The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
683 
Tanninn a Dear Hide 
How can I successfully tan a fleer hide, 
so it can be made into gloves? C in it be 
easily and rapidly done at home? I would 
like the hair left on. MRS. L. b. 
Milford, Pa. 
There are numberless methods of thus 
preparing a deer skin, and no one knows 
which is the best. The following method 
is one of the best, but all require elbow- 
grease and plenty of it in manipulation in 
order to produce a nice. soft, pliable skin. 
First soak the skin in soft water until 
it is as soft and flexible as you can get it. 
This may require two days, and it may re¬ 
quire two months ; it will depend upon the 
temperature of the water and the dryness 
of the skin. The warmer the water the 
less time will be required, but, if the hair 
is to be retained, be careful that the tem¬ 
perature of the water does not reach 100 
degrees, for, if it goes above this tem¬ 
perature it will produce certain changes 
in the character of the integument sur¬ 
rounding the roots of the hairs, which, 
while not noticeable for a time, will 
eventually cause them to loosen and drop 
out. This is true during the entire pro¬ 
cess, so never allow the temperature, at 
any time, to reach 100 degrees. Let it go 
as low as you please, but bear in mind 
that the lower the temperature the longer 
will be the time required to soak the skin 
thoroughly. Daily, while soaking, work, 
pull and stretch the skin in all directions, 
for it is this sort of manipulation that 
will give it pliability. When thoroughly 
soaked, wring the water out of it, as you 
would wring a wet blanket. Then lay it 
flat, with the flesh side up, and scrape it 
with a dull knife, or similar implement, 
until every particle of fleshy integument 
is removed. There will be places where 
the skin will be much thicker than others, 
and these should be beaten with a wooden 
mallet until they are reduced to a uniform 
thickness. 
Now. dissolve alum in soft water at the 
rate of one pound of alum to four .lions 
of water. Unless it is an unusually large 
skin, half this quantity will be su.-lcient, 
but these are the most approved propor¬ 
tions. Soak the skin in this solution for 
24 hours, pulling and .stretching it fre¬ 
quently and taking care that there are no 
wrinkles which will interfere with the 
uniform penetration of the liquid. At the 
end of this time, or a little later if this 
time is inconvenient, wring the skin as 
dry as possible, spread upon the floor with 
the flesh side up, and sprinkle liberally 
with a mixture of equal parts of alum and 
salt. Fold together, roll tightly and lay 
away for another 24 hours. Then unroll, 
pull and stretch the skin, the more the 
better: sprinkle again with the mixture, 
fold, roll and lay away. Do this daily un¬ 
til the skin will absorb no more of the 
mixture. This should require from a 
week to 10 days. Now wash in repeated 
waters, until the water has neither an 
astringent nor a salty flavor, then in 
strong soapsuds, wring out and hang up to 
dry. When dry spread flat, work into the 
flesh side all the neat’s-foot oil that the 
skin will absorb, and hang up to dry. Re¬ 
peat this as often as the skin becomes dry, 
until no more oil can be worked into it. 
This will require from four to six rub¬ 
bings. Then rub well with powdered chalk 
to remove the oil from the outside. If 
chalk is not at hand, common clay, baked 
and pulverized, or sawdust, or wheat bran 
will answer this purpose tolerably well. 
Lastly, the quality of the leather will be 
vastly improved if the hide is subjected 
for 24 hours to the smoke arising from 
burning corncobs. This, however, will im¬ 
part an odor which may be unpleasant 
and undesirable. If so, the smoking may 
be omitted. 
If it is desired to tan the skin without 
the hair, bury the skin in warm, soft, 
stagnant mud for a week or more, or until 
the hair may readily be scraped off. or 
spread a coating of hardwood ashes an 
inch thick over the flesh side. Fold and 
lay in a cool, damp place until the hair 
will slip. Then remove it and immerse 
the hide in soft soap for 24 hours. Or, 
soak the skin in strong lime water until 
the hair can be removed. In all cases, 
after the above treatments, proceed in 
tanning as previously directed. c. o. o. 
Burbank Plums Do Not Bear 
I have five Japanese Burbank plum 
trees, perhaps IS years old or thereabouts, 
looking very healthy, the branches spread¬ 
ing out for 20 ft. or more. They have 
been in full bloom every year, but never 
hpar a crop of plums. The plums get to 
the size of small peas and then drop off. 
Is there anything that can tie done to 
make them bear? If not. they are not 
Worth the ground they stand on, and de¬ 
serve to be cut down. E. u. S. 
Mauorville, N. Y. 
Y\ lien a plum tree fails to bring its 
tiuit to maturity it is either due to the 
attacks of the plum curculio or lack of 
spraying The curculio makes a out in 
the plum like a new moon, not much over 
a quarter inch across the ends of the cut. 
trough spraying with lead arsenate 
"ill help this, as well as jarring tin' trees 
every morning with a padded mallet. The 
curen ho beetles will fall off and the chick- 
cus will get them. If tlie trouble is not 
curcuho. cultivate and fertilize the trees. 
days with self-boiled 
1 ne-su'phur This will give the trees 
i ‘‘ ‘ l Bood foliage that enough food will 
itv lt?sei ’ ve to bring the fruit to matur- 
II. F. BUTTON. 
miiiiiii i iimm llllili i ii u i ii iiiiiiillil liii iii m ii ii iiiiiii ii ui iiiiiiiiu iiiii H i ii i iii i uiii iumi^ 
Get the motor power 
t)ou pat) for 
When you pay for gas you pay for power—but 
you don’t get it if your piston rings leak. 
McQuay-Norris Piston Rings, with their exclusive 
two-piece angle-to*angle construction, act equally all 
around the cylinder walls. That’s why they 6top the 
leakage of power. That’s why you should use them. 
They increase power, save fuel and decrease carbon. 
They are made in every size and over-size to fit every 
make or model of tractor, truck, passenger car or engine. 
Your dealer has them or can get proper sizes promptly 
from his jobber’s complete stock. 
Write for this Booklet ■ 
Which explains how to get the motor 
power you pay for. Address Dept.AR 
McQuay-Norris Manufacturing Co. 
To Control Excess Oil 
A special ring for motors that 
pump oil. Use io top grooves 
of each piston. In the lower 
grooves use McQuay-Norris 
Xovva-I Soop Piston Rings for 
complete compression—power. 
mm 
a 
The Harvest Tells — 
_ Bigger Crops-More Profits 
{ 
A 
WHEN 
YOU USE 
?ULVERI2eb 
LIMESTONE 
When the harvest is gathered your profits 
are figured. The bigger and richer the harvest 
the greater your profits. r You know the im¬ 
mense advantage of using lime, but you want 
high test, finely ground, furnace dried lime. 
That’s Solvay IDon’tdelay ordering, writttoday. 
THE SOLVAY PROCESS CO., Syracuse. N. Y. 
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