2 FOREST UTILIZATION 



One cord of chestnut wood yields one barrel of extract. 

 II. The price of bark at the tanneries ranges from $4 to 

 $16 per cord. The cord of bark is not measured, but 

 is weighed, 2,240 pounds being called a cord. 



The price of a cord of chestnut wood f. o. b. cars is 

 $2.50 to $3. 



III. One hundred pounds of dry hides yield 150 to 185 pounds 



of leather; 100 pounds of green hides yield 60 to 80 

 pounds. The cost of the hide amounts to from 50% to 

 75% of the cost of production. 



IV. The number of tanneries in the United States has greatly 



decreased from the year 1880 (5,628 plants) to 1900 

 (1,306 plants). The small tanneries using old fashioned 

 and wasteful methods have been killed by the large and 

 intelligently conducted modern plants. The leather 

 trust controls over 100 of the largest plants. 



The investment of capital has increased from $73,000,000 

 in 1880 to $174,000,000 in 1900. 



The cost of raw material, $155,000,000, and the value of 

 the product, $204,000,000, have remained almost unal- 

 tered during the same period. 



V. "Hides" are obtained from oxen, cows and horses ; "kips" 



from yearling cattle ; "skins" from calves, sheep, goats 

 and pigs. 



Calf skin is used for upper leathers of shoes ; sheep skin 

 for cheap shoes, linings and gloves ; goat skin for fine 

 upper leathers and gloves. 

 Hides often are split and the so called grain and flesh 



splits are used in place of goat and calf skin. 

 H. Manufacture. 



The old fashioned methods used from time immemorial consisted 

 of rinsing skins ; scraping off the flesh ; treating the hair with 

 lime; placing alternating layers of crushed oak bark and of 

 skins in rough vats. The time consumed in this process of 

 manufacture frequently exceeded a year. The best leather, 

 however, is produced in this way. 



The modern process in manufacturing sole, belt and harness leather 

 is : 



I. Soak in soft water (heated to less than 70 F.) to 

 remove salt and blood and to restore the original soft- 

 ness and pliability of the skin. 



II. Loosen hair by either liming green hide in milk of lime 

 for three to six days or sweating dry hides at 70 in a 

 close room, inviting a partial decomposition of the hair 

 sheath. The sweating is preferred for acid hemlock 

 tannage. 



III. Remove on the "beam," by hand or machine, flesh, hair, 

 blood, lime, dirt. 



