Idaho semi-weekly world., 1893-11-21
THE USEFUL BAMBOO.
YANKEE MACHINERY COMPETES
WITH JAPANESE FINGERS.

beieT hhcy are bsauc III us COuntr
Japanese Curtains.
The Hight bamboo curtain is giving Il
E,nr privacy to suburban New Yorke
this year that the venetian blind has lon
given TO West Indians nnd other tlweilel
IN warm climates Several years ago thes
rolling csrtains OF split bamboo made thei
appearance in this city under the name
sidarris. and they were found so usefl
that they soon became popular favortes
particularly in the suburban towns. Tn
suburban New Yorker had fallen into th
habit Of liviog much In public when out
side the walls OF his hcnse
Fashion t!ecrced long ago that tbs from
fence must come down, and the piazza
usually not FAR from the street, was 80 ex
posed that II wus useless for comfortabl,
ionngins and demanded the same dres.
that must be worn for walking or calling
The baninoo curtain c;lme to remedy thi.
evil nad To give to the American piazza
greater privacy and comfort 1t is chcar
enough for the smallest cottage, pretty
enough for the most expensive and useful
for everybody who has n piazza Like
most things that are cheap, pretty and use
full, 1t has made place for itself
Possibly there may be some remote ham
let In the United States where the BAN mboo
curtain has not yet appeared, and for the
benefit Of that hamlet 1t may be necessary
TO describe IL. 1t is simply rolling shade
made Of thin strips of split bam boo, with IA
round bamboo rod Mt top and bottom to
give u strength aud ropes running through
two small puIleys to raise il or let it down
Ii In so loosely made that the wind whis
ties through 1t readily. yet II has enough
solidity TO make n shield from the sun. IL
may be run up or down M easily M anv
shade, and 1t Is not only protection
against the sun, but valuable screen tn
shield the summer lounger from the raze
OF every pGsserby 1t IL used only upon the
piazza.
The bamboo curtain is too familiar here
abouts To need any description for the New
Yorker. urban or suburban, but there are
some curious things about It that must nj,
tract the Idle notice of the summer lounu
er IL has foreign look throughout and
seems 20 bear the delicate od0rs OF lacauer
and line cabinet work that we associate
with Japan. The slats are tiny thlnrs
perhaps quarter Of au Inch wide and n
sixteenth OF nh Inch thick Wherever the
marks OF a Iointappear, they are not In one
sint or Two, but IN enough OF the Stats To
cover loot or more In height, and each
one exactly over the one below IL, showing
that all those Stats have been deftly cut
from one stalk of bamboo. SO neatly aul
evenly ~ this cutting done that the sum
nier 'ounser h likely to wonder at the pa
tiehce ana deNterity Of the .Iapdnese work
men who make these things
Hut the patient japanese workmep who
make these screens nre usually good Amer
icah citizens. and MI The foreign look Is
manufactured 70 orter and by machinery
u ~ not In Toxic or Yokohama thnt the
h'nihoo curtains ARE made, but in New
! ORR or l'rooklyn Silarris IN n good namc
lor them because 1t has II far away sound.
iii, lew people know what it means The |
phthnoo ~ genuine product of the tropics
put the manufacturing ls all done on one |
slte or other OF the last rver-larrely in |
ltruoklyn, and not far fron, the navy ward |
ms hpplits, however, only to the bamboo |
>h"leS and other BAN boo work used In and |
iuoat thls city Nearly every large city In |
he country hats at least one factory where
p',ihhoo goods ARE made Some OF the
inrst OF these factories. after those of
New York and Brooklyn, are in Phladcl
INA, II. Louis and Sun Francisco. In all
u these factories, although the price of
ahor IL 70 times higher than In Japan, the
GOODS nre rna'lc $ cheaply as they can be
made IN the e;Ist because the work is done
With machinery
beyonu lew ornamental chairs and tn
''es, the lmmhco curtain ~ the first popu.
Ut use I" which bamboo has been put In
his country 1t probably will not be the
hsl' iof hamboo has habit OF making IT.
''i SO "Seiul wherever 1t goes thut It's nc
haln'hnce Is cultivated. The raw mate.
i"i his 10 be imported. for bam boo has not
et been successfully raised In this coun
'y lhe chinese In California have tried
i ntt witsout any great success Some
oheiy trees grow III st. Augustine In Flor
az. o"' theS are mere travesties upon the
raj bamboo OF the tropics
Fur commercial purposes bamboo comes
D this country in the holds OF sailing yea
e's' tied up IN long cylindrical bundles
ma the packages OF II that one may fre
uehtiy see unloading in South street are
OF good samples Of the bamboo OF the East
hdles. except tor business uses. The I'M,
iense stalks, sometimes II foot thick nnd
re not needed, Our bamboo goods mr.. bct.
n made from small growths, and 1t is nor
lneh matter whether the esta!ksnre strnipbt
: crooked. They ARE often crooked bnt
10y are e'tsily strnightened
Our raw MATERIAL" SAYS n nakcr ot
imhoo goods. comes principally from
hina, JapEn and India la these tbre,
iuutrles we iud more than CD varieties
Ing'ng between = feet aud co feet in HEIGHT
id hall au inch and s, 10, i2 inches in
aifeter. Every Que Of these varieties is
lted Tor it, durability. It's great tendency
bend when steamed, It's unique nronerty
splitting into pieces Of any thickness 4
sired, aud the high polish it will take I
Or any OF these qualities no other wood I
mpares with it. In some varieties the n
inta are ooly from five to eight inches a
art aud In others they are upward OF five !.
u Hpau. These larger kinds an. rnre
d arr used only in the manufacture of |
e more costly iuruiture
W Nat bamhoo articles do we make, A c
eat mauy. aud still not urariy rs ninuvns I
. might. nor H. L,auy nS we pruhlhlv 6
All whvn AnlenciuS come to know tam s
q better We make Siaarrls or Iapnnes.
rtAiiS screens. iretwurk. baskets and
iapers, fluey boxes, p;lrnsols. chairs
,ols. Hover stands, Settees, hatracks r
1leS, eahine's, brackets t,lSels, portieres :
'uis> autl lan"y woodwork OF every J,.
iptloh Nost OF these thugs Won wiu :
'iee, are funey articles Palmer and ?
ire uSriui th'nlsS will come Ia time. A. G.
~ ~ therr Is demand for them we ARE RI
'ty 10 make half the furnishing and Dir <
Y OF hoasr from bamboo
DO not contound haHihoo work with
-f'N made Of rattan bamboo Is hollow n
snotty. while rattan is solid and X
cls Ksittan - u product ot u species Of :, :,
m tree AID has liltlr in ,.,,,,,.,,,., ,..,,1