St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1886-08-28

turned bats in those days. Bats wer
never used but in cricket playing, ant
. xagon-spoke or club made of the bcs
cedar, blocked ont with an axe ano
finished on shaving horse with ,
drawing knife, took the place of tn
finely turned bats of these days.
A contrast of the baseball world o
long ago with that of to-day is yer,
striking. and some real idea of tn,
strong hold this exciting sport ha
taken on the popular mind is game,
from the fact that the quantity of base
balls manufactured and sent broadcas
last year numbered between seven ant
eight millions. OF this number les
than four thousand were used by tn,
three leading professional clubs. Tn,
manufacture of this enormous number
of balls forms no small industry, and i.
the means of furnishing employment
to many thousands in Boston, New
York and several other principal cities
Philadelphia and Chicago however,
are generally admitted as being the
great centers of this industry. and it il
estimated that fully two-thirds of al
the balls used are manufactured at these
two places.
The variety of balls made is numer.
Gus. all of which are designated by
well-known brands. The chief of base.
balls is the profes ,ional or dead ball,
that be ng the one adopted and used BY
| the Association and League Clubs.
The manufacture of this ball represents
| the acme of baseball making. Every
thing about it is of the best quality. Its
nucleus is an imported vulcanized
India rubber ball. and the yarn OF
which it is wholly wrapped is the best
woolen. The cover. which is sewed
with thread made of Irish flax, is
a!um-tanned horse hide. There are
three kinds of yarn used-a heavy four
ply blue, a finer white yarn. and an
other blue. three-ply. but not so coarse,
and of lighter shade than the first.
Until quite recently these yarns were
wrapped entirely by hand. A winding
machine has now been invented and is
being successfully operated, which
wraps the first two yarns tighter and
better than could be done by hand and
which economies much time and
labor. The rubber ball is placed in the
iuuStiihC, WHICH SOillcWHdt IcScIlUlcS a
large coffee mill. and wrapped with
three ounce. of the heavy blue yarn.
This yarn is wrapped very compactly
and solidly and gives strong. solid
body to the ball. The small blue ball
which this forms is then enwrapped
with the white yarn, half ounce of
which is put on by the same machine.
This brings the ball up to little more
than half its regular size. The opera
ton of this machine is one of the
trade and is known ouly to those who
are Immediately engaged in that
branch of the making.
After being machine-wrapped the
balls are dipped into patent rubber
cement, very sticky substance, re-
sembling mucilage, which renders them
almost IS hard as a rock. This cement
when hardened forms a solid protec-
ton to the ball inside, and to it is due
the fact that, no matter how hard
batted, this ball will not lose its shape
After cementing-it requires but few
minutes to dry-the ball is ready for
'the wrapper" These wrappers are
made by boys about fourteen to sixteen
years of age. They sit on low chairs
or stools. and in old soap or other boxes
beside them lay the long hceces of
worsted from which they wind. Be-
meath their nimble fingers, which are
protected from chatting by leather
the ball rapidly attains its
full proportions. The single thread
of blue which they wind is swiftly
carried around and around in the ordi-
nary way of winding. but the rapidity,
evenness and finish with which it is
done is surprising. During this wrap
ping the ball is continually pounded
by a heavy wooden bat re-
= cricket bat in shape, but
smaller This is done for
the purpose of preserving the shape Of
the ball and of making it as tightly
compressed as possible. Enough of
this yarn is used to make the bali weigh
four and one-half ounces, and every ball
is weighed. With the exception of
few turns of strong white twine, done
by different set of boys. called "fill-
ing out" the body of the ball is COM
plete and ready for covering.
1t is not generally known that the
horse. as we'll as the sheep, contributes
to the making of this favorite article.
but. as mentioned, the covers of the
professional ball are all made of horse
hide. In the case of the cheaper balls |
is used altogether for that |
purpose. Almost all of the horsehides
tanned are made into baseball covers,
md the horses that yearly pay tribute
20 this purpose number far into the |
thousands. The hides are tanned in
alum and to this is due their bright, |
white appearance. A cover consists of |
wo pieces of exact shape and dimen-
'ions. resembling somewhat the soles
If shoes. which are cut with die in |
the same way. The die is
placed over the leather and struck with |
| heavy mallet, each half cover being |
,ut separately. Before the covers are
,ut the leather is stretched on = stak-
ng machine. which is nothing more
han firm, upright plank, in the end
If which is held . dull blade, over
which the leather il faulty drawn back
md forth.
The covers of the ball Just described
ire stitched by men. The cover is first
acked by four stitches so placed as to
lold it in shape. While being stitched
t f firmly held in the jaws of an ordi-
lary harness-makers horse. Holes are
made in the cover with an awl and the
bread carried through by q large
leedle. The stitch is exactly the same
IS that which one end Of the lace of q
hoe makes. After the cover is sewed
IN the ball is rolled between two slabs