Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-09-13
ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE
And VIRGINIA ADVERTISER
For the COuntry,>
Published Regularly on TUESDAf rs, THURS
DAYS and SATURDA rs, at Sir Dollars per
l7s71t7a

ABOUT FURs.-[ From the New York Star.
The capital embarked in the fancy fur trade in
this city is immense, New York manufacturers
not only meeting the local demand, but selling
their goods very largely to firms both East and
West. AS skins are sent to market they have
generally been merely dried in the sum or be-
fore fire, having been first stepped in solu-
ton of alum. This is necessary in order to
keep them from moulding when packed for
transport The fur manufacturer does not
dress his Own skins, as this process, besides be-
ing very dirty work, requires abundant space.
The skins are placed in tubs together With
rancid butter, aud trampled upon by the feet
of men, This soitens them and renders them
perfectly plable The inner sides are then
rubbed with strips of iron in order, to remove
thc loose bits of iutegumcnt, and they are next
lramp!ed withsa mixture OF sawdust mahogany
being preferred, which process removes the
grease. Finally they are subjected to beat
Ing and combing. They are now ready to he
cut up into things of beauty if not things of
10y forever TO the ladies.
4 fur cutter can never have too much ex-
perlencct.
Cutting requires great skill, and great care,
also excellent Judgment, for the skins are never
u,ade up naturally, but from 4 great number
Of skins parts of the same shade are Sc
lected so that each article shall present uni
form color In other cases the article is requir-
cd to be striped. and to combine in stripes
without wasting the valuable material is no
easy matter Russia sable sets are now made
up of sable tails cut up in narrow strips and
sewcd between braid, which can be seen by
blowing the fur. The writer was shown mutf
in sixty peiceS, the price Of which was 800.
~ IL f1,of tbn how h,,p
are in one entire piece, but only the commonest
fur. Which is not worth bothering with, is ever
made up in that way, with the exception OF
those which are dyed. Dyeing greatly i'm
moves the appearance Of the colnmoner grades
of fur, and the manufactures assert, has no In
furious eftect--a dyed set lasting rs long as the
undeyed.
The deyipg is done with brushes, and is Il
very nice piece of work. as only the edges of
the fur must be touched.
The sewing is all done b. women. Only the
Innings of the collars and sacks are quilted on
the machine all the rest being hand-work. In
most instances the pay is by the piece, and it
varies greatly, some waDicn making excellent
wages. while others are content with frTc dol
lars week, and less.
With regard to styles, the principal novelty
is the gored sack, ~ to 81 inches long, aud
made with and without reyers. The plain sack
will also be worn, but it is not nearly so grace
full. These are made principally In ScalSian
and Astrakhan The sealskin sacks will sell at
retail from s55 to sl25; the AstIakhan, from
800 to ST5 White coney sacks are being made
up very largely for children's wear. Mink is
being made up into the favorite boas which
has held sway for several years. A mink boa
and muh can be bought az low as S25, but the
finer grades bring S75 to Sl25. The imitation
mink is made out Of muskrat skins. The dyed
sets sell as high as &l2. and the common un-
lyed sets at S. There is cheap black AS
trakhan which will sell as low as 81 to SlO:--
Black nlarten is likely to be favo1ite with
those whose purses permit them to 60 a little
higher. Very pretty sets will retail at SIS.
However, for young ladies' there is nothing so
pretty az real ermine. a boa and muf, or a
collar, if preferred, sell from $50 to $35. VI
course there are more costly sets, tor those who
can afford to be extraragant. White cooley,
with black spots inserted, are made in limitation
of ermine. These sell at SIS u set. For every
day wear, squirrel is neat and servlceabe, and
especially for school girls, as it wears forever,
and never gets soiled. Good sets bring Sl2.
Russia sable cannot be INDUCED in under
500 for boa and mutf, and even then the set
is but inferior Grebe feather collars Snd muts
we're introduced last season, and are likely to be
much worn the coming winter They are lovely
for lovely women but homely women should De-
ware of them. A collar and mutf will retail at
SIS to slS.
A JAPANESE TEA HOUSE. The Hon. James
Brooks, writing to- the Express from loko-
hama, gives this vivid description OF japanese
tea houses: -, :,
What I saw on this Tocaido good New York
fancy reporter could make thousand columns
of, with pictures added on to make thousand
more: but man don't see much when riding
backwards in an American minister carriage,
in the hi, hi, hi style we were going, with
guardsmen and betto. All the way, more or
less. are planted pleasant tea houses. We tea
here, when we must stop by the wayslde, and
in such little bits of cups that could drink the
contents of twenty Of them, and then want
more. Pretty tea girls stand by the entrance,
and their teeth not yet blackened,) with pretty
wavs and courtesies SO fascinating that tea,
even without sugar or milk, becomes agreeable
Tea houses are the grog-shops OF Japan. Our
pretty lacquered walters, the tea girls, hand
YOU little, tiny cups, with mouthful in them,
and YOU SQUAT down on the nice, clean mats, if
souat YOU can-I have to stretch out at length,
and fill up half tea room-and you sip and
sip. and sip this mouthful of hot tea, as if the
god nectar was going down your throat IN In
fnitessimal drops of microscopic invisibihty.-,
Tea. like sleep, is 4 great invention. Their $
Bass beer, all the way from London, stuck up
in the corner of the tea house shop, for beer
drinking, travelling Euglishmen;, but what 5
Bass beer to tea-tea, if you can only get enough
Of it. this hot weather, with the thermometer
over 90? A Japan tea house keeper picks out y,
pretty place tor the tea u.s. ne or shI
possible, view Of, and tho air of, the Bay OF
Yeddo, along which. the most of the way here,
runs the Tocaido. The grand tea house is cut
up into numerous little rooms, with paper: par
titions between to part them, running on sides,
but all movable at will, to restore the whole to
one grand room. Cakes, sweetmeats' aud can al
dies are brought in with the tea, all put on the
clean matted floor there are no seats, ana a. VIC
all squat or stretch out on the floor. 1t is stflns
hot in these tea houses just now, anu Stretch
Al.