294 liKTORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIP:S. 



Ill order to ol)taiii those shades which taste and fasliioii hav(> deter- 

 mined to ))e the most desirable, much of the a(iuatic fur is dyed; eithei* 

 the ends of the fur and hair are merely tinted, or the color of the 

 entire skill may l»e changed. The object of tinting or blending is to 

 make all i)arts of the fur used in a garment of the same color, to nuUvC 

 an inferior grade of fui" like that of a superior, or to cause the fur 

 of one animal to resemble that of another. Certain furs so closely 

 resemble choicer ones in ever}' particular except color that when 

 d^'ed to a similar hue they are almost indistinguishable to the casual 

 observer. 



Whil(> dyeing maybe a cheap and ready process in the treatment of 

 low-})riced furs, it is an art when applied to choice skiijs. Its perfec- 

 tion consists in the exact imitation of the proper color and tint, with 

 the ])reservation of the glossiness of the fur and its natural firmness 

 and i)liability, and, iinally, in the durability of the dye. In case of 

 th(^ fur-seal, fashion has decided that the coU)r shall be changed to a 

 lustrous blackish-bi-own, an original coh)r resembling nothing Avhat- 

 ever in the animal kingdom. 



Some skins of beaver, otter, etc., are ''silvered" l)y passing lightl}' 

 over them a solution of sulphuric acid, and also some are made a 

 golden yellow by means of peroxide of hydrogen. Dyed furs are 

 generall}' not so durable as those left in the natural state, the' artiticial 

 color fading and the garment sooner presenting an old and worn 

 appearance. 



The dyeing of furs is of great antiquity, but its principal develop- 

 ment, in America and Europe at least, has been within the last forty 

 j^ears. Experiments on the part of conscientious and able chemists 

 have resulted in greatly improving the permanency of the dyes and 

 lessening their injurious etfects. The methods are constanth' under- 

 going changes and man}' improvements arc introduced from time to 

 time. The composition of the new dyes and the methods of applying 

 them are carefully guarded from general knowledge. One frequently 

 runs across published directions for compounding the dyes and 

 methods of applying them, l)ut usually these descriptions are totally 

 valueless, the methods described ])eing either superseded by Ix^tter 

 ones or lacking in certain essential ingredients. 



The number of successful dyers in the world is very small; their 

 prosperity is dependent as nmch upon the elimination of competition 

 as on the excellence of their work, consecjuently tliey are not proclaim- 

 ing from the housetops the composition of their dyes, frequently the 

 results of long and costly experiments. 



In the separate chapters devoted to each \ariety of furs certain 

 general methods of d3^eing those particular skins will lie described, but 

 the wi'iter is unable to promise the fornudic and details of the newest 

 and most successful d3'es in every instance. 



