St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-05-09

proportions of this business, when he
said: 'The December sale, which 10
just now coming into our market,
amounted to upwards of 10000 pounds
weight of feathers. When you under
stand that there are from $50 to 200
feathers in every pound avoirdupois it
is conservative estimate to say that
the number of plumes which pass
through the London market cannot be
less than 6O,o0o,00O every year.
"It is gratifying even to old-time
dealers to know that there is no longer
any demand for little birds. It is known
that one European merchant has sunk
en- more than quarter of million
dollars in the feathers of parrakeets,
grasfinches and other pretty little
futterers; for which he has been un-
able to find market in the past four
years. Humanitarians and other NOR
alists will be well pleased to know that
the little birds are now comparatively
safe from the assassins who cater to
the fashions.
Sat the conclusion of the MincinG
Lane sales the feathers of the 'fancies'
are put up; and by that the trade I'M
derstands the plumes of the bird of
paradise, Himalayan pheasants, hum
ming birds, colored skins ofparrotsand
the osprey. The real bird of paradise
is SO rare and costly that you may be
sure that nine-tehths of the paradise
plumes that you see are limitations;
they are as clever and exact as are the
electric rabbit of the true sealskin.
''It is not true that egret and osprey
hen birds are ruthlessly slaughtered
on their nests. On the contrary they
are cared for and protected; proof OF
this is afforded in the increased supply
which meets the increased demand. Ii
the hen birds were killed on the nests
the supply would decrease by reason
of the determination of the birds.
Osprey feathers are sold by the ounce,
the long osprey having been repre-
sented by about 1000 ounces at IS
shillings an ounce this past year. There
have been about 5000 ounces each Of
the heron and short osprey at IS shill-
ings per ounce. Most valuable of all
is the fibre-fine plume of the egret OF
which there have been 600 ounces which
sold at four pounds sterling per ounce.
"You have no idea how much max
ing-up' there is about these feathers
before they reach the retail market.
For example, take one of the upstand-
ing plumes. 1t has gone through not
less than dozen hands and processes.
One girl pares down the superfuous
Quill with a razor-like blade; another
rubs it the wrong way to obtain it's best
fullness; another cuts two feathers on
the tip and inserts them lower down
SO that it shall be thick andfull; while
they go to another to be sewn to-
gether. She passes it to another table
where it is scraped smooth with glass,
and q little black varnish conceals all
of the stitches. Then wire is inserted
to give it graceful curving droop at
the top, and it is dextrously curled by
drawing each lue over smooth blunt
knife"
The ladies with the plumes bowling
or fluttering over their heads never
think of the world of labor and the
great investment Of money involved
in their bedecking. They are as care
less of the cost and Dor thus involved
as they are.of the feelings of the gen.
tlemen whom they incommode in
church and theater, whose unexpected
profanity they often excite with those
same plumes; as careless of all these
matters of detail as they are of the
preparations made for the sacrament
or other solemnities Of Easter morn
ing.
But maybe this also is an exaggers-
ton. Let it pass for that, anyway.
BY courteous attention to the words
of the man Of experience in feathery
affairs we have at least learned con-
siderable about these fluffy necessaries
of fashion and religion. Haven'twe?
SMITH d. FRY.