Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-05-13
uuuS kEYFR'S SONS Corner Sixth and Brood Streets.

and hauling out timber for various COM
mercial uses. Whenever the foreman OF
a camp comes across a particularly fne
white birch tree he orders IL cut down,
and the main part of the trunk laid
aside TO be reserved for the toothpick-
factories. When enough logs have been
obtained. they are sent along down to
the boom nearest the factory, whence
they are hauled by teams. To show
that the vast. supply of toothpicks comes
from very small proportionate quanti-
~ Of timber. IL may be said that not
more than 1000 cords or wood are used
I'm this industry annually.
When the logs reach the factory they
are first stripped OF their bark. The logs
are then placed on trucks, moving on
rails. and pushed up to the automatic
machines, by which they are cut into
Veneers. Neneers, as applied to this In
,dustry. are thin strips of wood Of about
the dimensions of an ordinary piece OF
blotting paper-that Is. the strips are
about as thick as the toothDicks are In
tended 10 be. and as wide as the picks
will be long. Extreme care must be
exercised in placing the logs in the ma
chimes. so as to have the grain run
straight in he,striDs. f5phs 'voneers are
fed into a machine composed OF pc
culiarly shaped and rapidly revolving
knives. the edges of which are as sharp
as they can be made. This machine
works automatically and with tremendous
speed and Is so constructed that the
both ends at the rate OF tens Of thou
sands an hour. 1t requires only Few
weeks for the factories 10 turn out
supply sufficient TO meet the demand for
a whole year. Then the factories are
shut down again. to remain closed until
the following spring. The wages Ibid to
American workers In this industry range
from $50 to $50 day
Most of the toothDicks made I'm Maine
come from timber that has been seasoned
In the oDen air. Picks OF that material
retain something of the natural sweet
ness of the birch and maple. and are soft
and plable. while .retaining SUFFICIENT
firmness Kiln-drled wood is ant TO re-
splinters 10 break off, which in1ure the
enamel of the teeth. Recently some or
the American manufacturers have been
putting up toothpicks In miniature bar
rels, highly ornamented by carving or
hand-painting. These are turned out at
the same factories.
The best toothpicks made anywhere in
the world come from Portugal They arc
whitfield by hand from orangeWood splints
by peasant girls. the only tool used be-
ing an ordinary jack-kpife. These picks
are as smooth as ivory. and Will not
break into splinters. They are expensive.
The girls who make the picks receive less
than 10 cents aeday. As the duty oH the
foreign-made picks Is only 30 per Cent,
they can be sold here for less than picks
of similar quality could be manufactured
IN this country, despite the improved
American machinery and skilled labor
The profit on American picks Is ALMOST
exclusively on the cheaper products. Some
of the Portuguese picks. are higDy ornar..
mented with hand-carying. They arc too.
expensive for ordinary commerce. Small
quantities have been imported into This
country on rare occasions for use at
notable banquets, or as unique specimens
OF handieraft =
Next TO Portugal Japan sends the
greatest supply OF toothpicks to the
United States. These are made by hand
from fine reeds. They. too. are sold in
close competition with the American pro-
duct owing 20 the cheaper labor In
japan. The cases In which the japanese
picks are incosed are fine specimens or
skill with the jack-knife. They are or
wood. cut into strips as thin and delicate
as tissue paper, but very strong. Tho
cases are ornamented with hand-painted
Japanese scenes. and are OF a elze eon-
venienf TO sbo carried IN the vest pocket.
The competition between the Japanese
and Portuguese makers on the one side
and American manufacturers on the
other has become so keen that Mr.. Ding
ley has proposed for the new tariff law
a duty on foreign toothpicks almost twice
as great as the one contained 10 tho
present law An importer OF toothpicks
said recently that the japanese picks can
be made and sold In the American mar
ket. cases and ALL for less than the cost.
of the paper boxes that contain she do
nestle picks. .If