Exports.-Small quantities have been exported to Canada, South America, and other countries, but statistics are lacking. Horn Buttons are in the main made from the horns and hoofs of domestic cattle. These buttons are often made in large sizes and are much used on suits, cloaks, and overcoats. Germany, England, and Japan are large producers and exporters. Production.-Eight factories employing about 600 persons were making these buttons in 1918. The census of 1914 reported a production of 537,000 gross, valued at $299,487; the 1921 output was 1,844,000 gross, valued at $966,000. Imports since 1917 have been as follows: 19,760 2,964 15.00 1922* 40,769 9,940 1,491 15.00 19224. 14, 109 735 Exports. Separate statistics are not available. Metal Buttons. The industry includes practically every kind of metal button, from the most ordinary button of sheet iron, made automatically, to the expensive gold button, made by hand. There are sew-on trouser buttons; tack buttons, put on by machine; bachelor buttons, put on by hand; uniform buttons; and buttons for women's and children's clothing. Production.-Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Massachussetts, and Rhode Island are the leading States in the manufacture of metal buttons. Production in 1914 of steel trouser buttons amounted to 535,207 gross, valued at $307,802; other metal trouser buttons, to 252,248 gross, at $44,150; metal buttons, not including trouser or collar or cuff buttons, to 872,563 gross, valued at $455,485. In 1921 trouser buttons (all kinds) amounted to 5,603,000 gross, valued at $2,273,000. Other metal buttons (not including trouser or collar and cuff), 398,000 gross, valued at $347,000. Imports. Before the war trouser buttons were imported from Germany and Austria. They were inferior in quality and workmanship, but were cheaper than the domestic product. Gold-plated collar and link buttons were also imported from Germany. Imports since 1917 have been follows: as 1 Included with "dress" buttons after Sept. 21, 1922, valued at over 20 cents per dozen pieces. 2 Includes collar and cuff after Sept. 21, 1922. Included in "other metal" under Trouser buttons after Sept. 21, 1922, Not separately shown prior to Sept. 22, 1923. In Exports.-All kinds of metal buttons were being exported in 1918, but doubt was expressed as to whether this trade could be held in competition with the cheaper foreign goods after the war. 1918 exports of buttons, other than pearl, amounted to $1,503,865. These figures include all buttons except pearl. Molds or blanks. Blanks or molds constitute material prepared especially to be manufactured into particular kinds of buttons. Production in 1914 of button blanks for sale was 14,304,148 gross, valued at $2,349,406, and was more than double the output of 1904; the production in 1921 was 10,607,000 gross, valued at $2,380,000. Imports.-Only small quantities of blanks and parts are imported. Some pearl shell blanks have been imported from Japan in recent years and some vegetable ivory blanks from Italy. Exports.-No separate statistics available. Canadian statistics report a few thousand dollars worth of "animal shell' blanks received annually from the United States. The Pearl or Shell Buttons. Ocean-pearl buttons are made of several varieties of salt-water mollusca, chiefly from the waters off the coasts of Oceania and Asia. The quality varies greatly with the shell. Wholesale prices for the same sized buttons range from a few cents to over one dollar per gross. better grades are used on women's wear and men's shirts. Fresh-water pearl buttons are made from the shells of mussels obtained in rivers and lakes. They are, on the whole, a cheaper grade of buttons than those of ocean pearl. Production of ocean-pearl buttons in the United States in 1918 was by 112 establishments. In 1914 the output of ocean-pearl buttons was over 4,500,000 gross, valued at $2,489,000; in 1921 the output was 5,195,000 gross, valued at $4,903,000. Production of fresh-water pearl buttons in 1914 was over 21,000,000 gross, valued at about $4,800,000. The output for 1916 was valued at $7,450,000; in 1921 it was 17,403,000 gross, valued at $6,596,000. Imports of shells (unmanufactured) amounted to $2,219,000 in 1912: $1,328,000 in 1915; $2,435,000 in 1917; 8,650,790 pounds in 1920, valued at $2,738,310; 3,772,584 pounds in 1921, valued at $1,061,813; 6,881,790 pounds in 1922, valued at $1,827,083. Austria-Hungary for some time maintained a practical monopoly of the world's ocean-pearl button industry, but the development of a fresh-water pearl industry in the United States caused Austrian exports to this country almost to disappear. Japan is an