TOOPHPICKS

The bulk of the common wood-splint toothpicks in general use are of domestic manufacture. White birch is considered the best for their purpose, but poplar and maple are also largely employed. In manufacture, the branches are first trimmed and the bark skinned off, the naked trunk being then run through a machine which slices it into long thin strips, or "veneers," of tootpick width and thickness. The veneers are fed into a second machine supplied with sharp, rotary knives, which snip them into toothpicks at the rate of hundreds of thousands an hour.

The greater part of the "fancy" toothpicks--those of polished wood, reed and quills--are still imported from Europe and Japan, but their manufacture here is increasing.