New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1883-07-18
WHOLE NUMBER 4O5.
The Material and llanufacture Of Cane,


The manufacture Of walking stick
and umbrella handles is an industry in
", which great deal Of capital is invested.
Ihe material is as various as can well
nigh mig be conceived of. The Chicago
Times recently had an article on the
subject, from which we extract:
Many are of imported woods, some
from the tropics. China. and the East
Indies. The celebrated Whongce canes
are from China, where they are well.
known and celebrated for the regularity
OF their joints, which are the points from
which the leaves are given of, and the
stems OF species of phyllosiachys.
gigantic grass, closely allied to the bam-
boo. The orange and lemon are highly,
priced and are imported chiefly from
the West Indies, and perfect specimens
command enormous prices. The orange
stick is known by its beautiful green
bark, with fine. white longitudinal
markings, and the lemon by tho sym.
metry Of its proportions and both prom.
lnence and regularity of its knots.
Myrtle sticks possess also q value,
that their owner would seldom fail to
from Algeria. The ralah stick is an inn.
portation Il is Che stem ST apnlm, and
q species OF calamus. It is grown in
Borneo, and takes its name from the
fact that the rajah will not allow any to
60 out of the country unless q heavy
duty is paid These canes. known as
palm canes, are distinguished bv an an
gular and more or less flat appearance.
Their color is brownish, spotted, and
they are quite straight, with neither
knob nor curl. They are the petioles of
leaf stalks of the date palm. Perhaps
the most celebrated of the foreign canes
are the Malacca, being the stems of the
Calamus sceptonum. a slender climbing
palm, and not growing about Malacca,
as the name would seem to indicate, but
imported from Stalk. on the opposite
coast of Sumatra. Other foreign canes
are of ebony, rosewood, partridge or
HARDWOOD, and cactus, which, wien the
pith is cut out, present most novel APP
pearance, hollow, and full of holes.
The manufacture of canes is by no
means the simple process of cutting the
sticks in the woods, peeling off the bark,
whiting down the knots, sandpapering
the rough surface, and adding touch
of varnish, a curiously carved handle or
head, and tipping the end with q fer
rule. In the sandflats of New Jersey
whole families support themselves BY
gathering nanneberry sticks, which they
gather in swamps, straighten with an
old wise, steam over an old kettle, and
perhaps scrape down or whittle into
size. These are packed in large bum
dies to New York city and sold to tho
cane factories. Many imported sticks,
however, have to 60 through process
of Strengthening by mechanical means.
which are a mystery to the uninitiated.
They are buried in hot sand until they
become pliable. In front of the heap Of
hot sand in which the sticks are plunged
is a stout board from five TO six feet
long, fixed at an angle inclined to the
workman, and having two or moro
notches cut in the edge. When the
stick has become perfectly pliable. tho
workman places it on one Of the notch
es, and, bending it in the opposite di-
rection to which it is naturally bent,
straightens it.
Thus sticks apparently crooked, bent,
warped, and worthless are by this sim
pie process Strengthened; but the most GU
ri0us part of the work is observed in the
formation of the crook or curl for tho
handles which are not naturally sup
piled with hook or knob. The work.
man places one end of the cane firmly
in q wise, and pours continuous stream
of fire from a gas pipe on the part which
is to be- bent. When sufficient heat has
been applied, the cane is pulled slowly
and gradually round until the hook Is
completely formed, and then secured
with string. An additional applica-
ton of heat serves to bake and permap-
entity fix the curl The .under part of
the handle is frequently charred by the
action of the gas, and this is rubbed
down with saadpaper until the requisite
degree of smCOthness is attained.