844 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



heavier or more horny covering- than the foreg-oing. The cuticular 

 plates on the back are articulated together, and those on the under 

 surface are more strongly developed than in skins from Mexico or 

 the United States. They are of very little value for leather purposes, 

 owing to the difficulty in properly tanning them. 



Of the 280,000 skins used each year in the United States probably 

 56 per cent are furnished by Mexico and Central America, 22 per cent 

 by Florida, 20 per cent by Louisiana, and the remaining 2 per cent by 

 the other Gulf States. The South American hides do not come on 

 the market in the United States. 



The quantity of alligators has greatly decreased in all the Southern 

 States, and it seems only a question of a few years when it will be 

 impossible to obtain the hides at a price that will justify their general 

 employment. Thousands of the animals have been slaughtered merely 

 for sport, no use whatever being made of them. It is estimated that 

 the number in Florida and Louisiana at present is less than 20 per cent 

 of what it was twenty years ago. This decrease is attributed largely 

 to the shooting of them in wanton sport. It has been deemed neces- 

 sary to legislate for the protection of alligators in some localities, 

 especiall}^ in Florida, owing to the rapid multiplication of the cane rat 

 which threatened ruin to many harvests. There is a strong sentiment 

 among the hunters in Florida and Louisiana favorable to a law inter- 

 dicting the killing of those measuring less than 5 feet in length. 



The hide should be removed shortly after the animal is dead, for in 

 the warm climates putrefaction ensues quickly and the value of the 

 hide is depreciated. The operation is begun by cutting through the 

 scaly covering longitudinally from the nose to the end of the tail, along 

 either side of the horny ridge along the back, or in the middle of the 

 under surface of the animal. The former is the usual method in 

 Florida and Louisiana, while the latter is common in Mexico and 

 in Central America. Formerly it was considered difficult to tan the 

 horn-like back properly, but it is now prepared almost as readily as 

 the more pliable portions, and its use is very extensive. 



After making the incision above noted, a cut is made running from 

 the longitudinal one to and along the middle of each of the legs on 

 their upper side; or, if the back is to be saved, along the under side, 

 extending almost to the wrists. After cutting around the jaws, the 

 skin is peeled off in a blanket piece. Great care should be exercised 

 to avoid careless cuts in the membrane. A very large percentage of 

 the hides received in the market are badlv damaged in this manner. 

 These knife cuts may be scarcely noticeable in the raw skins, but when 

 dressed are so apparent as to render quite valueless the part of the 

 skin in which they are contained, resulting in much waste. 



The hide should be salted immediately, the salt being carefully rubbed 

 in all folds and crevices as well as over the entire inner surface of the 

 skin, the use of coarse-grained salt being avoided. The edges along 



