228 farmers' ajjd mechanics' journal. 



wliich, Uiough perfectly useful for most purposes, would have con- 

 liiuied to great advantage some time longer in the tan -pit, for 

 making soles of shoes. 



With the specimens, I send a pair of gloves, and a remnant of 

 leather, converted into shoes, both tanned with larch bark, by a 

 person at Hexham ; who told me that glovers would use nothing 

 else, could they get a sufhcient supply. 



In addition to the equality that larch bark is upon with oak, in 

 regard to its tanning as great weight of leather of every descrip- 

 tion ; it has the advantage of being quicker in its operation, and 

 from its light color, of being preferable, as mentioned before, for 

 gloves, book-binding, &;c. 



It must be observed, that nothing has been introduced intp the 

 tan-pit, to make the leather tirmer, but bark. 



J am, Sir, your most ol)edient servant, 



Thomas White. 



To C. Taylor, M. D. Sec. 



Durham, April lUth, 1813. 



I, Thomas Farbridge, Tanner, of Woodlands, in the county of 

 Durham, do verify, on oath, befoie one of his Majesty's Justices of 

 the Peace, that on or about the 21st of June, 1811, I put a calf- 

 skin, weighing, when green, 12lbs., into a tan-pit, to which, at dif- 

 ferent times, I applied 43 l-4lbs. of larch bark ; and on the said 

 21st of June, I put another green calf-skin, of the weight of 12lbs. 

 also, ii)to another pit, and in the same manner applied, at different 

 times, 42lbs. of oak bark ; and on one and the same day drew both 

 these skins, when tanned ; which, when dried, produced as follows : 

 yiz. The larch skin 6 l-4lbs., and the oak 5 l-2lbs. ; both skins 

 undergoing exactly the same process, and the former having neither 

 oak bark, nor any other substance of tanning quality, put into the 

 tan-pit, but larch bark. And although the larch liquor had 1 l-4lb5. 

 more bark than the other, it was infinitely stronger ; for, after the 

 two skins were tanned, I put three sheep-skins into each of the 

 pits ; and, although 1 drew the three from the larch liquor about 

 twenty-one days before those put into the oak bark, they were in a 

 better state ; and, at the end of the second tanning, the larch liquor 

 was the strongest ; as I have ever found it to be after every ex- 

 periment, where the weight of leather was equal. 



1 moreover declare, that the skin which is on the point of going 

 to London, the one-half marked oak, and the other larch, was tan- 

 ned, after being equally divided, the one part with 43lbs. of larch 

 bark, and the other with an equal weight of oak bark, being put 

 into the tan-pits on the same day, about the 21st of May last, and 

 drawn together about a month ago ; and that nothing of a tanning 

 quality was put into the larch-pit, but larch bark alone, and the 

 process exactly the same in regard to each half, as in the first ex- 

 periment. 



I moreover declare, that the specimen of hide leather sent to 

 London in November last, as well as the hide now to be sent, al- 



