FEATHER INDUSTRIES 193 



Minor Feather Industries 



Aside from the downs and ornamental plumes, 

 there are still other uses to which feathers are put 

 which have a considerable commercial status. 

 Although their bulk is small when compared to the 

 upholstery downs, the industries for which they 

 form a necessary adjunct are numerous. 



Until the appearance of steel pens, quills were 

 the only implements that could be utilized for 

 writing, if, of course, we except the fine brushes 

 of the Far East. Their day extended from the 

 sixth to the beginning of the nineteenth century, 

 and even now quill penholders with steel nibs 

 have a certain popularity. In former times, how- 

 ever, when feathers were the only pens, their 

 quality was a matter of the utmost importance 

 to the writer, and great care and forethought were 

 given to their selection. Feathers of the crow, 

 turkey, eagle, or hawk served the purpose well, 

 but the best quills came from the wings of geese. 

 The left wing only was depleted, those feathers 

 curving outward and away from the writer, and 

 only the outer five flight quills were taken. Of 

 these the second and third were considered the 

 best. 



The plucking was done in the spring, at the com- 



