362 CLEANING GEAR, CARRIAGES, ETC. 



a field battery of Artillery, we frequently used these tests 

 at saddle and harness inspections. Although our drivers 

 had no saddle soap, they knew how to deceive inexperienced 

 eyes with a little bees-wax applied by means of a flannel 

 rag. The polish produced by bees-wax, besides dirtying 

 those parts of the rider's clothes which happen to rub 

 against it, is removed by such contact ; and consequently 

 a saddle which issued from the stable with this gloss on it, 

 would, owing to its "patchy" appearance, look far worse 

 when the rider dismounts, than if it had been cleaned 

 with white, yellow, or soft soap. If a saddle is not going 

 to be used for a considerable time, the polish in ques- 

 tion will no doubt help to preserve the leather from the 

 injurious action of damp, and looks well in the saddle 

 room. I see no objection (rather the reverse) to the use 

 of saddle soap on the leather work of brown harness, 

 except, of course, on those parts of the reins which come 

 in contact with the driver's hands. Also, when the 

 leather of saddles and bridles has become more or less black 

 from the use of soft soap, it is not worth while changing 

 the soft soap for yellow soap. 



It is evident that the object of wiping the leather with a 

 damp sponge in the first instance, is to remove dirt, and that 

 the application of the soap is to soften the leather. Instead 

 of soap we might employ vaseline, neat's-foot oil, castor oil, 

 or mutton kidney fat by means of a flannel rag, through 

 the texture of which the lubricant should be well distributed 

 before the flannel is applied to the leather, so that the coating 

 may be even. While fulfilling its softening duty, the greasy 

 material should not be employed for ordinary purposes in such 

 a quantity as to soil the hands or clothes. Hence, after 

 rubbing it well in, so as to make it penetrate the surface 

 as deeply as possible, any of it that may remain should be re- 

 moved during the polishing process. Before applying the fatty 



