The Monmouth inquirer., 1905-11-16
WOOD NOVELTY MILLS.
The Great Industries of the Forests
of the State of Maine.

of the State of Maine.
Perhaps the most interesting facto-
ries in the United States are to be
found in the great forests of Maine,
says the Country Gentleman. We hear
very little about them, but are con-
stantly using their products. And we
should be very proud of those busy
hives of industry and curious inven-
ton, the outcome of Yankee ingenuity,
dense, dark shades.
A few years ago 1t was found that
the lumber mills of Maine were vast
ing great quantities of wood The
white pine trees furnished lumber In
various sizes, but the trimmings were
all waste. For years the foresters
would burn the refuse and scraps, but
this was opposed to Yankee thrift. And
just at this Juncture the omnipresent
wise man of the woods conceived the
idea of utilizing the scraps by the man.
ufacture of small commercial articles
that are needed in every home. The
first factory was for the cutting of
wooden toothpicks, and by means of
small machine invented for the purpose
it was possible to make a hundred at
one stroke The smallest bits of waste
wood can be used, and thus the cost of
raw material is comparatively nothing.
From this small beginning have
come all the great industries of the
Maine wood novelty mills. Over 5,000,-
600 toothpicks are made every year,
and hundreds of people find employ
ment in the various processes of cut
ting, boxing and shipping them.
A most important manufacture is
that of spools or reels for cotton, silk
and linen threads. These factories
number already a score and turn out
more than 250,OO0,0O0 spools a year.
Some one has estimated that if these
spools were laid in row they would
stretch across the whole state of
Maine or if piled up one on another
they would make a slender tower that
would be ten times higher than the
tallest mountain peak. To make these
enormous quantities of spools over
100000 feet of white birch timber is
needed
A third factory makes the long wood
en- skewers that butchers use to pin
their meat together. One mill alone
will turn out in u summer more than
100000 skewers.
Barrel hoops made out of birch sap
lings and young brown ash trees are
e.. he oh
year, and the supply cannot keep pace
with the demand. Wonderful machines
have been invented by which all the
popular toys and games can be made.
The little wooden checkers are cut at
marvelously rapid rate and spout
out from the funnel in regular rushing,
rafting torrents. Backgammon, check
erboards, dominos and domino boxes,
wooden cubes that can be finished off
as alphabet or building blocks and
many other queer conceits are turned
out in great quantities.
A few years ago there was a demand
for wooden bicycle rims and parts.
Now tables, desks, sleds, swings and
wooden toys by the million are poured
forth in never ending stream.
Christmas toys are a new departure
for these Yankee factories, with their
practical ideas. Machinery of every
kind is constantly invented by which
all those quaint gatherings so long i'm
ported from the Black forests and
mountain hooks of Switzerland can be
made in the Maine woods. They can
be manufactured at less cost than in
the old world because machinery takes
the place of handicraft