290 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



FUR DRESSING AND DYEING. 



The appearance of aquatic furs as the}' come from the hunters and 

 trappers is quite different from that which the}^ present when ready 

 to be cut into garments. They are more or less greas}^ and dirt}' and 

 require thorough cleansing. The pelt or membrane must be converted 

 into a form of leather and made soft and pliable, and in some varieties 

 it must be reduced in thickness. The overhair of many skins is quite 

 undesirable and must be removed, this being the case with the fur- 

 seal, beaver, nutria, and cheap grades of otter. The overhair is not 

 removed from all varieties, however; for in some it constitutes the 

 principal attraction, as in the sea-otter, mink, muskrat, and choice 

 grades of otter. The fur-seal alone among the aquatics is usually 

 dyed, but many cheap grades of other varieties are also dj-ed for the 

 purpose of imitating more valuable ones. 



In the dressing of aquatic furs there are no especially valuable trade 

 secrets; but, as in nearly every other industry, some establishments 

 have methods of treatment which the}' consider superior to those used 

 by others and which they desire to keep from general use. As a rule, 

 however, these secret processes are for the purpose of substitution or 

 imitation, and have little standing among the most successful fur- 

 dressers. In the best establishments the excellent results are due to 

 conscientious application of well-known methods, without stint either 

 in amount of labor or quality of material. 



The fur-dressers of the United States are preeminent in the prep- 

 aration of otter, mink, and beaver, while those of Germany rank well 

 in dressing beaver and muskrat furs. The English have excelled for 

 forty years in the dressing and dyeing of fur-seal skins and have pre- 

 pared the great bulk of those on the market, but the Americans and 

 French now prepare them equally well. The Chinese fur-dressers are 

 the most ancient and among the best in the world. They dress sea- 

 otter skins remarkably well and secure wonderful effects in matching 

 furs of all kinds. 



The principal fur-dressing establishments in this country are located 

 in New York City, where the great bulk of the skins are prepared. 

 Smaller establishments exist in Chicago, St. Paul, Newark, and Phil 

 adelphia. In Europe the fur-dressing is centered at Leipsic, Weis- 

 senfels, and Lindenau, Germany; London, England; Pai'is and Lyons, 

 France; and Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia. 



When received at the fur-dressers, peltries are usually hard, greasy, 

 and dirty. If very greasy, as in the case of mink skins, the surplus 

 grease is scraped or beamed off". The skins are soaked in water over 

 night for softening and opening the texture preparatory to the 

 unhairing and leathering processes. Salt water is generally used for 

 soaking, especially during warm weather, as its tendency to loosen 



