4 
Farmers' Bulletin 1055. 
disease, accident, or natural causes, as well as those from ani- 
mals that have been slaughtered for food. Country hides origi- 
nate in small numbers, in scattered and remote sections of the 
country, and seldom are treated in a careful and efficient manner 
with respect to skinning, curing, and marketing. The result fre- 
quently is a poor product of irregular pattern and trim, with many 
imperfections; such hides and skins are usually handled several 
times before being available in uniform selection. Not only is the 
yield of leather from such hides and skins comparatively low and 
uncertain, but the leather is capable of only limited use. 
Domestic and imported hides and skins. — Many of the hides and 
skins used in this country, including practically all the goat and kid 
skins, are imported. The exportation of such raw materials is com- 
paratively insignificant. Table 1 shows in round numbers the supply 
obtained from domestic and foreign sources, as well as the total num- 
ber and value of each kind used for tanning in the United States. 
The importance of " country " hides and skins to the leather indus- 
try is indicated by the figures in Table 2. taken from the Census 
Report on Manufactures for 1909. No assembled information of the 
kind is available for a date later than 1909. 
Table 1. — Hides and skins used in the United States (1914). 
Kind. 
Domestic. 1 
Imported. 2 
Total. J 
Total value. 
Cattle and horsehides 4 
Calf and kipskins 
Goat and kidskins 
Sheep and lambskins 
Other skins of various kinds 
Number. 
10, 354, 600 
7, 615, 800 
860, 700 
13, 554, 900 
Number. 
8,477,200 
8, 452, 000 
36, 895, 200 
26, 535, 30Q 
Number. 
18, 831, 800 
16, 067, 800 
37, 755, 900 
40, 090, 200 
1, 328, 500 
$152, 862, 800 
33, 117, 700 
23, 917, 003 
19, 247, 700 
4, 377, 500 
1 Obtained from difference between "Imported" and "Total. " 
s Obtained from reports on imports made by U. S. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. 
3 Obtained from Census of Kanufarturcs, 1914, of V. S. Bureau of the Census. 
1 Colt and ass skins included. 
Table 2. — Animals slaughtered for food in the United States in 1909. 
land. 
Total. 
In slaughter- 
ing and meat- 
packing es- 
tablishments 
i ("packer"). 
In retail 
slaughtering 
houses and 
on farms 
("country "). 
Beeves 
Number. 
13, 600, 000 
6, 500, 000 
286, 000 
14, 700, 000 
1, 600 
Number. 
8, 100, 000 
2,500,000 
33, 200 
12, 300, 000 
Number. 
5, 500, 000 
4, 000, 000 
252, 800 
2, 400, 000 
1,600 
Calves 
Goats and kids 
Sheep and lambs 
Miscellaneous 
Note. — Only approximate numbers are given in the tables, and those for hogs have 
been omitted, as comparatively few are skinned. 
