The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-10-11

bark, with fine white longitudinal mark.
ings, and the lemon by the symmetry Of
its proportions and both prominence
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 importation. It
is the stem of palm, and a species of
calamus. 1t is grown in Borneo, and
takes its name from the fact that the
Rajah will not allow any to go out of the
country unless a heavy duty is paid.
These canes, known as palm canes, are
distinguished by an angular 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 cele-
brated of the foreign canes are the Ma
lacca, being the stems of the calamus
sceptonum, a slender, climbing palm,
and not growing about Malacca, as the
name would seem to indicate, but i'm
ported from Stalk, on the opposite coast
Of Sumatra. Other foreign canes are
of ebony, rosewood, partridge or hair
wood, and cactus, which, when the pith
is cut out, presents a most novel ap-
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, sand
papering the rough surface, and adding
touch of varnish, curiously carved
handle or head, and tipping the end
with ferule. In the sand fats of New
Jersey whole families support them
selves by gathering nanneberry sticks,
which they gather in the sWamps,
straighten with an old wise, steam over
an old kettle, or perhaps scrape down
or whittle into size. These are packed
in large bundles and sent to New York
City and sold to the cane factories.
Many imported sticks, however, have
to go through process of Strengthening
by mechanical means, which are mys-
terry 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 four to five feet long, fixed at an
angle inclined to the workman, and hay-
When the stick has become perfectly
pliable the workman places it in one OF
the notches, and bending it in the OPP
posite direction to which it is naturally
bent, straightens it. Thus, sticks APP
parently crooked, bent, warped and
worthless are by this simple process
Strengthened; but the most curious part
of the work is observed in the forma-
ton of the crook or curl for the han
dies which are not naturally supplied
with hook or knob. The workman
places one end of the cane firmly in a
wise, and pours continuous stream of
fire from 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 a string. An additional applica-
ton Of heat serves to bake and perma-
nently 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 requi-
site degree of smoothness is attained
Chicago Times.