Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-03-16
The Value of Scraps.

Few people appreciate the value of
little and apparently insignificant
things. In some foreign countries the
litter of domestic animals is carefully
collected and sold to farmers. Not
few people make living gathering fer
tilizers 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 meals. Every particle of
filling, scraping organizing is preserved
for the assayer. The wheels upon
which gold and silver have been pol
ished, when wore cut, are burnt and
the fire develops particles of the pre-
cious metals which could not be seen by
the the naked eye. Even the sweepings,
after great care has been taken to pick
up every bit of metal that may have
fallen on t.e floor, are preserved, and
in New York city sell for $40 barrel.
II il calculated that when u 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 10y farmers rs feed for hogs and
other stock, constitute large part of
the profits, and if this refuse could not
be sod some mills would be compelled
to stop or be run at a loss The paper
trimmings" Of large printing Office
like the Harpers or the Appletons are
worth thousands of dollars year.
Lumbermen have found uses for nearly
every part of tree and scraps that n
few years ago accumulated so rapidly n
to be source Of inconvenience and
consequently expense, 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 peouniary advantage, but this is par
ticularly 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 manu-
facture of cigars very little is allowed
to go to waste. Tobacco costs too
much to be wasted by the manufac-
turer.
The stems and ribs Of tobacco leaves,
which are rejected 10y the cigarmaker,
are sold to farmers for manure. The
cuttings and odd scraps are sent to the
cigarette manufacturer, or TO Europe
for pipe-smoking. Even the floor dust
has its price, and is used m an insect
destroyer in hot houses and gardens.
| The great waste in tobacco is with the
consumer. Ii il estimated that about
one-third of the tobacco made into CT
CARS is thrown away in stumps, and that
the smokers OF the best cigars throw
away the biggest stumps. This enor-
nous waste in this country is attributed
largely to the very limited use Of cigar
holders, which ale more popular in Eu-
rope. In Paris the gathering of cigar
stumps is n recognized industry, and in
the Place Maubert there is regular
market for them, The stumps are col
lectcd by boys and girls and beggars,
and are bought in large lots by whole
sale dealers, who manufacture them in
TO a low grade ofsmoking tobacco which
is either sold TO poor classes or export
ed. Scores of New York blootblacks
and Italian rag pickers may be seen
every morning gathering from the gut
tiers, for their private consumption n
harvest of cigar stumps which have
been swept into them. 49, Cincinnati Daily
Commercial.