The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-09-03

ponds, and $4,000 pounds, while in
the latter period the figures of con-
81 nption under these three heads
were 1S9,40O pounds, 100000 pounds
and T4,S00 pounds. But there are two
purposes for which no effective sub
stltute for ivory has yet been found.
viz: the mounting of piano keys aud
the making of billiard balls. In the
first period these were credited re-
spectively with a consumption of Boz
200 pounds and 127 600 pounds, and i'll
the latter four years thels 40 Bite
the latter foul years with an average
of 3J6,40O and 107, 500. The size of
billiard ball varies in different cOun-
tries. In most of the Northern oun
tries small balls are used; in moderate
ly warm climates medium sizes are
preferred, while in tropical countries
the taste Of billiard players run to
the largest sizes. America and France
absorb half the annual supply of balls,
the remainder being taken by Eng
land, Germany and the other Il
tries. In bad financial years the con-
sumption of ball will run down from
11O,O 900 or $4,000 to 10000 or 5000.
AS those elephants teeth which are
the best suited for billiard balls are
getting scaIcer and scarcer, great diff
fculty is experienced in meeting the
present demand. and prices are rapid
ly advancing, being at present more
than 50 per pound for good quality.
The best teeth are those of ~full-grown
female elephants of the higher regions
of Equatorial Africa. These teeth
usually weigh from II to IS pounds
each. but are never heavier than 30
pounds. Bull elephant teeth are often
fiat and diseased in the center. Am
erica, Russia, England and Italy buy
the best billiard balls, while France
and Germany. for the sake of cheap
ness, take many inferior balls, such
as are obtained from the points of
other teeth. and from hard West
African teeth. Under the microscope,
ivory is seer to consist of millions Of
infinitely small cells or tubes, filled
with a glue-like substance. TO this
construction, calling to mind that of
honey-comb. ivory owes the wonderful
elasticity which. in combination with
other qualities, is not possessed by
any other substance. For perfect bill
lard balls the grain and weight of
the different parts of the ivory would
be uniform. so as to give equal bal
ance and rolling. This accounts for
the high prices that are asked for the
choicest kind of billiard ball ivory.
1t is believed by experts that in TWEEN.
ty or thirty years a really fine ivory
ball will be a. rare article, and that
with the disappearance of ivory the
game of billiards will lose much of its
interest. Another use of ivory fol
which no substitute gives satisfaction
is the covering of piano keys. AL
good players say there is nc substance
that can equal ivory in smoothness
and delicacy of touch. The speed OF
execution of the modern %virtuoso
often involving several thousand fing
err contacts in a few minutes, is sucf
that the most minute fraction of ar
increase in the drag" of the keys
would be fatal to the success of {
performance. This augmentation o
drag is the inevitable accompani
ment of all substitutes heretofore
tried. 1t is not surprising. therefore
that the sale of ivory keys has al
ways shown a steady increase. an
this branch of the ivory trade is thu
one that is likely to last the longes
time.