The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-01-29
FEATHERS I FOR FINERY.
They Are in Greater Demand Than
Ever Before,
The Various Uses to Which They Arc .Pues
and the Process by which They
Arc Prepared for the
Hrarifet.

harH0ps
The present trade in ostrich feathers,
h almost unprecedented. For q NUM-
Der of years the demand was SO small
that the raising of the ostrich decreased.
10 the extent Of forty per cent, and
feather workers had to turn thefT
ettention TO other channels of industry
But now the demand for skilled la1or
far exceeds the supply. During ths
spring ord summer manufacturers were
seriously embarrassed by the lack of
competent help.
+, A glance at women's toilets jusa
now, says the New York Sun, 6 suf-
fcient to explain the unusual demand
Hats are piled with feathers. Ona
shown In Broadway jobbing houso-
supported forty-two tips. Bonnets ara
edged with bands and trimmed wiG1a.
clusters Of various size; boas and COLA
rettes Of every length, thickness and
orure shown In oil the millinery, dresa-
making, and dry-goods houses, and re-
cent importations of costumes disclose
the fact that not only are cloaks, WRAPS
and jackets trimmed with feathers, but
gowns also. Oar1iage cloals have hug0
yolses, collars and cuffs of feathers, sup
plemented with wide bands Of the same
bordering the front and lower edge
Frequently they are faced inside, soma
distance from the front edge, with os-
tr4ch feathers, the fronts being rolled
back from tight-ntting vest. In
otuded In the decoration of jackets and
gowns IS the wide Medici collar, COW
cred with feathers. Even In ball dresses
the delicate fabrics are festooned around
the feet and fastened to other parts OF
the skirt with punches Of tips; long
plumes are coiled about the upper part
Of the arm to take the place Of a sleeve.
while others garnish the oorsage.
Perhaps more than one-half Of the
,feathers used In America are imported
In the natural state and prepared here.
South Africa Is the principal breeding
place of the ostrich. Ostrich farms have
been started in Australia and San Diego.
County, Cal, but the supply of feathers
from these sources sent to the New
York market Is scarcely prcceptible.
The greet distributing market is Lon
don, where auction sales are held every
other month, and are attended by buy
ers from ell parts of the world. Feathers
sell from fifteen to one hundred
and fifty dollars pound, the highest
price representing "blood primes'-
feathers taken from the wings and tail
of the male bird when four or five years
old. The plumage of the female bird
Is considered less choice than that OF
the male. At the present time values
in ell grades are fifty per cent. in ex-
cess of those prevailing for severak
years.
The past season was SO prosperous
that many manufacturers in this city
employed between four and Eve hum.
dred hands most of the time since last
April A feather manufactory is not q.
very inviting place, with great vats,.
sloppy floors, intense heat, and steam,
but the work is interesting through thor
heroic measures necessary to evolva
from the feather IN It's natural state thet
dainty thing of beauty. In the natural
state most of the feathers are of dirty
gray color, shading to black, and are OF
all lengths-from three to perhaps
twolve or moro inches. The quill is
thick, and the flew (the curly partl
straight and lustreless. The dorkeE
shades are sorted for black feathers,
and the lighter for those of oolored
,ttnts, tied in punches of about a couple.
of dozen, and strung few inches apart,
IN sections about one and one-half YARDS
tn length. To remove the natural oil
the feathers are soaked for severak
hours In a strong solution of soda and
soap, and then scrubbed and thoroughly
rnsed. Those fc. light colors are.
baeached with chemicals before being
dyed, but those for black are only SUBJ
jected to triple dip In Jet dye. Shaded
| feathers are made by inclosing parts In,
| rubber shields after the solid color has
been acquired, and dipping them in q.
contrasting dye and combing while wet.s
They are dried out of doors and in tho;
sun If possible, and in q room where thn
thermometer registers $50 degrees-
After the starching and another drying,
each string of feathers is beaten against
wooden tables, or partitions, to remove
superfiuous starch So violent is this
process that one expects to see tha
plumes fall apart tn a hundred or moro.
pieces. The only effect, however, Of
the rough usage is to make them loole
|
point the work, which thus fur has beeu
done by men, rs turned over to women,
who, In another part OF the factory, be7
GIN the more delicate operations.
Feathers Of all hues, IN different stages
Of Development, are scattered over long
tables The bunches are separated. and
the quill of each feather Is scraped
thin by bit Of glass Afterward they
are sewed together 10 form tho various
designs, steamed over boilers having
numerous spouts, and curled with nm
implement like the blade of an ordinary
5ackknife. Although apparently Sim
pie the task requires considerable e3rill
to avoid breaking the flew. Long
plumes, boas and collarettes are ouly
slightly curled, the ordinary tip mora
so, while those called Princess" and
the narrow bands for the edges Of bats
and bOnnets, are curled in fine ti0ht