824 AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE. 



then the whitening made fine ; strain the paint, and keep the 

 whole well stirred while using. 



SHEEP SKINS FOR HOME USE. Make strong soapsuds 

 with warm water ; when cold, wash the skins in it, carefully 

 squeezing them between the hands to get the dirt out of 

 the wool ; then wash the soap out with clean cold water. 

 Dissolve alum and salt) each half-a-ponnd, in hot water, 

 which put in a tub of cold water sufficient to cover the 

 skins, and let them soak in it over night, or say for twelvo 

 hours ; then hang over a pail to drain. When they are 

 well drained, spread or stretch carefully over a board to dry. 

 While they are still a little damp, have 1 oz. each of saltpetre 

 and alum pulverised, and sprinkle the flesh side of each 

 skin, rubbing in well ; then place two flesh sides together 

 and hang in the shade for two or three days, turning the 

 under skin uppermost every day until perfectly dry. Then 

 scrape the flesh side with a blunt knife to remove any 

 remaining scraps of flesh ; trim off projecting points, and 

 rub with pumice stone and with the hands ; they should be 

 very white and beautiful. 



Kangaroo, Wallaby, 'Possum, and Smaller Skins. 

 These are cured singly. Tack each skin using galvanised 

 tacks to a board, wall or fence, spreading them fully, flesh 

 side out. Dissolve alum about two ounces for a large 

 wallaby skin in a pint of warm water, and with a spongo 

 or flannel rag dipped in this solution moisten the surface 

 all over ; repeat this every now and then for three or four 

 days. When the skin is quite dry take out the tacks, and 

 rolling it up loosely the long way, flesh side out, draw it 

 quickly backwards and forwards through a large smooth 

 ring, or anything of a similar kind, until it is quite soft ; 

 then roll it the contrary way of the skin and repeat the 

 operation. A very good and simple process in use in the 

 bush is to sprinkle the flesh side, after scraping it well, 

 with equal parts of pulverised salt and alum ; then fold the 

 flesh sides together and roll the skin compactly, in which 

 state it should remain ten or twelve days. Then it is 

 opened, and sprinkled with bran or sawdust to absorb the 

 moisture, and rolled up again for twenty-four hours ; the 

 process is completed by thorough rubbing and manipula- 



