24 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
January 7, 1922 
UNADILLA 
SILOS 
Back to 
1917 Prices 
At prices that prevailed 4 years 
ago, you can now secure a 
famous Unadilla Silo. 
Never before have Unadilla Silo 
prices compared so favorably with 
farm and dairy produce prices. Today 
it takes less milk, hay, or potatoes 
to buy a Unadilla than at any time 
in the past. 
Decide to buy this month and gain 
the extra discount gix'en for early 
orders. 
Write today for free catalog show¬ 
ing the labor-saving, silage-saving, 
and safety features of construction; 
and also secure details on our early 
order offer. 
UNADILLA SILO CO. 
Box C, Unadilla, N. Y., or Des Moines, la. 
HARDER SILOS 
It’s easy to sell 
Harder Silos 
Ever since 1899 the Harder has been 
the model for all other silos. It is 
known because of our consistent adver¬ 
tising. It is wanted because it has 
made good everywhere. 
There’s money for you in 
selling Harder Silos. If 
interested, write at once 
for details. 
Write for Free Booklet 
Good avttfhihfe territory 
open for lira ogentu. 
Harder Mfg. Corp. 
Box ll.Cobleskill.N.Y, 
STOP 
WASTING 
HALFYOUR 
CORN CROP 
Let us toll von liow, in one year, « 
Nappanoe Seal-TUo Silo willpiiy 
for itself. \\ rite today for our big 
free Silo Book, which explain* our 
special soiling plan on Nappanoo 
wood situs. 
NAPPANEE LUMBER AND MFG. CO. 
Dept. C-l • Nappanec. Indiana 
Trt XE 
cA*: 
SILOS 
I WRITE FOR FREE SILO BOOK 
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fell* nil about Pmut and Painting for Tmrahllltv. Valu¬ 
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oldest Retidy Mixed Paint. Home In America—Estab. 18*3 
0. W. Ingersoll, 246 Plymouth St., Brooklyn, N. V. 
I 
Questions About Tanning 
Tanning Groundhog Skins 
There are a great mini her of ground¬ 
hogs on our farm, and the old man who 
formerly lived near here used to catch 
them and tan their hides with some meth¬ 
od that turned the hide a soft, yellow 
color, then made money wallets anti tobac¬ 
co pouches out of them. Could someone 
tell me what process these hides are put 
through to get the soft, yellow color? 
Norwalk, Ta. G. o. T. 
There are a great many methods which 
will accomplish this result, and I am not 
able to tell which one was used in the 
present instance. Neither can anyone 
else without a careful examination of the 
leather ill question, and perhaps not even 
then. But 1 am strongly of the opinion 
that the process was essentially along 
the following lines r 
First, the skins, if dry or salted, must 
be soaked in water until they are as soft 
and as pliable as when lirst taken from 
the animal. Then hardwod ashes are 
thickly spread upon the flesh side, the 
skins folded around them and laid away 
in a cool. dark, damp place until the hair 
can easily he pulled out. Then they are 
unrolled, shaken free from the ashes and 
scraped with a dull knife or similar im¬ 
plement until every particle of hair, fat 
and fleshy integument is removed. Then 
they are soaked for a few days in very 
sour milk or buttermilk, to neutralize any 
alkali that may have been left by the 
ashes. Sometimes weak vinegar, or even 
a very dilute sulphuric acid is used, hut 
that from milk is generally considered the 
best for this purpose. Next they are 
washed in several waters to remove any 
trace of acid that may remain. Meantime 
a decoction of sumac hark, or leaves, or 
one of saffron, or of peach leaves, or of 
sunflower petals, or of barberry bark, or 
of any other native vegetable substance 
that will yield a yellow dye. has been 
prepared, and brought to a shade of color 
that is a little darker than that desired, 
for later processes will tend to lighten the 
color inst a little. Then the skins are 
pulled and stretched and twisted and 
wrung as d-y as possible, and still further 
dried, preferably in the shade, until they 
are only a little damp-to the touch. The 
skins are laid in this coloring decoction 
until they have assumed the required 
color. 
