308 KEruHT OF COMMISSIONEll OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



tion of each coat of d^'c, the length of time re(|uiivd for hoth opera- 

 tions is six to eight Aveelvs. The expense of this work in London is 

 about 14 shillings, while in New York, owing to the higher price for 

 labor and materials, it is about $5 for each skin. 



No matter howeari'fully tiie unhairing proeess is ])erformed, a num- 

 ber of hairs are Ijroken oil' near the surface of the t'ur. and there remain 

 many of young growtli and not y(>t al)ove the surface, detracting from 

 the l)eauty and softness of the fur, l)utadding thicknc^ss and durability', 

 owing to tlu^ i)rot(>ction ati'orded. In th(> early history of fur-dressing 

 in England aiul America these few hairs were left in, but when fur- 

 seal inci'eas(Hl in fashion it became important to ha\e the fur as free 

 from coarse liaii"s as possible. From ISTO to ahout 1882 the few hairs 

 riMuaining after the process of depilation were removed conuuonly by 

 hand lahor, a slow and expensi\"e process. Most fur-manufacturers 

 emplo3'ed girls to * ' pick " the skins. Blowing open the soft fur with her 

 biH^ath, the operator cut otf the stiti", extended hairs with small shears, 

 reciuiring one to live days for one person to compl(>te a single skin. 



Sinct> lss;> nu)st of this work has ])een done by complicated mechan- 

 ism which aicomplishes the work as efl'ectually and far more expedi- 

 tiously. In this pi'oeess the skin is l^ent across the upper edge of a 

 vertical board and the soft fur blown aside and divided b}' a thin, wide 

 current of air from a bellows, when a pair of small knives descend 

 and cut off the stiti', u])right hairs. The knives are raised, the skin 

 advanced the fraction of an inch, and the operation repeated until the 

 entire surface is gone over, re(|uiring about one hour to complete an 

 average skin. This removal of the short hairs is invariabl}' postponed 

 until after the dressing and dyeing are completed. 



On the adoption of fur-seal as a fashionable material, a))out 1870, 

 and the great increase in price which ([uickly ensued, man}' substitutes 

 were introduced, and since then few furs have been so frequenth'^ imi- 

 tated. These were prepared from numerous cheaper furs, as otter, 

 beaver, nutria, muskrat, cony, and even sheep. The otter, beaver, 

 and muskrat imitations were fairly successful, especiallv for the man- 

 ufacture of caps, gloves, and trinunings. They were not satisfactory 

 for cloaks, the mend)rane being too thick and too weak to trim down 

 sufficiently thin. The garments looked well at first, but .soon showed 

 wear, esjiecially at the seams, and the dye faded. A large market was 

 developed on the continent of Europe, especially in (Jermany and 

 Russia, for fur-seal imitation prepared from muskrat pelts, this cheap 

 substitute greatly itijuring th(> market for the genuine material. 

 Owing to the general dissatisfaction resulting from their use, these 

 imitations were gradually abandoned l)y reliable furriers, and with the 

 exception of that made from the French cony or rab])it, and known 

 as ^'electric seal," '"coast seal." ■"China seal."" '"Canadian seal," etc., 

 fur-seal is not frequently imitated at tiie present time, except, as before 

 stated, for trimmings and small artic'"-. 



