The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-04-16
TRADE AND MANUFACTURES.

The extensive plumbago works being
erected near Pikeland, Chester county,
Pa, viii soon be completed.
THE successful growing Of the coffee
plant In South Florida seems to be now
established beyond question.
A FACTORY at Warren, Pa, for the
manufacture Of smoking pipes has all the
orders that 1t can possibly attend to.
SEVERAL gold mines near Charlotte,
N. O., have been sold to northern
capitalists, and viii be opened on an ex-
tensive scale.
THE trade Of California with China
has been constantly growing of late
years until IL has now assumed quite re-
spectacle proportions.
THE Boston Post remarks that this Is
time when all manufacturers who wish
to be fashionable should get together
and raise the prices of their goods.
NEGOTIATIONS by parties from New
York and Boston are In progress ut Mid.
dleton, VT, for the establishment of q
cotton mill on Middlebury Falls which
will employ large number Of workmen.
A SIGNIFICANT sign of the times.is the
progress which iron ship building is
making In China. A Scotch firm who
began by establishing ship-repairing
yards ut Shanghai, several years ago,
now employs LOO Chinese workmen.
REpoRTs from London say that the
Standard Oil company have invested q
million dollars in the petroleum lands
bordering on the Caspian sea, and mil
lion marks ($250, 600 in the newly dis.
covered oil region near Bremen, in Ger
many.
The South American cultivators of
circhora are alarmed at the competition
which they are about to meet with from
Ceylon. II is stated that five years
hence there will be fifty millions of grow
ing trees in that island. The cultivation
is also making rapid strides in Java.
THE Boston Commercial Bulletin
says capitalists of that city, some of
whom are largely interested in the Atch-
ison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad,
have recently purchased some very large
tracts of mineral lands near Santa Fe,
and it is expected that some of these
purchases will shortly be placed upon
the Boston stock market. It is said that
O very promising copper mine is includ-
ed in the purchase.
IT was but few years ago that the
idea was general in the cotton growing
states that for the want of skilled labor
the establishment of cotton factories
would be hazardous venture. Time
has dispelled this belief, and nearly all
the factories have proved to be good in
vestments. In one factory in Columbus,
Ga, 1900 operatives are employed, and
all are natives of the state except the
foreman. This concern paid out Sc, 900, :
600 last year, and used 5000 bales Of
cotton.
SOME ten years ago cheese making was
introduced into Russia, and that country
has now established no less than SO fac
tories, while 260 persons have been
taught in the school in connection with
the st. Nicholas Railway Dairy factory.
in the three Oojesdas Of of the govern
ment of Vologda are 46 factories, ut
which the milk of 1870 COWS is utilized.
From this milk IL, 400 pools of cheese
have been made, and 1886 pools of but
ter. The total value of this has been
206, 760 roubles.
The new pipe line, known as the
Union Tank line, which is being laid by
the Standard oil company between Brad
ford and New York, has progressed east
ward as far as Wellsville. From there
the route passes through Greenwood,
about Is miles south Of Hornellsville,
thence to Addison and to Painted Post.
No attempt is made to follow the valleys,
as distance is avoided and not grade.
Wherever the pipe passes over cultivated
land it is buried 20 inches, but along the
line of farmers lands or in timber land
it is barely covered.
THERE is district in Belgium where
chain of villages along the valley of
the Geer form sort of immense street.
The soil is clayey, but crossed at inter-
walls with chalk, which gives to straw
raised there an exceptional strength,
pliability and brilliancy. This district
is the seat of the Belgian straw trade, in
which some 49, 900 persons are engaged,
who earn upward of 100000. Every
spring four or five thousand migrate to
work in the principal cities for q few
weeks. The chief seat Of this industry
to-day is Roclenze, beautiful village
surrounded by the villas of wealthy straw
nake1n