important producer and large exporter of both ocean and fresh-water pearl buttons, sending very large quantities to the United States and to other button-importing countries. In 1918 Japan exported over 18,000,000 gross of all kinds of pearl buttons, valued at $4,216,978. volume has been less in later years. The Imports of pearl or shell buttons in 1918 amounted to 4,784,041 gross, valued at $913,721, and in 1921 to 2, 412,935 gross, valued at $1,099,643, practically all of which came from Japan and the Philippines; about $900,000 worth from Japan, and $200,000 from the Philippines. The estimated Japanese output of fresh-water pearl buttons for 1917 was about 600,000 gross of first-class buttons and over 1,000,000 gross of inferior grades. Over 80 per cent of all the pearl buttons imported are below 26 lines. Prices on most imported pearl buttons are low compared with the domestic product, and the great quantities of these buttons in the domestic market have resulted in severe competition with domestic producers. The lower price is said to be less than the cost of cutting the blanks in the United States as reported in a brief submitted by the Button Manufacturers As sociation to the United States Tariff Commission. Imports of pearl or shell buttons for 1918-1922 have been as follows: Exports of pearl buttons in 1918 (fiscal year) amounted to $600,666, of which $303,019 went to Europe, $222,017 to North America, and $51,106 to South America. Previous statistics are not available. Statistics for later years follow: 1918, $631,948; 1920, $712,714; 1922, $223, 273; 1923, $185,496. England and Canada are the principal countries to which the United States ships pearl buttons. Shoe Buttons are made from a number of materials, the most important being papier-mâché, composition, and agate. Cheaper grades from Austria and Germany were agate. The domestic product is in the main made of papier-mâché. Production. Twelve factories, chiefly in New England, gave an output in 1914 of about 15,500,000 gross, valued at about $610,000. The manufacture elimination of German and Austrian competition of papier-mâché buttons greatly increased with the during the war. In 1919 production was 5,295,000 gross, valued at $632,000, but in 1921 there was a decrease to 1,206,462 gross, valued at 290,729. Imports in 1918 (fiscal year) were 46,684 gross, valued at $3,134; in 1914, over 570,000 gross, valueć at about $21,500. Later statistics follow: Vegetable Ivory Buttons. Vegetable ivory buttons are made from tagua nuts, which grow principally in northern South America and in Panama. A similar nut, the "palma dum," from Africa has been much used in Italy. The vegetable ivory button is the button generally used on men's and women's coats and suits. Production increased from 2,470,000 gross, valued at $1,300,000, in 1904, to 5,125,000 gross, valued at $2,885,000, in 1914, to 7,835,000 gross (not including trouser buttons), valued at $7,676,000, in 1919, but decreased to 4,677,000 gross, valued at $3,444,000, in 1921. There were 22 factories in this country in 1921. Germany and Italy were important producers and exporters of vegetable ivory buttons before the war. At present (1924) Italy is the most important exporter, and Germany is again doing a large business in these buttons. Imports into the United States of tagua nuts increased from over 23,000,000 pounds, valued at $790,000, in 1912, to about 51,700,000 pounds, valued at over $425,000, in 1917. In 1920 almost 50,000,000 pounds, worth $2,550,000, were imported; in 1921, 28,000,000 pounds, valued at $908,000; and in 1922 nearly 27,400,000 pounds, valued at $674,000. Import statistics of vegetable ivory buttons follow: for" clause of the tariff act. The celluloid, composition, wood, and covered buttons are of great importance in domestic manufacture. Silk, crochet, galalith, and many other kinds are also included in this provision. Production.-Celluloid (plastic) buttons to the amount of 623,000 gross, valued at $724,000, were produced in 1914; in 1919 the production was 2,210,000 gross, valued at $3,323,000, and in 1921 it was 1,068,000 gross, valued at $1,589,000. Covered buttons produced in 1914 amounted to 3,017,000 gross, valued at $1,600,000; although the quantity decreased to 2,872,000 gross in 1919, the value increased to $1,769,000. In 1921 both quantity and value decreased, the former to 1,389,000 gross and the latter to $1,096,000. Other buttons not specified in the 1914 census amounted to 2,001,000 gross, valued at $696,000. In 1919 the production had increased to 5,733,000 gross, valued at $1,002,000. In 1921 this class decreased in quantity to 2,170,000 gross and in