The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-04

way, is not used for the Limburger
cheese wrappings, but the foil of tin and
lead, as there is an inner wrapper of
paper. Besides, it is probably thought
that nothing could hurt Limburger any.
way.
The enclosing of the foil in various or
namental designs is a branch of the bust
ness which has gradually developed until
now highly artistic results are obtained
In the fancy patterns, the silvery sur
face is diversified, in bright and dead
effects, by stars. plaids, Mowers. bars
diagonal lines, etc. Many samples are
printed in colors, such as pink, blue ana
red. both the colors and the patterns be-
ing produced by putting the sheets of foil
through a process of regular cylinder
printing. other specimens are lacquered
with gold and embossed in various forms
presenting a beautiful appearance. and
still others are brilliantly lacquered in
co;ors Confecttoners, druggists, cigar
manufacturers and cigar-box makers use
quantities of these fancy designs, many
of which are specially made for particu-
lar firms and serve as a sort of trade
mark The thickness, or rather the thin
ners of the foil runs from one-half of one
one-thousandth Of an inch upward, the
thinnest being the most expensive, as rep
resenting the most labor. 1t is rolled IN
sheets which on the average are fifty
inches long and five and half
inches wide (some also being rolled as
wide as twelve inches), and is then cut
into the lengths desired.
The makers of bottle caps are not class
ed with the tinfoil manufacturers, as these
cans are not made of the regular foil, but
are spun on a lathe from mixture OF
lead and tin. Besides the Crooke concern
there are now four tinfoil factories in this
country. two being in New York, one in
Philadelphia and one in st. Louis. These
four were started after the expiration of
the original Crooke patent. The foil Is
also made in England, France and Ger
MANY its production being especially
large in the last-named country. Owing
to the impossibility of competing with
foreign labor in its manufacture, the
limited States have no export trade in the
article. except a little with Havana, where
IL is used in the packing of cigars.
The output of tinfoil in this country
amounts to millions of pounds a year, but
there are no data accessible on which to
base exact or even approximate figures.
The market price of the most expensive
embossed and lacquered foils runs as high
as rs cents a pound, and from that It
goes down so low that manufacturers do
not care to quote the minimum rates. One
of them said that the average price had
been reduced one-haif within the last fif-
teen or twenty years, being lower now
than ever bfore since the foil was invent
ed. This was due to increased facilities
of manufacture, increased production,
and. especially, keen competition. partic-
ularly in the lower grades of the prod
uct.
There is constant improvement In the
machinery and processes of tinfou max
ing and also lin the article turned out.
New uses for It are discovered yearly Its
chief merits as a wrapping are its pleas
ing appearance. It's adaptablity to orna-
mentation, its keeping in place as paper
will not and above all, its preservation
Of the contents from drying,