Meantime a solution of salt has been 
made that is almost, strong enough to bear 
an egg. and as much alum has been added 
as there is <>f salt. The skins are placed 
in this solution and allowed to remain for 
10 days or two weeks, but milling and 
stretching them every day. Finally they 
are taken from this solution, pulled, 
stretched and dried about as before, and 
then saturated with nent’s-foot oil, pulled 
and stretched until, even under this stren¬ 
uous manipulation, they will absorb nn 
more oil. Then they are scraped to re¬ 
move the nil from the surface, and lastly, 
rubbed with chalk, or wheat bran, or 
dried and finely pulverized clay, until all 
surplus oil has been removed, so that 
none will show on the material used. 
This method will give an exceedingly soft 
and pliable leather, if fully and thor¬ 
oughly carried out. but bear in mind that 
it is tln i pulling and other manipulations 
that make it so. and don’t be afraid of 
using too much “elbow grease.” Com¬ 
mercial dye may be used for coloring if so 
desired. It will require less trouble, but 
the product will have a harsh, artificial 
appearance that will not appeal to the 
critical purchaser, and the vegetable dyes 
will give the better satisfaction. 
c. n. ORMSBEE 
Retanning Calf Hide 
Would you advise me whether I can 
retan a calf hide that T thought T had 
tanned? When T took this hide from the 
calf I sprinkled the flesh side with equal 
parts of powdered alum and saltpeter, then 
rolled it up and let it alone for two 
weeks, until the mixture was dissolved. 
Next i stretched and nailed it to the side 
of the barn, and left, it until it had dried 
out. which took three or four days, on 
account of had weather. After it was dry 
I applied neat’s-foot oil to the flesh side, 
and left it to soak for about two hours: 
then I got a wedge-shaped stick and 
rubbed most of this oil out of it. It has 
been two weeks since I finished this hide, 
and it is still very stiff 1 intended to 
make it soft and pliable, to be used as a 
rug. J. M. 
The best way to treat this hide now is 
to soak it in soft water until pliable, 
meantime pulling and stretching and 
wringing it frequently and thoroughly. 
Wring it as one would wring a heavy 
blanket when washing it. and the more of 
this treatment it receives the better. 
When thoroughly soaked, wring it as dry 
as possible, even by running it through 
the clothes wringer. Lay it. flesh side 
down, upon a bench or table, and attack it 
with a brush and comb. Work it with 
these at short intervals until the hair is 
dry. Reverse it and spread one side with 
wheat bran to the depth of n'boul one 
inch. Fold, once, along the line of the 
backbone. Weight it down pretty well 
and let stand 12 hours. Turn, without 
unfolding, and let stand another 12 hours. 
Shake out the bran and repeal this pro¬ 
cess. using fresh bran, until the hide will 
yield no more moisture. This bran will 
not be injured in the least for feeding 
purposes. Now take the skin into a room 
in which the temperature is closely 
around the ninetieth degree. Lay it upon 
a bench, and tack it if necessary. Then 
use a brush and paint it liberally with 
jicat’s-foot oil. Let stand two hours and 
paint again: continue the painting once 
every tun hours as long as the hide will 
absorb a particle of oil. Then begin work¬ 
ing it with the hands and applying more 
oil, until no more can be absorbed. Lot 
stand a few days in warm room and, 
finally, when it will absorb no more oil. 
work off the surplus with wheat bran. 
This, of course, impairs the palatability 
of the bran, bill in no way affects its 
nutritive value if fed in a mixture, and 
so the cost of the material may be reck¬ 
oned as nothing. c. o. ormsree. 
Tanning Moleskins 
Can you give me any information as to 
how I can limber moleskins after I take 
them off the boards to dry? I treat them 
with saltpeter and alum, hut cannot do 
anything with them, they are so stiff. I 
get a number of them from our place in 
the country, and want to make a neck¬ 
piece. T. it. 
After taking them from the boards the 
skins should he soaked in soft water until 
as pliable as when freshly removed. Then 
treat them with the alum and saltpeter 
mixture, as I have -directed in numerous 
papers already published, with tile excep¬ 
tion that, the moleskins being very thin, 
will not require so long a treatment as 
would a thicker skin. Neither will it be 
necessary to make quite as strong a solu¬ 
tion. But pull and stretch them fre¬ 
quently. and dry them slowly. As for 
those that are already tanned, but are too 
stiff fur use, the best treatment is to re¬ 
turn them to the stretching board and 
give them all the oil that can be worked 
into them, being careful not to get oil on 
the fur. To guard against this it ma.v be 
best to sew a narrow piece of braid 
around the edges of the skins. Apply 
the oil with ati old toothbrush, dry slowly 
and apply more oil until the skins will 
absorb no more. Then rub with wheat 
bran to remove the surplus. Use neat’s- 
foot oil in preference, but castor oil will 
answer the purpose nearly ns well. 
