The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-07-11

MISCELLANY.
aMARIcAN DRESS GOODS.
Grea, Improvement in American Fabri


Great Improvement in American Fabrics
The dmcFc0n Grocer says: Fashion
plays more important part in the distribu
,on of dress goods than in any former peri
Cd in the history of tho country The two
primary causes for this fact are, first, the
increasing wealth of consumers, enabling
them to purchase costler fabrics; and
iecond, the improved taste OF the m1sses,
growing out of the more rapid communica
ton between large cities, whore fashion
holds courss and rural communities. The
fashionable styles of Indies costumes in mot
'opnlitan cities are soon copied and adopted
IN the interior towns and villages. Fashion
plates have become almost MS important as
weekly price lists of market quotations, aud
women are as eager TO learn about the new
shades and texture of dress fabrics as they
are of their cost. 10 meet this improved
taste in quality, AS well as STYLE manutactnr-
ars are describing old looms and substituting
new machinery, with processes of finish and
weave more in accordance with the progress
Sive spirit of the age. The dress goods in
dustry has made rapid strides in the United
States within the past ten years. Previous
o that period silks, cashmeres, nuns veil
ngs, buntngs and all other dress goods
aside from worsted fabrics were of foreign
make, There were one or two silk mills in
operation, and company organized and
machinery started in the manufacture OF
silk warp alpacas. In the manufacture OF
worsted dress goods there We're three corpo-
rations whose fabrics had acquired populari-
ty the qualities, however, were OF medium
aud low grades, and did not include fine, all
wool, or worsted goods Fine fabrics,
whether in silk, wool and worsted, as well
as in chintzas, lawns, percales and ging-
hams, were all imported from abroad
Meantime home manufacturers were no,
idle; they soon discerned the tendency OF
the masses for finer fabrics, and energetic
ally went to work to meet this growing de-
mand. Capital was speedily obtained, old
mills refitted with the latest improved ma
chinery, new factories built, and the best
managers and designers to be found secured.
In short time American silks became pop
ular, and now foules shoodas, cashmere'
n. MS veilings and bunrings, which hitherto
were SO largely imported, are, to consider
able extent, supplied from home manufact-
ure. The two greatest hindrances to the
successful introduction of domestic dress
eoods-ack of color aud of finish--haye
been overcome, and in the manipulation OF
dycs as well as in smoothness of texture,
American fabrics win favorably compare
with the best foreign goods. All the new
shades of electric blue, terra Gotta, crushed
strawberry, cream bronze, aud olive in dark
as well AS the more delicate tintings, are
reproduced with as much spirit and tone in
color as those found in the finest imported
fabrics All the leading makes of cashmeres,
nuns veilings, buntings, lace checks, and
lenos, of domestic manufacture, are sold up
to production and values firmly maintained.
This is sufficient proof of the great progress
made in the dress goods industry within the
last decade.