Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-08-30
The Material and Manufacture of Canes,

/
The manufacture of walking sticks
and umbrella handles is IN industry in
which Il great deal of capital is invested
The material is rs various rs can well
nigh be conceived of. The Chicago
Times recently had IN 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 we'll
known and celebrated for the regularity
OF their joints, which are the points from
which the leaves are given off, and the
stems of q species Of phyllosiachys, a
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 the SYM
metry of its proportions and both prom
lnence and regularity of its knots.
Myrtle sticks possess also value,
since their appearance is so peculiar
that their owner would seldom fail to
recognize them. They are imported
from Algeria. The raiah stick is an i'm
portation. 1t is the stem of apalm, and
a species of calamus. 1t is grown in
tact that the rajah will not allow any to
duty is paid. These canes. known as
palm canes, are distinguished by an an
gular and more or less fiat 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, slender climbing
palm, and not growing about Malacca,
as the name would seem toindicate, but
| imported from Stalk, on the opposite
coast of Sumatra. Other foreign canes
are of ebony, rosewood, partridge or
HARDWOOD, and cactus, which, when 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 a touch
of varnish, curiously carved handle or
head, and tipping the end with q fer
rule. In the sandfats 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 white into
size. These are packed in large bun
dies to New York city and sold to the
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 stout board from five TO six feet
long, fixed at an angle inclined to the
workman, and having two or more
notches cut in the edge. When the
stick has become perfectly pliable, the
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
rious part of the work is observed in the
formation of the crook or curl for the
handles which are not naturally sup
piled with a hook or knob. The work
man places one end of the cane firmly
in wise, and pours a 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 perman-
emily fix the curl. The under part of
the handle is frequently charred by the
| action of the gas, and this is rubbed
down with sandpaper until the requisite
degree of smoothness is attained.