C. O. ORMSBEE. 
Dyeing Fur 
How ear furs lie dyed? A neighbor 
lias a bean ; ful obi fur. as good as new, 
Imt the color is light brown. Blie wants 
it black, as she thinks people do not wear 
light browi- fir-s any more. mbs. s. w. 
Ordinarily the dyeing of furs is not a 
job for the amateur. But the changing of 
file color from a solid brown to a solid 
black offers an exception to the general 
rule, and. though it will require the most 
painstaking care to get the exact shade 
evenly distributed over the entire surface, 
there should be but little other difficulty, 
and it should not lie necessary to rip the 
furs from the lining. 
First, beat the fur lightly with n small 
whip or switch until every particle of dust 
has been beaten out; or the vacuum 
cleaner may be used instead, but be sure 
to get the dust out. Then wash with 
gasoline until all dirt of any other nature 
is removed. Dry thoroughly and then 
brush the fur until all knots and snarls 
are straightened and evq*y hair is inde¬ 
dependent of every other hair. Add one 
part of nitrate of silver to 15 parts of 
pure, filtered, rain or distilled water. 
Hard well or spring water will not 
answer the purpose. Use a brush, and 
apply this solution to the fur until every 
part of every hair is thoroughly and 
evenly moistened. Make repented appli¬ 
cations if necessary. Dry very slowly, 
and. when thoroughly dry. add 15 parts 
of water to one or pyrogallic acid. Use 
this solution in precisely the same man- 
net\ and, when dry. the result should he a 
natural black color. 
The chemicals suggested are largely 
used in coloring, and also in photography, 
and should he for sale at any drugstore, 
or by any dealer in photographic sup- 
pHes." Intrinsically, they are very cheap 
materials, but I cannot guarantee a low 
price when bought in small quantities. I 
have known a druggist to charge an ad¬ 
vance of more than 1,000 per cent, and 
then to make a tremendous howl when 
the price of eggs was advanced by the 
sum of three cents a dozen. 
C. O. ORMBBEE. 
Cleaning Motor Oil 
On page 1384 I note an article on 
“Cleaning Motor Oil.” The process 
given, while correct, is at the same time 
out of the means of most of us. I giv« 
for the benefit <*f your readers the method 
which I follow in cleaning oil. Oil thus 
cleaned is not of use as motor oil, as the 
life is pretty well out of the oil. and 
therefore it is not adaptable for use in 
tbc cylinder of an automobile or internal 
use. but is good for all other purposes. 
Take an old “derby” hat. remove the lin¬ 
ing and nail, in an inverted position, to 
a frame which will suspend the hat above 
the icceptacle used to catch the filtered 
oil. Be careful not to use a cracked crown, 
or one that has ventilation holes punched 
in the felt. Fill the hat with the “old 
motor oil” and filter. The oil. which fil¬ 
ters through is useful as machine oil. 
New York. s. WILLIAM rriscoe. 
WITTE 
2 H-P. was $ 59 -Now $ 39.95 
6 H-P. was $180 -Now $119.90 
12 H-P. was $352 -Now $249.00 
30 H-P. was $1091 -Now $699.80 
Above Prices 
F. O. 1). Kansas City. 
At 
Pittsburgh 
Carload 
Freight 
Added. 
Direct From Factory . 
WITTE factory price direct saves you money. 
New quotations are from $20 to $'100 less than 
they were last year. All siaesand styles cut 
in proportion. Including Log Saws— Tree Saws— 
PortaW* Cutoff Saws and Stationary Buzz Saws. 
we will send catalog and lowest price— 
CASH or EASY TERMS, no you wish. 
WITTE ENGINE WORKS. 
1891 Oakland Avenue, KANSAS CITY. M0. 
1891 Empire Building, PITTSBURGH. PA. 
V 
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Roofing 
at Factory 
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'•Ruo" Cluster Metal Shindies, V-Crimp. Corru¬ 
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.11 
777 Y 
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FOR 
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MINERAL REMEDY CO. 461 Fourth Are., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
ABS.QRBIne 
A * TRADE MARK RFG.t^PAUOFF. 
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Liberal Trial Bottle for 10c in stamps. 
W. F. YOUNG. INC., 88 Tcniplo St.. Sprlngflsld. Mast. 
