In a country so diversified as to soil and climate, there is a necessity for great diversity of hardware, and the goods used in the dif ferent parts of the country invariably reflect the nature and temper of the people. The South is much more conservative than the North and clings longer to old-fashioned articles of well known reputation some time after they have been superseded in the North by more modern things. Because of the comparative poverty of the South in the past, and the fact that the negro is the principal laborer, the demand until lately has been rather for price than for quality. Again, in the extreme East very much the same conditions prevail, owing to the natural economy of. the people and their extreme conservatism. The West—by which is also meant the South west and the Northwest — is a great consumer of hardware, and within its bounds are the great distributing hardware centres.
The steady and rapid destruction of the forests has had a far-reaching effect upon the hardware business, and one that in many cases is destined to alter permanently the use and nature of many hardware implements. In the beginning the country had to be cleared of for ests, which created an enormous demand for all edge tools and stimulated the ingenuity of the manufacturers to produce articles fitted for the different needs — not alone for the different sections of the country, but also for the various kinds of wood. Now that the white pine for ests have practically been destroyed, it is neces sary to have edge tools that are more and more adapted for use of the hard woods which are still fairly abundant; and the question also pre sents itself to the manufacturers as to how long it will be possible to keep up the present production of such items as axes and cross-cut saws, in view of the fact that the forests are steadily disappearing.
It is impossible within the limit of this ar ticle to do more than briefly mention some of the leading branches of the hardware business and tell in a few words of their nature and history.
Wire Industry.— One of the most prom inent to-day is that of the wire industry, be cause it ramifies and affects almost every part of the hardware business. It early felt the impetus of the advantages offered by the Besse mer steel process, since it was possible to pro duce in wire made from steel many items which could not be drawn from wrought-iron. It is difficult to state with exactness — because of the connection with other branches of iron and steel manufacture — but there is probably invested in wire manufacture more than $200, 000,000. The United States Special Census of Manufactures in 1914 reported the number of establishments making wire to be 54, employing $64,013,668 capital and 17,600 wage earners who received annually in wages $11,020,729. The
cost of materials used amounted to $56,424,494, and the value of the product was $81,841,012. These figures are exclusive of the wire-work industry, which includes wire fencing: many of the larger concerns make the wire which is afterward worked up into form. Few things have been of greater interest than the story of barbed wire and its enormous growth since its introduction. It is probably the cheapest fenc ing ever placed upon the market, and exactly met the demands of the new country where thousands of acres had to be fenced in at a time. It is still a product of great tonnage, but its place is being slowly but surely taken by the woven-wire fencing which, though higher in price, is more effective and is better suited now for the country, which is gradually being i cut up into smaller farms. The enormous volume of barbed-wire used in military de fenses during the late war was in large part made in specially equipped establishments which are likely to disappear as such and develop other industries. No statistics as to these factories are available.
Nail The nail industry is a con spicuous example of the chance and changes in manufacture, for in the beginning the iron cut nail, first as made by hand and afterward by machinery, had behind it the prestige of cen turies, and seemed to be enduring as an article of everyday use. It was found, however, that with the growth of the Bessemer steel business, the steel cut nail could be made cheaper, al though it was not in any way a better article. Its place, in turn, is being taken by the wire nail, which is much more comprehensive in its uses than the steel cut nail, though the latter style prevails in certain sections and for cer tain purposes, but the decline of the steel cut nail is as marked in its way as the rapid in crease in the use of the wire nail. See Nuts.
The kindred industry is that of tacks, but it has been seriously hurt by the expansion of the wire nail, since it is possible to make the latter in many forms and sizes that are substitutes for tacks. This industry was founded in Taunton about 85 years ago, and for a great number of years was practically confined to New England. It spread gradually westward to Pittsburgh ; there it almost died out, and has since taken some hold further west in Cleveland and Chicago. Owing to the encroach ment of the wire nail it has declined rather than advanced, and the number of manufac turers has greatly decreased. The product is not large — probably not more than 15,000 tons per annum.