Morning journal and courier., 1882-05-25
Guarding Against Moths.

How Valuable Furs are Kept by Fur
 riers During the Summer Months.
 A very important branch of the furriersi business, but one which many say they would be glad to get rid of if they could do so without injury to their more important in- terests is the storing and caring for during the summer months of valuable furs. Thou sands of dollars worth of furs and fur-Iined garments are confded to their care every spring, to be kept free of moths, and re- turned in good order in the autumn. But" one of the largest fur dealers said, i've don't want any more of this work than we have now, and think I would be willing to give it up altogether, but for the consideration that customers who come to us for this service will be likely some day to become purchasers, and SO make us even. It gives great deal of trouble. Women hardly ever send boxes with their furs, or, if they do, the boxes are broken and useless. So we have to supply new boxes, costing sixty cents each Then the furs have to be cleaned, aired and beaten every week or two, repacked and insured. It is expected also that we should take care of the most troublesome things. One wo- man brings us 8 velvet dress, trimmed with feathers, to be kept free of creases and moths during the season. Another insists on our keeping her horse blankets, and we have even had them send us rugs and carpets,
 "The only way to keep furs safely is to cl6HE ID6A PoLtA1S h4cA4 away, then to put them in very close boxes, and every week, in the case of delicate furs, or two weeks at most with the hardest, to take them out shake and beat them we'll air them thoroughly and replace them in their boxes. Nothing can be put in the boxes with them which will enhance their safety without doing them injury. Camphor, In which many persons have such confidence, is very injurious to the furs of sable, mink and oth- CTS, even to some of the colored ones and it's unpleasant odor clings to furs much longer than to clothing. There is a tar paper, es- pecially prepared for the purpose, which is said to keep moths away, and is largely used in keeping clothing, but we cannot use it, even if it were certain to exclude moths, be- cause it gives the garments the dissgreeable odor of tar, which would cling to them long while. Tobacco and cedar chips are of little or no value, and we certainly would never trust to them for safety. In fact, there is nothing on which we can rely confidently, except constant care in airing, beating and packing away.
 ''Hatters generally, at the close of their winter goods season, pack in pasteboard boxes, with paper tightly pasted over the cracks, all the fur caps, gloves, 6ppets col lars, and such things as they have left over, and say that the plan works satisfactorily. Perhaps it does, with such small articles as they handle, but 1t would be impracticable of application to the care of great silk and velvet circulars lined with fur. heavy fur cloaks, and other goods of this most expen- sive class. They would be ruined by such keeping. even if the moths did not get st them, which they very probably would. The keeping out of creases Is quite as important and as difficult as the keeping out of moths. Ladies sometimes get that idea of keeping their furs over summer by sealing them up in air tight boxes, and for a season or two they may do so successfully, as far es the moths are concerned, but in the end it is sure to work them woe One lady of my &C., quaintance, who had a magnificent S1 ,500 set of sables, said to me, Why should I pay you several dollars for keeping my furs for me, when have got just as good way my self which will cost me nothing? I said, Very we'll, there Is no reason why you should pay me for doing what you can do as we'll She sealed her furs in air tight boxes For two seasons the plan hrppened to work ad- mirably At the end of the third season, when she took them out of the boxes she brought them to me, The worms were actu- ally dropping out of them by scores. Her beautiful furs were wholly ruined. She doesn't practice that sort of economy any more.
 "The prices of keeping furs vary greatly, according to their delicacy, for some are much more difficult to keep than others, ranging ail the way from per cent. up to per cent. on their value. When the great trouble incurred, the space required, the re- sponsibility involved, and the cost of insn- rance against fire, are all taken into account the charges are very low indeed. not enough to induce us to desire any extension of the business"