Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1868-06-06
The Hide business

, We have ia our office, ready for IA,
Inspection OF all, two hides, on,
cured By tho Ordinary process O
using salt, and tho other by the
application of Crosylio acid. With,
? out an actual inspection of the tive
specimens, no one can imagine the
superiority of Cresylio acid oven
common salt
EiiroFs ssa AHIsis Herald,
Few have an idea of the extent
aud value of this trade, all over the
world, In Texas its returns could
be at least doubled. il every hide
aud skin WAS saved, aud properly
saved.
have not the leisure, at present,
TO look up the statistics of the bust.
ness within the State, up TO this
lime. But notice that, from the
Texas Almanac, the exports from
Galveston coastwisc, (now ioreign)
Tor the year ending Both of Sept,
| 1866, were 1898 hides. From In.
dianola, 90, 400 hides, % bales sheep
skins, aud 10, OPS goat skins. From
Lavacca 1000 hides, dry. For
the next year, the exports Of hides
and skins, are not given. From
mdianola, we have goat skins 55,
900; hides, 30, II0; sheep skins, 3.
100 bales. 1t may be inferred that
these were all shipped to the North
or TO New Orleans. From Edward
p. Trip & Cos Prices Current,
Liverpool, 9th January, 1866, for
the preceding year, | find the Stats
ties of the trade in hides and skins
from nearly all parts of tho world;
with remarks upon the supply and
demand, condition in which they
are received, prices, etc.
There seems to have been but q
small trade from the Rio Grande,
and no mention of Texas. OF the
Rio Grande hides, 65i were rcceiv-
ed indirectly, during tho previous
month. a very large portion ofthe
hides received from tho Rio Grandc
this year have been Acknowledgement
ontailing considerable loss to
importers, and dissatisiactionto re-
ceivers; the flying also is continu-
ed source of complaint. Stock 2,
2J6.
The same complaint is made by
dealers and tanners in the North
the Texas hides and skins arc worry
carelessly fiayed, badly cured, and
eaten by worms, bugs and vcrmin.
Every cut made in hide or 9TH
err skins in faying, and every de-
feet occasioned by worms and bugs,
or the nibbling of rats, materially
lessons its value, as does the burn
ing hide receives if dried in the
sun.
Hitherto, it has been no easy
matter to prevent the damage &C.
casioned by vermin. Every one
who has handled hides knows that,
so soon as exposed to them, myriads
of black bugs and hair worms at
tack the hides, and soon riddle
them, if not aired and beaten fire.
quently. An article is used by
dealers know as Hide Poison, being
one of tho most deadly combina-
tons of arsenic. This, it is said,
prevents the attack of insects. One
thing is certain, it il most danger.
Gus poison. SO much so, that death
has been, not unfrequently, pro-
duced by little careless handing,
or the inhalation of the powder
shen off when handling the dry
hides.
1 had a little expercncein try
ing to save hides during the war.
| killed about 100 beeves and some
800 or 900 sheep, for the supply of
Wauls Legion, and although l used
salt as freely as possible in its then
scarcity, and plenty of ashes, fire.
quently aired and beat them, were
literally eaten up by worms and
bgus before market could be found.
l enclose you two pieces of hides,
killed in July last. Qne was cured
with salt, freely used; the other was
coated both sides with a solution Of
Cresylic acid prepared for the pur-
pose; which simple preparation is,
in fact q soft soap. 1t was dissolved
in water to the consistency Of
milk; and at a cost of about half
that ofsalt used. As you are aware,
Cresylic (carbolic) acid is one OF
of the most powerful of all antisep-
tics, or preservatives of animal and
matter. Salt, sugar, &C.,
are antiseptics. 1t is as such that
salt is used on hides. But this acid
is infinitely more powerful and i'm
mediate in its effects, and possesses,
besides, the quality of being, of all
known substances, the most dcs-
tructive of insect life, and most Of
fensive to the living insects, to rats,
mice, &c.
Those two hides have been, pur-
posely, exposed together in an open
loft. You see that the sailed one is
riddled by the worms
and bugs, and gnawed all over by
rats, and its value for anything but
glue making destroyed, whilst the
ltheris untouched and is thoroughly
cured, and has none of the horrible
md dangerous-to-helth odor that
1ther hides give off.
1 make this public, and send You
he proofs, because | do think that
4 discovery ofso much value should
De made known.
Some months ago, l applied a
handful of cresylite Of lime to the
surface of nest of singing ants;
tbs now covered with grass and
aud the ants all dead or gone
have twice poured a solution of
he Death TO crew-WOrm" into
our other nests, and they are used
ID. | used about two ounces 10