LEATHER GOODS. 



97 



2. German tawed leather. 



This leather differs from the previous kind in being treated with ash; it has a 

 better appearance but is less dui-able. 



3. Hungarian tawed leatJier. 



This quality is stronger than the two above mentioned varieties, as the hair is 

 not removed bj' t.he action of chemical reagents, but by scraping with a special kind 

 •t' knife. 



4. lOdniucJc tawed leather. 



Out of this leather remarkably strong straps are made; it is prepared in the follow- 

 ing way: the raw hide, without undergoing any preliminary treatment, is cut into strips 

 suitable for straps, scraped on both sides with a sharp knife and liberally greased with 

 tallow and train oil; several strips are then twisted together, hung on a hook and stretched 

 by suspending a weight to the lower extremity, the weight is allowed to turn, first in one 

 direction and then in the other, so as to stretch and twist the leather, and finally the 

 greasing is repeated. The thinest straps made in this way are remarkable for their 

 great strength. 



5. Kid. 



This quality is made of lambskin, skeepskin, sometimes rabbitskin, but the finest 

 quality is made of the skin of milk goats. It is prepared in the same way as tawed 

 leather. The raw or steeped skin is treated with lime, depilated, then treated with a bran 

 and alum mixture, which is different from that usually employed as it contains salt, 

 alum, rye flour and yolks of eggs, one yolk for each skin. Then follow several processes 

 such as washing, kneading, paring, and pressing. If the kid has to be dyed it is pared 

 on a marble slab. 



III. Shamois leather. 



This variety is made of the skin of deer, elk, buck, camel, goat, sheep and calf, 

 the first three being the best. After the usual processes of steeping and depilating the 

 skins are saturated with oil, then rolled repeatedly and exposed to the air to oxidize 

 the oil and remove the excess, then finally dried and stretched. 



The following statistics may be recapitulated as showing the condition of the 



Russian leather trade at the beginning of 1890. 



Tanneries and leather works in 1889, in Eussia 



Men employed 



Production in roubles . . . 

 Average production per tannery 

 Production per capita . . . 

 Leather import in roubles . . 

 Leather export in roubles . . 

 Comsumptiou in Eussia in roubles 

 Consumption in Eussia per capita in kopecks 



2,604. 



27,523. 



42,000,000. 



16,129. 



1,530. 



17,000,000. 



13,000,000. 



46,000,0(0. 



38. 