value to $766,000. Production of the many other kinds is not definitely known. BUTYL ALCOHOL. See ALCOHOLS. CABBAGE SEED. See SEEDS, GARDEN AND FIELD. CABINET FURNITURE. See FURNITURE, HOUSE OR CABINET. CABOTAGE. In international law cabotage is identified with coasting trade, so that it means navigating and trading along the coast and between the parts thereof. (See SHIPPING DISCRIMINATIONS, ETC.). CABINET WOODS. Cedar, commercially known as Spanish cedar, is not, strictly, a cedar (Cedrus), but the Cedrela odorata, a large tree growing in Mexico, Cuba, and the West Indies. The trunk may attain a diameter of 5 feet. It bears panicles of pale yellow flowers and a fruit somewhat like pecan nuts, and suggests the walnut rather than the cedar. The wood, however, resembles cedar. It is brownish red, soft, fragrant, porous, and durable. The Cuban supply is rapidly vanishing, and Mexico is now the chief source. It is imported in logs, flitches, and bolts, and used for cigar boxes, boats, and to some extent for cabinet-work. Its porous structure assists the cigar to season and its odor improves the flavor. Lignum-vitæ is wood derived from the Guaiacum officinale, a slow-growing tree of Jamaica, Trinidad, St. Lucia, and other West Indian islands. The heartwood is of a dark greenish brown; the sapwood, yellow. It is remarkable for its hardness, toughness, and heaviness. Each layer of fibers crosses the preceding diagonally, obscuring the annular rings. It weighs 76 pounds to the cubic foot-heavier than water (62.5)-and is imported in billets about 3 feet long and 1 foot in diameter. It is used in making sheaves for pulleys, rulers, pestles, tenpin balls, ship blocks, and various articles of turnery, and, in the Bahamas, for door hinges. Lancewood is from two small, slim West Indian trees (Bocagea virgata and Bocagea lancifolia) growing about 30 feet high and 1 foot in diameter, and from several other trees. It is remarkable for its strength and elasticity, and is used for carriage poles and shafts, fishing rods, and bows. It is imported chiefly from Cuba, Guiana, and Brazil, principally in the form of poles, frequently 20 feet fong and 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Ebony applies commercially to several hard, black woods. The best ebony is derived from the Diospyros ebenum, a large tree of India, Ceylon, and other tropical countries. Logs from 10 to 15 feet in length and with the heartwood 2 feet in diameter are common in this species. Bastard ebony (Jacaranda ovalifolia) comes from Brazil. "Ebonies" come also from Mauritius, Egypt, Zanzibar, Madagascar, and Jamaica. A fairly good quality is obtained from the American species (Diospyros virginiana and Diospyros texana). It is used for inlaid work, veneers, and the black keys of pianos. Box is a small tree (Burus sempervirens) growing wild in the south of Europe and parts of Asia, attaining a height of 20 feet. The wood is heavy (68 pounds per cubic foot when dry), of a pale yellow color, remarkably hard and strong, and of a fine, regular, compact texture susceptible of a beautiful polish. It is apt to split in drying, hence is seasoned in dark cellars for from three to five years. Wood for delicate ware is soaked in clear, fresh water, boiled, wiped, and buried in sand or bran. It is valued by the turner and carver for flutes, flageolets, mathematical instruments, etc., and for wood engraving. It is imported from Spain, Portugal, Circassia, Georgia and elsewhere. An inferior variety, the Minorca or Balearic box (Buxus balearica), is imported in large quantities from Minorca, Sardinia, Corsica, and Turkey. The root is also used. Granadilla wood (not the vine, granadilla, bearing fruit) is derived from a large tree, 80 feet high and 2 feet in diameter, in British Honduras. The name is also applied to the wood of the Jamaican or West Indian ebony tree (Brya ebenus) and to woods of uncertain origin from northern South America. It is a hard, dark-red wood with a beautiful fine grain, easy to work, and is used for furniture, house decorations, and especially for flutes. States is botanically a white oak, and the wood is of uniformly good color and texture and possibly somewhat softer than American white oak. Japanese maple is white, with a good grain and texture, and compares well with American hard maple. It is impossible to say of which or of how many species commercial supplies of Japanese maple consist, but Acer palmatum probably predominates. Rosewood comes from various trees, such as the Brazilian Mimosa, several species of Dalbergia, and woods found in Jamaica, Africa, Burma, Malabar, and Australia, The principal supplies are from