OIL YOUR LEATHER. 439 



very quickly perishes, and is incapable of resisting 

 strains or withstanding wet. Some people in cold, 

 wet weather are in the habit of putting their feet to 

 the fire when they have their boots on. It is a great 

 mistake putting the soles of boots anywhere near the 

 fire unless they are really wet, as the heat of the fire 

 causes the leather to dry up and perish, and it is then 

 no longer capable of resisting moisture. Consequently, 

 a pair of boots which withstood the wet and kept their 

 owner dry-footed, may, by being placed too near the 

 fire, be deprived of the essential oil which gives it that 

 most valuable quality of resisting wet. I have men- 

 tioned boots in order that I might make coachmen 

 understand better the grave necessity there is for 

 keeping leather soft and pliable, and possessed of 

 vitality ; as it must be remembered that the safety of 

 a carriage and the persons thereon or therein are 

 dependent on the strength and durability of the 

 harness, especially the reins and bridle, which are 

 the particular parts by which the horses are controlled 

 and held in subjection. The writer to whom I have 

 referred says : " Both black and brown harness 

 leather has to be dressed to the proposed colour 

 before it ever reaches the harness-maker." 



It is worthy of notice that the harness made by 

 first-class large firms is decidedly better than that 

 produced by small country harness-makers, because 

 the large dealer usually cuts out a number of sets of 

 harness at one time, and has a variety of hides to 

 choose from ; he is thus enabled to use only such parts 

 as are most suitable, such as backs for traces and other 

 heavy strapping, the under part of the hide for lighter 

 portions of the harness ; but the small country maker 

 cannot exercise such discretion, as he has not the 



