Tanneries, however, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and several parts of New 

 England soon became very numerous. The cheapness of hides and of bark, 

 furnished in the process of clearing land, the abundance of suitable streams 

 for carrying it on, and the demand for Leather . . . rendered the business 

 profitable. The operations were conducted in a routine way, with little 

 regard to the chemical principles involved, and the usual amount of technical 

 skill was soon acquired.'^ 



Nor should this failure to apply new techniques in any way 

 diminish the tanner's historical importance, since the leather indus- 

 try, unlike others, remained largely unaffected by the machine. 

 Thus, as late as the 1840's, tanning continued to be a craft that 

 functioned chiefly as an adjunct of an agricultural society. What 

 were the techniques of this omnipresent but highly decentralized 

 craft? Before looking at tanning in one State, Delaware, and 

 examining the fate of one tannery, A. Cardon & Co., let us review 

 the techniques that produced a leather that was "probably equal 

 to that of any European country except England." ^^ 



^■^ Bishop, vol. 1, pp. 445-446. 

 35 Ibid., p. 453. 



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