328 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



For the New England Farmer. 



SKINNING ANIMALS. 



Mr. Editor : — The skinning of animals is a sub 

 ject I do not recollect to have seen brought for- 

 ward in the Farmer for the consideration of your 

 readers. As the value of hides very much depends 

 upon their being properly taken oft', and they hav 

 ing risen in price within a short period, so much as 

 to astonish the tanner, the importance of proper 

 skinning will be manifest. This was early seen by 

 the Puritans, and, consequently a law was passed 

 in 1642 as follows: — "No butcher, by himselfe or 

 any other person, shall gash, slaughter or cutt any 

 hide of oxe, bull, steere or cowe, in slaying thereof, 

 or otherwise, whereby the same shall be impaired 

 or hurte, on paine of forfeiture for every such gash 

 or cutt in any hide or skin, twelve pence." Such a 

 law, I think at the present day, would be salutary ; 

 if it did not prevent bad and careless skinning, it 

 would most certainly produce a handsome revenue 

 to the Commonwealth, which appears now to be 

 much needed ! 



But my chief object in presenting this article to 

 your agricultural readers, with the accompanying 

 outline of a stretched hide, (number 1 presenting 

 a side properly skinned, and number 2 the side 

 skinned imjjroperly,) is to give information in re- 

 gard to the cutting or opening of the hide before 

 the operation of flaying. This is always best per- 

 formed when the most of the skin is thrown between 



the fore and hind legs, leaving the hide square in 

 its form, as is seen in the outline number 1. Tan- 



ners of upper leather know the value of this mode 

 of skinning, by ils increase of measure over the one 

 practised by many persons in sticking or bleeding 

 the animal, by cutting its throat from ear to ear, 

 and in opening the hide, not running the knife far 

 enough up on the brisket before they cut down the 

 skin on the fore legs; or not down far enough on 

 the flank towards the tail, before they cut through 

 the hind leg. (See outline number 2.) The best 

 specimens of skilful flaying is to be seen in our im- 

 ported Rio Grande hides. The worst is to be found 

 in our southern and western hides. A word to our 

 farmers, and I will close this communication. 



I am sorry to say that my observation leads me to 

 believe that some persons, yea, farmers, even, think 

 it right and proper, when killing horned cattle, to 

 leave on the hide all they possibly can, that will 

 not sell for beef, and it is no very uncommon thing 

 to find on them several pounds of useless matter, 

 in the shape of dung, skull, &c. Ls this honest? 

 If farmers will persist in giving us with their hides, 

 substances we cannot convert into leather, I entreat 

 them to let it be in the shape of good fat rumps 

 and burrs ; we then shall have something where- 

 withal to make a soup or good mince pie. 



Danversport, 1857. S. P. Fowler. 



For the New England Farmer. 



INDIAN MODE OF PREPARING SKINS. 



"As soon as the skin is removed from the ani- 

 mal it is stretched and dried ; the brains of the an- 

 imal are at the same time taken out and dried 

 upon the grass in the sun's rays. When the sea- 

 son of the chase is over, the squaws soak the skins 

 in water, remove the hair from them with an old 

 knife, and place them with the brains in a large 

 earthen pot ; the contents are then heated to about 

 95°, which converts the moistened brains into a 

 kind of lather and makes the skins exceedingly 

 clean and pliable ; they are then taken from the 

 pot, wrung out and stretched in every direction by 

 means of thongs, over a frame composed of upright 

 stakes and cross pieces ; and while drying they are 

 constantly rubbed with a smooth stone or hard 

 rounded piece of wood, so as to expel the water 

 and fat. One squaw can prepare eight or ten skins 

 a day." — Letter of Sir Robert Southwell to the Roy^ 

 al Society. 



TO MAKE CHAMOIS LEATHER. 

 Take good sheep or lamb skins — dry or green — 

 soak them in a large tub of water from one hour 

 to half a day; take them out, rinsing them thor- 

 oughly, and place them on a table flesh side up and 

 with a dull-edged knife, or a piece of wood saw 

 plate, ground square on the edge, scrape them 

 clean of all fatty, fleshy and slimy matter. Re- 

 place them in clean water, and leave them to soak 

 two or three hours. Then take them out and let 

 them drain. For every fifty pounds of your skin, 

 dissolve one pound of sal soda in three gallons of 

 water. To every four gallons of this, add ohe 

 pound of fresh slaked lime ; let it stand until the 

 liquid becomes clear ; pour off the clear liquid, an4 

 place the skins in it ; bail them out occasionally, 

 placing the top bkin at the bottom of the liquid at 

 each bailing; as soon as the wool or hair will sli]) 

 easily above the thumbnail, take them out, remove 

 the hair or wool with a dull edged knife, rinse them 

 in clear water, then place them in a mixture Ol 



