182 THE IMPORTANCE OF BIRD LIFE 



on the farm and shipped in bundles of one hundred 

 to the New York market. 



Manufacture of Ostrich Plumes 



Upon arriving at the factory the plume bundles 

 are opened and the feathers are tied by their 

 stems to strings in piquets of three. These pi- 

 quets undergo washing in ordinary soapsuds, be- 

 ing scrubbed on common scrubbing-boards. When 

 clean they are placed for several hours in a vat 

 of red dye maintained at a temperature of 150° 

 to 180° F. Then, if black plumes are desired, 

 they are immersed in black dye for twenty-four 

 hours. 



Dyeing for other colors — pink, orange, light 

 blue, or cardinal — consumes less time — generally 

 not more than an hour. When the proper hue is 

 obtained the piquets are introduced to a drying 

 room where they hang for six hours in a warm 

 temperature. They are next thoroughly threshed 

 out to loosen and soften the webbing. The strings 

 are cut away from the piquets and the feathers are 

 accurately graded according to size. Trimming 

 follows and finally a re-grade as to excellence. 



Single feathers are seldom employed as plumes. 

 Only those of the very finest quality can be used 

 alone as such, and they of course fetch the highest 

 prices. The majority of commercial plumes are 



