Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-09-18
FINE FEATHERS.
How Ostrich PIumes and tips are
Initiated.
San Francisco Chronicle.

city of this size IN the world.
"How's thatp asked the reporter
"It's the climate, | suppose-the
cool, even temperature of this PENN
sIla, which permits sea,skins and
winter fashioned hats to be worn du-
ring the greater part of the year"
But the dealers IN fancy feathers
don't complain on this account
Not they. It's a very good bust
ness here, except two or three months
of the year, when people are well
supplied or have gone into the coun-
try with their flower or ribbon trim
med straw hats A good deal of my
trade is with ladies who have old
feathers to dye or curl or to cut up
into tips. y
What is tip7'
GA ti.s is one of those short, bobb-
ing feathers so stylish just now. Last
year the fashionable craze was over
wild birds wings and heads for hats
and turbans, but this year it's tips.
"Are they mostly cut from ostrich
feathers2"
"Well, that is the suppositien but,
bless you, we don't sell more that half
the number of real ostrich tips that
we do of limitations It's shame to
cut up nice long ostrich plume into
tips, and the very short ostrich feath
ers are rarely of good GESTURE and
fibel-that is, the African kind are
not, Many of the East India impor-
tations of this sort are very good
however, but they come very high.
So ali kinds of feathers are fixed up
in imitation of those of the ostrich
There's the rhea, or American ostrich ;
the adjutant peacock, pheasant
eagle and others. The kind used here
to a great extent, especially in imi-
tating ostrich tips, is the South Am
erlcan vulture. | Will show you
some Of these limitations and you will
see how they may be distinguished
from the real article.
Comparisons were then made be-
tween different varieties of feathers,
and the difference between genuine
and counterfeit pointed out. 1t was
shown how an ostrich" plume Of
great length might be made by pierre
ing the soft, short feathers of the vul-
ture on framework of whalebone
stiff cloth, or other material, the only
way to detect the imposition on public
credulity without direct comparison
being by a glance at the inside of the
feather, which will disclose the frame
work. The feathers of cocks are also
placed together in this manner and
when curled and colored make a
handsome plume, though more easily
distinguished from the ostrich feath-
ers by the thin and wiry nature of the
fibers.
What is TIE difference IN price be-
tween imitation and real plumes and
tiLsW was asked.
Real ostrich feathers run from
81 so up to $50 each. / will make you
all the limitations you want at 10 cents
up to 81 apiece.
Are the loAg plumes wore to a
great eXtenti"
ooh, yes; they always will be, too,
as there IS nothing handsomer on a
hat than a finely colored ostrich
plume.
Are all these feathers dyed before
being worni'
Nearly all. Only once in a great
while do we get feather off the
ostrich which does not require color
ing. You see uniform color is always
desired by ladies, and this is rare
thing IN fresh plucked ostrica feath-
ers. They are generally like this, y
said the featherman, showing some
long white and brown feathers, the
colors of which were mixed like pep
per and salt, over the downy plumes.
Here is a rarity, and he uncovered
a lovely brown feather, which would
have made a fashionable young lady
wild with envy if she had seen it ON
rival bellies hat. Then they come
in grays and sometimes in snowy
whites, but the latter are rare, said
the dealer.
The various methods of dying feath-
ers were explained They are not
materially different from the modes
of coloring straw or dress goods. A
feather may be colored hundred diff,
ferent shades, beginning with light
one and will wear years if properly
cared for
"Where do San Francisco feather
dealers get their supplies of the ostrich
article2" the reporter inquired.
Chiefly from New York. We
used to import them from France,
but for some reason or other we find
that we can get the same feather in
New York for 81 that we would have
to pay % francs for III Paris. Besides
there is an enormous custom duty to
be paid"
''Do you get many feathers from
Australian
No; only few, but they are of
good quality
How do the feathers Of the ostrich
Matched in this county compare with
the foreign importaton2n
very favorably, those that | have
seen. There is no reason why the
ostrich should not thrive in our
southern countries l am we'll &C
quainted with the ostrich growing in
dustry, having once owned an ostrich
farm near Calcutta. One thing ]
have noticed obout ostrich growing
in this country which ] don't like is
the failure to secure good stock 10