Connecticut western news., 1888-12-26
ODD INDUSTRIES.
Queer Wooden Products of the
 Forests of Maine.
Making Toothpicks, Thread,
 Spools, Shoe Pegs, Etc.

Spools, Shoe Pegs, Etc.
 There is an industry which gives cm- ploymcnt to hundreds of people in this section of the state which owes its ori- gin to whittier, writ.s Q Pitts burg Dispatch correspondent from Maine. This is the making of wooden tooth picks. There is a factory in this town which turas them out at the rato of I know not how many thousand per day, and there are similar factories in number of neighboring villages Aside from tho men and boys directly em- ployed in the production of these use- 1ul little articles, many others are ben- cited by tho industry. The farmer who owns the troes, the woodsm an who chops them down and the team ster who hauls the timber to the fac- tory, each comes in for share of tho money paid out by the toothpick man. ufacturera
 The wood sells for $3 to $4. 50 per cord at the factory. and as each fac- tory takes from 500 to 1500 cords per year, quito respc ctable amount is paid out for raw material al one. The wood used is white birch and poplar and must be strai3ht.grained and without knots, so there is necessarily good deal of waste It is estimated that enough toothpicks are mado in M inc each year to load freight train of 50 cars. In round numbers the teoth- picks number 5000, 900, 900, or about v picks for each man, woman and child in the Uaited States. That would scarcely be enough; but the toothpick consumers need not bo alarmed, for there are several factories devoted to this industry outsile of Maine.
 The inventor of the wooden tooth pick is still living and. still making toothpicks. Ho was in South Amer rica whom he made the first box, and got tho idea from the natives, who se,m also to have pen chant for whiting. We'll, he employed his leisure time in whiting out box of picks, which he sent home to his wife. Sao gave a part of them to hotel keeper, and his guests liked them so we'll that he at oEce ordered large quantity. The man in South America smiled whom h, got tho letter, but at once engaged a number of natives and set them to whiting.
 Next he returned to hi, native town in Maine, and went to lnven ting. In due time he had machine that would mako picks about 10, 900 times as fast as tho swiftcst South American whit tier, and since 1860 ho has been doing his best to supply tho world with tooth picks. He has so perfected his ma chine that ono operative can mako 15,- 000 picks minute. His business rivals arc numerous, and toothpicks are cheap, in spite of the fact that there is said to be sort of oothpick trust con- trolling tho production.
 Another peculiar indu try which fourishes in western Maine is the mak- ing of thread spools. They are cut from sm ooth, white birch timber a wood which works easily, by various kinds of improved machines. There arc numerous mills throughout the lum bering region whore the birch is sawed into strips about four feet long, and fir om one to two inches ia width and thickness. Thcso strip, then go to the spool factories to be con- verted into spools. The processes are numerous, tut with one exception, not particularly Interesting. Tho method of polishing tn, spools is novel and original. A barrel is filled nearly full of them, and then revolvcd by means of machinery and belting, uatil the spools are worn smooth by rubbing one against another. Spool manufacturing i, the most important industry in several of tho villages of OK ord county, and will doubtless continue so until the supply of birch timber gives out.
 can remember the time when Yan- kec shoem sKers cut th,lr p,gs them selves. They would saw eff a white Lirch log, leaving it smooth and even, then plough little furrows across it in two directions, with an instrument which I believe they called peg cut ter. Then enough of the wood was sawed off to make ths pegs tho right length and the block was split up into pegs by using knife. Idon't suppose anybody makes pegs that way now. They are cut by machinery from white birch and maple and New England supplies the whole country. Pegs are worth from 35 to 95 cents a bushel at tho factories.
 Up in Bangor there is a firm styling itself ''compress company,' and it's business is-baling sawdustl Slwdust, shavings, etc., are taken from tho saw. mills ard blaming mills in tram cars to tho compressiug mill and there squeezsd until converted into an almost improg- nable mass. Large quantities aro used by various manufacturers for different purposes.
 Applying Her Argument.