Vol. XIII. No. 315. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



167 



LIVE STOCK NOTES. 



THE PRESERVATION OF HIDES AND 

 SKINS FOR EXPORT. 



In view of the high piice> which are realized by hides 

 and skins, the Bulletin of the Imperial Institute calls atten- 

 tion to the importance of ensuring by proper treatment the 

 arrival on the market of these products in the best condition. 

 There are a number of methods in use for the protection of 

 hides against putrefaction and the attack of insects, but 

 many of these are unsatisfactory, the hide itself being some- 

 times damaged by the careless treatment which it receives. 

 The method which the Commission appointed by the Inter- 

 national Association of Leather Trades Chemists recommends 

 is the 'wet-salted method'. 



•The skin while being flayed should be prevented from 

 coming in contact with dirt or blood and should be allowed 

 to fall into a basket or other receptacle, where it is left to 

 cool. It is then washed thoroughly and afterwards drained 

 to remove the excess of water. The skin should then be 

 laid out fiat on a clean floor or a suitable low table, Hesh-side 

 uppermost, care being taken that every part of the desh-side 

 is exposed. Salt is spread evenly over the whole area of the 

 flesh side and other hides, similarly treated, placed on top, 

 and the process repeated until a pile about 4 feet high has 

 been raised. Each skin should be given a quantity of salt 

 equal to 2.5 per cent, of its weight, and it should be seen 

 that the top skin is well covered over. Where large numbers 

 of hides are being treated, the piles may be built differently, 

 but in whatever way it is done the hides should have plenty 

 of salt. The skins are left in these piles until all the salt 

 has been absorbed, which generally takes about a week, and 

 should they not be 'salt firm', that is, free from excessive 

 moisture, at the end of this period they are again salted 

 As soon as the skins are salt firm they may be baled for 

 transport.' 



Under certain circumstances, to reduce cost of transport 

 it is more convenient to ship the hides in a dry state. After 

 washing, as in the previous method, the skins must be hung 

 up in a cool room until partially dried. They are then 

 spread out and resalted until they have acquired a soft but 

 elastic condition. It must be remembered that dry-salted 

 skins are more difficult to wash and soften for tanning than 

 wet-salted. 



It will prove interesting to conclude this note on hides 

 and skins with a .statement concerning the great development 

 which has taken place in regard to the exports of hides and 

 skins from the British West Indies (excluding British 

 Guiana) to Canada. In 1909 the value of these exports 

 ■was §17,974; in 1911 there was a drop down to -512, 029; 

 but in 1912, the value rose to $24,212; whilst in 1913 

 hides were exported valued at $73,340. 



CHICKENS AND BEES. 



The following article has been taken from the 

 Tropical Agricidturist, for March 1914. 



The combination of bees, poultry and I might add, an 

 orchard, is an ideal one. We have 2 acres of land in 

 a joung orchard, and here we have the bees and poultry. 

 A good growth of elderberry bushes and small trees on the 



south, east and we.st lines of the lot, and the poultry build* 

 ings on the north, furnish a good wind-break. We have from 

 1,000 to 1,-500 chickens and .50 colonies of bees. 



As we hatch all our chickens with incubators, we are 

 enabled to produce eggs and broilers (cockerels) when the 

 prices are the highest. We feed the newly hatched chicks 

 nothing for the first forty-eight hours, after which one of 

 the commercial chick-foods is given every two hour for the 

 first four or five days, gradually reducing the feeding to 

 morning noon and night. 



The brooder house, one room 28 x 16, is divided into 

 pens by poultry wire, and a lamp heated movable hover is 

 placed in each pen of 100 chicks. This admits plenty of 

 pure air, gives scratching-space, and insures perfectly sanitary 

 conditions. 



Grit, oyster sheila and charcoal are continually before 

 all fowls. The morning and evening meals for the fowls of 

 all ages consist of mixed grains thrown into the litter. 

 A dry mash, fed in troughs, is given at noon. Green food is 

 fed to all at nine in the forenoon. 



At the age of six weeks the chicks are placed in the 

 colony houses and given the free range of the orchard. 

 About October 1 the pullets are moved to the large winter 

 houses. The males are put with the two-year-old layers 

 during the breeding season — from January 1 to June 1. 

 The pullets are kept for laying entirely, as we make 

 a speciality of sterile eggs for table use. We have a special 

 trade in Cleveland, where there is a growing demand for 

 sterile eggs. 



We have not been in the bee business as long as we have 

 in the poultry business; but we find business methods apply to 

 the bees as well as to the poultry. A complete system of 

 accounting is maintained. The hives are placed in rows, each 

 one in the shade of a tree. Each hive bears a tin tag on 

 which is painted the row letter, and hive number, enabling 

 one to locate any hive immediately. 



In the management of bees and poultry, every man, as 

 he gathers experience, adopts methods peculiar to his own 

 needs and conditions. We have found that it is the best 

 policy to have all hives and parts uniform and interchange- 

 able; and we therefore purchase all our supplies from one 

 reliable manufacturer, which saves much time and labour. 



We operate principally for comb honey. In order to 

 check swarming somewhat we believe in plenty of hive room 

 and ventilation. In the spring all queens are clipped. 



We find the smoking plan of introducing queens one of 

 the best. 



There are several devices which have proven to be very 

 convenient, among which is a frame the size of a hive 

 covered with wire cloth, which when placed over the top of 

 the frames, prevents the bees from flying out and robber bees 

 from getting in when the cover of the hive is off. At the 

 same time, one is able to see what is going on in the hive. 

 When a hive is being robbed we find a wire cloth box, large 

 enough to telescope over the entire hive, very efi'ectual. 



Early in the fall all colonies that are short of stores are 

 fed a sufficient amount of syrup, so that none have less than 

 2-5 B). for winter. Weak colonies are united by placing one 

 hive on top of the other, with a screen between them for 

 three or four days. 



Our bees winter on their summer stands, and are 

 protected with chaff cushions in a super on top (grain bags, 

 one on each side), together with an outer covering of roofing 

 paper securely tied with a heavy cord. 