Brazil, the. Canary Islands, East Indies, and Africa. Rosewood, when sawed or cut, yields the odor of roses, and varies in color from a reddish brown to purple or almost black, often beautifully marked. Because of its oily character it is difficult to fix with glue. It is second only to mahogany as an important furniture wood, and is used as a veneer for pianoforte cases, table tops, and expensive furniture. Light, artistic drawing-room furniture and musical instruments are made of the solid wood. Satinwood is the name given a wood of white color and fine grain, susceptible of a high polish. The best variety is derived from a tree (Parinarium guianensis) of the West Indies. It is also derived from the East Indian tree Chloroxylon swietenia, and from the Zanthoxylum cribosum, growing in Florida, Santo Domingo, Porto Rico, and the Bermudas. Satinwood is much used by cabinetmakers and for marquetry. Imports.-Cabinet and other woods here considered are virtually all foreign woods imported largely from Central and South America, from Japan, and from the West Indies. They are imported both in the log and as sawed lumber. Imports in the log for the fiscal years 1914 and 1918, are shown by the following table: Species. Cedar, including Spanish cedar. Ebony... Granadilla. Mahogany is the name given to the wood of a considerable number of trees, the most highly esteemed being the Swietenia mahogani, a large tree of the family Meliacea, which attains a height of from 60 to 100 feet and a diameter of 6 feet or more. It flourishes in Cuba, Jamaica, Central America, and sparingly in southern Florida. It Box. grows either on rich, moist soils, or on rocky land. In the former case the wood is coarse-grained and inferior; in the latter case it is a rich, reddish brown, varying widely in its shades and markings, and susceptible of high polish. It is used extensively in cabinetmaking, both solid and as a veneer. The name is also applied to woods resembling "true" mahogany -e. g., African mahogany (Khaya senegalensis), having a tinge of pink, in contrast with the American variety; the padouk (Pterocarpus indicus) of India and Burma; the Cedrela Toona of India; some species of Eucalyptus in Australia; and the "mountain" and "valley" mahogany of the western United States. Importations come chiefly from England in transit), and from Mexico, Cuba, British Honduras, and British West Africa. Japanese oak, while imported and used in the United States in cabinet work and furniture making, also finds less refined application, such as for railroad ties. The chief source of Japanese hardwoods is the northern island of Hokkaido, where virgin forests of great age are found. The species: are Quercus grosseserrata and Q. crispula, known in Japan by the name of "Ohnara"; Q. glandulifera, known by the name of Konara"; and Q. dentata, known as "Kashiwa." The Japanese oak reaching the Pacific coast ports of the United Lignum-vitæ. Total. When imported as sawed lumber they are not Total importations of segregated by species. boards, planks, deals, and other forms of sawed and cabinet woods from all sources are shown in the following table: Cuba. Total (or average) 704 Pounds. 2,970, 730 9,308, 826 M. feet. 42,631 43,588 20,925 68, 849 3,848,378 4,049, 842 7, 191, 758 45, 406 1,989 5, 161 1 Under the act of 1922 includes also Japanese white oak and maple. Exports.-None recorded. Survey D-1. CABLES. See ROPES AND CABLES. CADMIUM is a heavy white metal, resembling tin in many of its properties. Unlike most other metals, it has an extremely low melting point, and forms brittle, but readily fusible, alloys with other metals. Besides its use in fusible alloys, it is employed in dentistry, in glass coloring, and in making cadmium sulphide (cadmium yellow); also as a solder, and, to some extent, as a substitute for tin. Production.-Cadmium, a by-product of the zinc-smelting industry, is recovered largely from the treatment of various residues and fine dust at zinc and lead smelters. Prior to 1907 Germany was the sole producer, the output in 1913 being 81,993 pounds of metallic cadmium. The domestic output in 1918, with six plants, was 127,164 pounds, valued at $188,203, and could be largely increased if there were sufficient demand. In 1920 the output was 129,283 pounds, valued at $151,261. In 1922 the domestic production of metallic cadmium was 131,590 pounds, valued at $143,433; and of cadmium sulphide 137,774 pounds. valued at $152,295. Germany and the United States, with England a small contributor, practically supply the world's cadmium output. 1919. 1920. 52, 602 2,718, 367 47,939 39,052 133,643 58,883 64,078 28,330 10,775, 184 169, 190 M. feet. 387 |