The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-05-16
SELLING HUMAN HAIR.
Where Most of the Crop Is Grown and How
1t II Bought.

SELLING HUMAN HAIR.
Whore Most of the Crop Is Grown and How
1t II Bought
In remote Swiss, German and French
villages traffic in human hair is as rec
ognized portion of the commerce az
the sale of butter and eggs, and is, to
the young peasant girls, very impor'
tant matter. They grow their hair with
view to selling it, just as their fathers
and brothers grow their cereals and
raise their cattle for the same purpose.
In many cases, where they are fortunate
enough to have it of a good, marketable
color and fine texture, they get for their
ware more than their male relatives
could hope to clear after many years OF
hard toll.
The great drawback to the lucrative
ness of hair-farming is the slowness OF
growth and the fact that the same head
is rarely known to produce a remarkably
fine crop twice. An objection to it is
dislike, natural in a woman. to part
with what is nature-given ornament
We may feel positive that in the dis.
tricts where hair is sold it is proud
distinction to be in constant possession
of good crop which is definitely under
stood to be mot for sale" and which ar.
CUES we'll for the amount of worldly
goods enjoyed by its possessor.
Here, where there is no recognized
commercial value placed on luxuriant
locks, it was a year or two ago quite
fashionable to have hair short and wavy,
like mans. There, however, the con-
ISOLATION has to be administered in the
shape of hard cash, and even with that
great soler in their hands the peas
ant hair-growers can seldom see their
shorn tresses gathered up by the indif-
ferent purchaser with equanimity.
One village market is held every Sec
ond Friday and is attended by buyers
from Paris only. These walk about the
street.-the village boasts but one long,
narrow one-while the girls stand about
in couples so that they may give each
other moral support The business is
transacted in q large room. The sellers,
having had their hair combed out and
examined, wait for an offer
If this be satisfactory the buyer takes
up bright pair of shears fastened to
his waist and cuts the treasured tresses,
papering and pocketing them quickly,
so that the denuded girl may see as lit
tie of them as possible once they have
passed out of her possession. She then
goes off and uses all the means she
knows of to cultivate new crop, which
occasionally is successful up to the
third and even fourth transactions,
though rarely is the first bargain bet
tered. The crop, however, is capricious;
occasionally second growth and third
have been known to exceed the first in
length and fneness to surprising de-
gree, though, if the color be fair and
particularly of golden sheen, the second
crop even is almost invariably not salts
factory in this one particular.
Purely white hair, If long and fine,
may be converted into little fortune
by its possessor, supposing she be so
minded. Albino women have been
known to obtain for crop of hair white
as snow and fine as spun silk the nice
little sum of $3.50, which certainly would
make hair-farming remunerative occu-
patton, supposing that only two such
crops could be raised and disposed of in
lifetime.
It is said that the French ex-Empress
paid 5000 an ounce for hair to match her
own, which was, in her youth, that much
priced hue which is the same as virgin
gold. The difficulty of exactly match
ing hair is much greater than might be
supposed by the casual observer, who
sooo op1u tho four co1orc lyporup Nv, \ Z, -
experts as type-colors-white, black,
brown and blonde Each of these pro-
duce numerous shades-not less than
sixteen of every type-and the subtle
difference in these shades of hair is
wonderfully perceptible, as those who
have little and want to match it speed
lily find out Hair which is artifcially
colored to match is most unsatisfactory,
rs the hue is not stationary,
Hair died on the head is far from en-
viable possession, as itreauires frequent
hair dye being inscrutable) has usually
to disappear from social ken during the
process. Not alone that fact, but also
that medical men declare softening of
the brain to be brought on by the use of
hair die, as we'll as diseases of the eye,
makes this most undesirable practice.
A fine head of virgin-gold colored hair
will bring from 5000 to $500, according to
its length and luxuriance, and to those
who have it and are anxious to convert
it into hard cash it may be pleasing to
hear that there are orders in advance
for all that can be produced Of this de-
scription for the next five years.
Chatter.