialize on the Sun. While
gone' the friend who gave my opponent
the excuse for crushing me out, settled
the suit commenced against him by ad-
hitting in a card over his Signature the
falsity thereof, thus leaving me destitute
of support to bail myself out of difficulty,
which l did by publishing a card con-
Tossing that l was innocent of knowledge
as to the truth or falsity of the charges.
but as their author had proclaimed him
self liar, would accommodate him by
believing it. So molle prosequi was
entered, but meantime my business was
ruined, and expenses growing out of the
suit had eaten my Office up. Hereafter
will do my own dirt throwing, and give a
wide berth to personal ink-slingers.