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salt; dried hides are, after a preliminary soaking, sometimes "stocked" 

 or "milled," in a large machine which pummels the hide and gra- 

 dually breaks up the fibres, after which the hides are returned to 

 the water. Revolving drums and other similar appliances are also 

 used. The softening of flint dried hides is by no means an easy 

 operation and considerable care must be exercised in bringing the 

 hide back to its natural conditions without loss of pelt substance 

 through putrefaction, the germs of which are present in the hide. 

 With some hides it is difficult to soften in less than 6 to 8 days, 

 and to aid the softening process sulphide of sodium, or caustic soda 

 is often added to the soak water. These materials have a swelling 

 effect wich accelerates the penetration of water, and the subsequent 

 softening of the fibres, but at the same time they slightly increase 

 the solubility of the hide. It has been shewn that the higher the 

 temperature at which hides are dried for preservation in foreign 

 countries, the more difficult becomes the subsequent absorption of 

 water, and consequent softening in the tan yard. It is very essen- 

 tial that hides should not only be thoroughly softened but they should 

 be in a clean state before passing to the next process. The En- 

 glish tanner has a great fear of losing pelt substance by using too 

 much water at this stage; but it is undoubtedly wrong to leave 

 hides in a foul dirty water, and the more clean water they have 

 the less is the loss of pelt substance. The Author was very much 

 struck some three years ago when visiting the large tanneries in 

 the United States, to note the efficient way in which their process 

 of soaking was carried out, no hides being allowed to pass on to 

 the next process without at least three changes of water, to which 

 sometimes a half hour's running in a revolving drum was added. 

 The pelt looked much healthier, there was no loss of pelt sub- 

 stance, and the hide gave a better leather, owing to the fibres being 

 more open, and better prepared for the subsequent process. 



The hides are placed in a saturated solution of lime containing 

 lime in excess for the purpose of loosening the hair and swelling 

 the hide. The scientific control of the liming process deserves far 

 more attention than it has hitherto obtained, for in this process, 

 to use an old tanner's expression " the leather is made or marred." 



After the hides have been properly limed the hair is removed ; 

 either by hand or by machines. The most satisfactory machines 

 consist of a revolving spiral roller which travels over the hides as 

 they rest upon a rubber bed, which yields to the pressure as it is 

 increased and thus avoids damages. The reserve side of the hide 



