Speaking of "Catgut 



JJ 



The sheep is guilty: it is the only animal 

 that makes a racket after it is dead 



WHERE'S the cat farm from 

 where we get our supply 

 of catgut ? The answer 

 is: There isn't any cat farm. 

 Cats' intestines can't be profit- 

 ably utilized. If not cats, then 

 what furnishes the raw material 

 for musical instrument and ten- 

 nis strings? The answer is: 

 Sheep. Every part of the ani- 

 mal is utilized, even the soft and 

 mellow tones of his bleating 

 voice, which are preserved in the 

 intestines that string the tuneful 

 violin. 



As soon as the sheep intestines 

 are graded they are divided into 

 narrows about eight yards in 

 length. These are sent to the 

 string factory, where they are 

 thoroughly cleansed and chemi- 

 cally treated. It takes from 

 twenty to twenty-four sheep to 

 produce the strings for one ten- 

 nis racket. A single violin string 

 monopolizes the entrails of a 



Removing impurities from the gut strands by washing and 

 scraping them and running them through wringers on wash- 

 tubs. It requires a skilled workman to prevent tangles 



581 



Drying the string on frames. This is one of the last 

 operations before polishing, and takes from two to six days 



whole sheep, however big. 



From the time the raw 

 material leaves the animals 

 until it is made into strings, 

 twelve to sixteen days are 

 required in the manufactur- 

 ing. The intestines of some 

 sheep are lighter in color 

 than others, but the light or 

 white strings do not possess 

 any better tone quality or 

 durability than the darker 

 ones. 



After the gut is split by 

 running it over a safety- 

 razor blade, the strands go 

 through another machine 

 which removes impurities. 

 Following this they are re- 

 peatedly run through wring- 

 ers on wash tubs. From four 

 to fifteen of these strands are 

 used for one music string, 

 being spun into strings, 

 twisted, and polished off 

 with emery paper. 



