THE TECHNOLOGIST. [May 1, 1864. 



452 ON THE STRAW PLAIT TRADE. 



durable, and with, a surface more glossy, was invented, and it may be 

 said to have been the parent of most of the numerous kinds that after- 

 wards came up. This new sort was formed of seven double straws, two 

 splints with their pithy or inner sides being laid together, after having 

 been flattened, and thus a " double" straw was made, forming a smaller 

 and lighter thing than the whole pipe, however fine. Seven of these 

 double straws, being plaited, formed the new plait, termed " Patent 

 Dunstable." This invention was followed by another and broader, and 

 termed " improved." Another, formed of eleven double straws, from a fine 

 splitter, was named " Bedford Leghorn," and one with fifteen doubled 

 straws was named " Rutland." All these plaits realised very high 

 prices when they first came up. These four hinds were soon after made 

 into rice-straw plait. This novel kind differed in this important par- 

 ticular, that the straw was reversed, the inner or pithy side being worked 

 outwards, and the natural or bright side worked inwards. This kind, 

 in after years, had an immense sale, and some of the finest, which 

 resembles chip to a degree, was made up for wedding bonnets. About 

 this time, 1820 to 1830, much broad single plait was made, called 

 " Italian," " Devon," and broad pearl or rustic, from which the cheapest 

 straw bonnets of the day were formed. The making of these varieties 

 found employment for great numbers of plaiters, and being more pro- 

 fitable than lace-making, many of the children of lace-makers were 

 taught this more valuable art. 



Between the years 1844 and 1850, other and more important plaits 

 were invented. An idea occurred to a straw-plaiter of turning the 

 straw on the upper edge in such a manner as to form a bead or pearl, 

 and by working each pearl along the edge at every other straw, the 

 plainness of the edge was broken, and a new plait was formed, of a 

 pleasing appearance. This plait was found, when made into bonnets, to 

 give quite a new feature to them, and led to the general making of this 

 plait wherever plaiters had sufficient skill. The pearls were afterwards 

 doubled, two being formed one next the other. A third, with three 

 pearls, was soon after invented, and these plaits were respectively 

 named one-peail, or China pearl, two-pearl, and three-pearl ; the last 

 named, three-pearl or rock edge, having proved most useful ; it was 

 afterwards called Cobourg. These same descriptions were subsequently 

 made in eleven straws. Some had the straw worked over a wire, and 

 were named moss-edged plaits. One most useful sort was worked every 

 straw over a wire, and was named satin-piping, or Vienna. Others had 

 their edges worked so as to imitate a feather, and hence were named 

 feather-edged. Another sort was made of eleven straws, open in the 

 middle, like lattice work, and was named Brussels. Another, similar in 

 some respects to the last, was called birds-eye. Much plait in seven and 

 eight straws had been made, composed of coloured and white straws 

 mixed together, and made in a variety of patterns. These plaits being 

 cheap, and bonnets made from them of economical wear, great quantities 



