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Tanners'* Demands on the Forest 



The art of the tanner is one of the most ancient and honorable 

 in the catalogue. Probably converting hides into leather was one 

 of the earliest of stated occupations; and the wonderful chemical 

 changes which go on in the conversion have been the subject of 

 study and experiment by the industrial chemist for many years. 



The use of the bark of the chestnut oak in the manufacture of 

 liquors used for tanning has been of long duration, and ' ' oak 

 leather" is a standard product and a staple commodity. Hemlock, 

 on account of its proximity to many of the western tanneries, as 

 well as the great available supply, is also being used, but is not 

 generally considered nearly so good as oak. 



It is worth noting, however, that the advancing cost of chestnut 

 oak bark, as well as the increasing difficulty of getting it out, 

 has gradually cut down the consumption by the tanners, while the 

 use of extracts imported into this country by large concerns which 

 operate in several remote quarters of the globe is constantly on 

 the increase. Though the tanner prefers to use the good old 

 reliable oak bark, which he can keep an eye on and leech according 

 to his own ideas, still the force of necessity is compelling him to 

 rely more and more on the importer and his extracts. The latter 

 are not more costly than the liquors taken from the bark of the 

 domestic oak, but for reasons of quality the leather manufacturer 

 does not care to use any more of them than he has to. 



To indicate the extent of the consumption, a visitor at one of 

 the principal Ohio valley tanneries was surprised to notice several 

 large tank cars standing on the siding. These had just been 

 emptied of their contents of extract, which had been pumped into 

 large tanks erected for the purpose. The tanner explained that 

 they had to buy carloads frequently, contracting for their require- 

 ments for a year at a time and specifying deliveries as needed. 

 Many of the tanners use scores of tanks of this material annually, 

 and the business consequently amounts to a great deal. 



In this connection, as a pointer to the stave men and others 

 interested in the package business, it should be stated that the 

 tank car has just about put the good old-fashioned barrel out of 

 business, as far as the handling of extracts is concerned. The 

 tanners used to buy their supplies of liquors in barrels, and those 

 who have no sidings still do; but owing to the difficulty of keeping 

 the barrels in good condition for return purposes, after they were 

 emptied, and the comparatively low price jjaid on their return, 

 most of the leather people have about come to the conclusion that 

 it is more economical to use tanks. 



Besides, they point to the labor that is saved by using the pump 

 in transferring their liquors from the tank to the mixing vats, 

 whereas with the barrel in use this was a more or less cumbersome 

 and inconvenient process. From what could be gathered in a few 

 conversations on the subject, the barrel men have about lost out 

 with the tannery trade. 



However, this may be offset by the fact that the importers of 

 tannery extracts doubtless are compelled to ship their product in 

 barrels from the point of manufacture to this country, and so are 

 confronted with the necessity of using barrels for the first lap of 

 the journey, even though the final shipment may be in tanks. 

 Hence, the stave men and the shook manufacturer may get the 

 business after all, even though the tanner doesn 't buy his extracts 

 in barrels at present. 



The increase in the use of extracts, as noted, has been very much 

 in evidence, but it is likely that while the cost of the bark may 

 have had something to do with it, the difficulty 'of getting it at 

 certain periods, when work in the woods is out of the question, is 

 one of the biggest reasons in favor of buying more or less satis- 

 factory substitutes. It is for this reason that the tanners are 

 compelled to carry large stocks of bark in their sheds so as to 

 enable them to tide over any periods when the country bark pro- 

 ducers will not be able to supply them. 



The chestnut bark production is chiefly in connection with tie 



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manufacture, little of it being handled at the sawmills, for the 

 obvious reason that comparatively little chestnut oak is cut into 

 boards. Its poor appearance and generally low-grade condition 

 operate against its use for lumber, but it makes an excellent tie 

 material, although unusually heavy and inclined to check. The tie 

 men themselves do not as a rule look after the chestnut oak bark; 

 but ordinarily arrange with the dealers in the commodity to strip 

 the logs of the bark, which enables the tie manufacturers to handle 

 the timber more conveniently. Consequently they charge com- 

 paratively little for this "bark privilege," as it might be called, 

 and thus the dealers have an opportunity to get a pretty good 

 profit out of it. 



This is indicated by the fact that tanners at the Ohio river are 

 paying .$12 a cord for bark, delivered; and as the rate on this 

 material averages about 12 cents, making a freight charge of $2.69 

 a cord, the $12 charge produces a net price of $9.31, which is 

 pretty good, considering the price at which low-grade lumber is 

 being sold. However, stave men and lumber manufacturers have 

 never been interested in developing this end of the business, for 

 the reason that chestnut oak itself is not highly regarded in either 

 branch of the business. 



The movement of the mark is usuall}' not handled on a very 

 up-to-date basis. As the material is produced in comparatively 

 small quantities, it is hauled to the nearest railroad station and 

 allowed to accumulate until sufficient tonnage has been secured to 

 make up a carload. This is then shipped, but meanwhile the bark 

 has been more or less exposed and has lost considerable of its 

 ' ' flavor. ' ' 



A more scientific method has been adopted by a concern in 

 eastern Tennessee, which set up a plant for the extraction of the 

 tannic acid from chestnut oak bark, as well as from chestnut wood 

 and other timber containing a fair amount of the desired chemical. 

 In this way the manufacturer is able to ship the product at small 

 cost, compared with the freight on the bark itself, and apparently 

 should be able to develop a profitable business without much 

 trouble. 



The tanners themselves are old-fashioned and conservative, how- 

 ever, and most of them prefer to buy the bark, pile it until needed, 

 grind it, convey it to their leech-houses, prepare the liquors, with- 

 draw the spent bark, pump the liquors to the tanks to await use 

 and go to all the other trouble and expense necessary, rather than 

 get the oak extract in its final form and devoid of the incon- 

 venience attached to the method usually employed. 



But as one tanner put it, "Just as a coffee drinker would rather 

 have his brew made from the freshly ground beans, so we want to 

 get the fresh liquors from the bark. When the extract is made, 

 the very last bit of the tannic acid is boiled out of it, and the 

 results are not unlike those experienced by the coffee drinker who 

 finds that the new cook has allowed the coffee to boil and boil and 

 boil until it tastes like day before yesterday's dish water. The 

 extractors, of course, endeavor to clarify the product as much as 

 possible, and give us the best liquors they can produce; but at the 

 same time we feel that quality leather can be produced more cer- 

 tainly when the tanner has full charge of the preparation of the 

 bark. ' ' 



It is interesting to learn that the tanners, instead of burning the 

 spent bark, as formerly, are now getting value out of it by selling 

 it to manufacturers of white lead. The latter employ it, it is said, 

 in finishing their product, burning the bark with it as a means of 

 carbonizing or corroding it. This prevents it from deteriorating 

 through oxidation, as it would do if it were put out in a pure 

 chemical condition. 



A novel feature in toothpicks is now being advertised by a Boston 

 concern. High-grade paper birch toothpicks are soaked in a decoction 

 of cinnamon bark until they acquire an agreeable flavor and scent. A 

 box of three hundred sells for fifteen cents. 



