*r 



335 



added about a quarter of a pound of slacked lime for every pailfull 

 of water, to turn them several times a day in this liquid and stretch 

 them afterwards in order to dry them. This simple operation will 

 answer equally well for the preservation of the tendons, (vulgarly 

 called nerves,) the clippings of the skin, tails, he. which may be kept 

 to sell to the glue makers. 



The skins of horses, oxen, cows and goats may be treated thus ; 

 as to those whose hair is valuable, the skins of sheep, hares and rab- 

 bits, they may be preserved by salting ; for this purpose, take as 

 much water as will suffice to soak them in, to which is added com- 

 mon salt in the proportion of a large handfull to a pint of water ; 

 soak the skins in this mixture, turning them occasionally, for seven 

 or eight days in winter, and two days in summer ; at the end of 

 this time, stretch them in the air to dry. 



Bristles, Hair, Wool and Feathers. 



To whatever use we may wish to put these substances, it will be 

 necessary to dry them, that they may not spoil ; for this purpose we 

 spread them in an oven after baking bread, when it has been well 

 swept out and we are assured that the heat is sufficiently abated that 

 no risk will be run of burning them. In order to be still more cer- 

 tain of preserving these matters a long time, it will be well, before ta- 

 king them from the oven, to place in the midst of them, after separa- 

 ting them a little, a flower pot supported between two pieces of brick, 

 in order that the air may have access at the hole in the bottom, in 

 which the half or quarter of a sulphur match should be burned ; 

 while the match is burning the door of the oven should be shut, 

 and a quarter of an hour after we may remove the materials from 

 the oven, and pack them up in boxes, cases, barrels, or any other 

 vessel, in which they can be well closed. Horse hair may be pre- 

 served without any preparation ; the longest is usefully employed in 

 making cords for spreading linen upon, which last a long time, and 

 are not apt to produce spots in wet weather, as cords of hemp or 

 raw flax. The short hairs will serve to stuff furniture, saddles, &c. 

 With respect to the short hair and the fur, by mixing them with 

 an equal volume of moist earth they form an excellent manure, 

 which acts mildly and for a long time ; their mixture with a sandy 

 earth or with good garden mould is perfectly suitable for shrubberies 

 as I have proved by many trials, they smoke and air the soil, and 

 on this account, are proper for all vegetables. Feathers mixed with 



