12 



farmers' bulletin 832. 



stron<r, as the bones of arms and legs 

 must be cut with them. 



as dry as parchment and may be stored away indefinitely. They 

 need no treatment with preservatives of any sort, but must be kept 

 in a cool, dry place safe from insects and mice. 



English moleskins are stretched on drynig boards in rectangular 

 form, four pins only being used. In this shape they do not dry so 

 well at the edges, however, nor do they show to the be«t advantage 

 when marketed. Cased moleskins, that is, those removed without 

 being slit down the belly, are harder to grade than those handled flat. 

 For this reason they are likely to bring lower prices. It seems 



worth while, also, to standardize the 

 method of handling American moleskins 

 described above so that they may be dis- 

 tinguished readily from the European skins. 



UTILIZING MOLESKINS. 



Fig. 9.-scissors with one biimt and farmer boy or the trapper 



one sharp point, suitable for use m i i i i- i i • 



skinning moles. These should be who liaS accumulated a lot of molcskillS 



will want to dispose of them as he would 

 any other kind of pelts, by seUing to a 

 reliable iur dealer. If local furriers do not handle this class of skins 

 information concerning current prices and methods of shipping may 

 be obtained by writing to establishments doing business by mail. 

 Inquiries in matters of this sort addressed to the Bureau of Biological 

 Survey, Washington, D. C, will receive prompt attention. 



TANNING. 



If it is desired to make up the skins at home into articles of apparel, 

 the foUowing method of tanning them will be fonn.d very satisfactory: 



For a tanning liquor, add to 



each gallon of water one quart ^^^HZZZI^-.' ' 



of salt and one-half ounce of f,g_ io._a scalpel, or even an ordinary pocket knife, if 

 Sldphuric acid. This mixture '^^^P* sharp, win serve the same purpose as scissors 

 , , , ,11 , • ,1 in skinning moles. 



should not be kept m a metal 



container. Moleskins need not remain in the liquor more than 

 one day, although no harm will be done if they are kept there 

 indefinitely. 



When removed from this liquor the skins are washed several times 

 in soapy water, wrung as dry as possible, and rubbed on the flesh 

 side with a cake of hard soap. They are then folded in the middle 

 over a line, hair side out, and left to dry. When both surfaces are 

 barely dry and the interior is stiU moist they are laid over a smooth, 

 rounded board and scraped on the flesh side with the edge of a 

 worn, flat file or a similar blunt-edged tool. In this way an inner 

 layer is removed and the skins l)ecome nearly white in color. They 

 are then stretched, rubbed, and twisted until quite dry. 



