The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-09-07
HARVESTS OF HAIR.
GIRLS PART WITH THEIR CROWN
ING GLORY FOR A FEW CENTS.

Icweiry and Wigs Arc Made of the Queer
cst of Crops-InformGtion, Some of II of
an Odd Character. From Man Who
Malscs Things OF Hair.
l5was quite by chance that the writer
Of this article happened on man who
has spent his lifetime in tho manipula-
ton of human hair, transforming it in
to wigs, crowns, frizCttcS and all the
other kinds of "false" hair and weaving
it into watch chains, cyeglass guards,
bracelets, as well rs mounting it in lock-
cts, rings, pins, earrings and brooches
md working it up into all kinds of
floral designs and emblems
"a charming head of hair OH n wom-
an, he said, "is thing of beauty and
indeed a browning glory, but to Il hair
worker it is of little value. Even the
longest hair, before it has passed through
the hands of the manufacturers, is we'll
nigh worthless. The hair of woman's
head which is 30 inches in length. for
example, would not be worth more than
60 cents.
81 remember woman coming into
my shop one night and offering TO sell
her hair. She said she was IL seamans
wife, and not having heard from him
Tor many months was in desperate
straits for money. She wanted to know
how much would give her for her hair,
which was of considerable length re-
fused to cut it Off 1 wouldn't cut any
woman S hair off 1t is such IL democrat
y
fact is emphasized when dire need is the
cause of the sale. However, l was in u
position to obtain her assistance until
her husband came back.
We get our finest descriptions of
hair, continued the subject of this in
terview, from France and Italy whence
como all shades of black and brown.
France, again, Germany and Spain sup
ply the market with brown, light flaxen
and red hair. Gray hair, being found in
every parcel, is described as universal.
"On the continent there arc regular
hair harvests During the summer time
you can SEQ at every fair peddlcrs sur
rounded by girls with their beautiful
hair nicely combcd out standing in file
waiting their turn. The peddler has in
his a pun VI SiltstIS, Slrl
bonds her neck, few ships, and the
hair is off, tied into n whisp and thrown
into basket standing ut the shearcr's
side. And how much do you think that
the girls get for this? a few cents. a
lguady trinket or Il bright silk han(lkcr-
chief
I, Some peddlers travel from cottage
to cottage plying their trade, and the
same performance is gone through. An
average head of hair weighs four ounces.
When sufficient hair is accumulated, it
rs sold to the hair manufacturers, who
submit it to u process of cleansing and
sorting into various lengths and shades
1t is then ready for the wismakers,
who buy it as they require it, paying ut
the rate of 90 cents or so per ounce for
lengths of 10 inches to IL inches to us
many shillings as there are inches for
lengths of 36 inches and upward. The
greatest demand is for hair from 4 to
"a inches i'll length. Tho longest female
hair on record is ~ inches. -
, The tycoon Of Japan once confscatcd
the hair of whole province and had it
woven into il ships hawser over quar-
ter of Il mile long. Then he discovered
that steel ropes were i'll existence, and
now the cable. composed of tie pigtails
OF the unfortunate Japs, reposes hcforc
the eyes of the curious III Betllnpl Green
museum.
The gentleman interviewed possesses
a magnificent trophy of hair,.in size
Some 3 feet long by : feet high, in lhe
form of Il basket of flowers, every leaf,
every petal and every stem Of which is
composed of cunningly wrought hairs
from tho human head. How long it
took to create it, it is impossible TO say,
but years unquestionably He has other
similar displays, mostly the work of
himself or his son, though they pale in
to insignificancc beside the monument
of patience in question.
The working of hair into ornaments
has gone out Of vogue considerably of
late years, but scafaring mcn even now
are great lovers of this form of memcn-
TO. Naturally their favorite designs as
sumo the forms Of anchors compasses
and other things nautical
One day Il gentleman came to the
Subject of this article and desired him
in q most mysterious manner to weave
some hair, which he gave him, into the
form Of serpent. The head and tail
were to be of gold, and the tail was to
Fbe fixed into tho mouth The serpent
WAS to be jn two coils and to cncircle a
golden heart pierced by dagger In
order to thoroughly comprehend the de
sign he had to be let into the secret, and
this was the explanation which was Of
fered:
The serpent was to represent the ma
ture of certain young lady to whom
the hair belonged and who had Tilted