The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-08-29
The Value of Scraps.

Fsw people appreciate the value OF little and
apparently insignificant things. In some for
eign countries the litter of domestic animals is
carefully collected and sold to farmers Not a
few people make a living gathering fertilizers
in this way.
In the shops of jewellers and others where
articles are manufactured of gold and silver
great care is taken to prevent the waste OF the
precious metal. Every particle of filing,
scrap1ng or grinding is preserved for the as
sayer. The wheels upon which gold and silver
have been polished, when worn out are burned
and the fire develops particles of the precious
metals which could not be seen with the max
ed eye Even the sweepings after great care has
been taken to pick up every bit of metal that
may have fallen on the floor, are preserved,
and in New York city sell for $40 barrel 1t
is calculated that when a jewelers. shop floor
is to be renewed, the dirt accumulated in the
crevices will more than pay the cost of the
new floor.
1t is said that the receipts from the sale OF
the refuse of starch mills, which is used by
farmers as feed for hogs and other stock, con-
stitute large part of the profits, ana that II
the refuse could not be sold, some mills would
The paper trimmings" of large printing
office like the Harpers' or Appletons' are
worth thousands of dollars a year.
Lumbermen have found uses for nearly
every part of tree, and scraps that Jew
wears ago accumulated SO rapidly as to be a
source of incon venience and consequently ex-
pense, are now sold for a good price and are In
great demand.
There are in nearly every branch of business
SCRAPS of various kinds that, if carefully
collected, could be sold at a pecuniary advan-
tage, but this is particularly so in the tobacco
business The value of the tobacco scraps is
more highly appreciated in Europe than in
America but even here in the manufacture OF
cigars very little is allowed to go TO waste
Tobacco costs too much to be wasted by the
manufacturer.
The stems and ribs of tobacco leaves that
are rejected by the cigar maker are sold to the
farmers for manure. The cuttings and odd
scraps are sent to the cigarette manufacturer,
or to Europe for pipe smoking Even the moor
dust has its price and is used as an insect de-
stroyer in lighthouses and gardens. The great
waste in tobacco is with the consumer. LII
estimated that about one-third of the tobacco
made into cigars is thrown away in stumps,
and that the smokers of the best cigars throw
away the biggest stumps. rms enormous
waste in this country is attributed largely to
the very limited use of cigar holders, which
are more popular in Europe.
In Paris the gathering of cigar stumps is
recognized industry and in the Place Maubert
there is a regular market for them. The
stumps are collected by boys and girls and beg
CARS, and are brought in large lots by whole
sale dealers who manufacture them into low
grade of smoking tobacco that is either sold to
the poorer classes or exported. scores OF
New York bootblacks and Italian ragplckers
may be seen every morning gathering from
the cutters, for their private consumption,
harvest of cigar stumps which nave peeh
swept into them.
The "tip'' or head of the cigar, which the
American bites off and throws away, is care
fully preserved in Europe. and in some locall-
ties is the basis OF a vast organized cnarity.
Its use for this purpose dates back only cou-
pie of decades. A German philosopher, OBJ
serving that much valuable tobacco was vast
ed by the rejection of the cigar tip, conceived
the notion that if general collection OF the
tips could be made, and the material put to
use, handsome revenue would result. he
was laughed at by many, while a number Oh
smokers half-seriously agreed to assist him by
contributing their tips. AT first the lack OF an
organized effort did not produce encouraging
results, but those interested kept talking
about the movement, and public attention
was excited. After while "spitzelvereine, "
or tip societies, were organized in all parts OF
Germany, and a regular system OF collections
was devised. Every member made it his Dusl-
ness to collect cigar tips from his friends, and
boxes were placed in tobacco stores and sa,
looms. The tips were collected mOnthly, ana
at the end of the year sold to snuff or smoking
tobacco manufacturers. The system in time
grew to extraordinary proportions, and hun
dreds OF poor children in Germany are today
clothed and fed through this simple agency.
This "tip" collecting plan has been adopted
in England, where the proceeds are given to
the hospitals; and in Denmark, where the
''tps" help to sustain charitable hospital in
| Copenhagen, and pay for the education and
support Of number of poor girls until they
| are able to take care of themselves.