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Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: STE-SUS |
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STRAW and STRAW MANUFACTURES. Straw (from strew, as being used for strewing), is the general term applied to the stalky residue of grain-plants (especially wheat, rye, oats, barley). It forms the raw material of some important industries. It serves for the thatching of roofs, for a paper -making material, for ornamenting small surfaces as a " straw-mosaic," for plaiting into door and table mats, mattresses, &c., and for weaving and plaiting into light baskets, artificial flowers
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The districts around Luton in Bedfordshire and the neighbouring counties have, since the beginning of the 17th century, been the British home of the straw-plait industry. The straw of certain varieties of wheat cultivated in that region is, in favourable seasons, possessed of a fine bright colour and due tenacity and strength. The straw is cut as in ordinary harvesting, but is allowed to dry in the sun, before binding. Subsequently straws are selected from the sheaves, and of these the pipes of the two upper joints are taken for plaiting. The pipes are assorted into sizes by passing them through graduated openings in a grilled wire frame
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instrument having a projecting point which enters the straw pipe, and from which radiate the number of knife-edged cutters into which the straw is to be split. The plaiting of straw in the counties of Bucks., Beds., Berks. and Herts. formerly gave employment to many thousands of women and young children; but now vast quantities of plaits are imported at a very cheap rate from Italy, China and Japan. The result is that, while the Luton trade in the manufacture of straw and fancy hats of every description has largely extended, the number of English plaiters, all told, was not more than a few hundreds in 1907, as compared with 30,000 in 1871. The plaits are sewed partly by hand and in a special
In the United States straw-plait work is principally centred in the state of Massachusetts. Many substances besides straw are worked into plaits and braids for bonnets. Among these may be noticed thin strips of willow and cane and the fronds of numerous palms. " Brazilian " hats made from the fronds of the palmetto palms, Sabal palmetto and S. mexicana, are now largely made at St Albans. The famous Panama hats, fine qualities of which were at one time worth 2o to 3o each, are made from the leaves of the screw pine, Carludovica palmata. They are now manufactured at Dresden, Strassburg and Nancy, and can be purchased at 3os. or 2. End of Article: STRAW If you wish, you can link directly to this article.
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