The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-10-10
Storing Furs.

1--WE are nearly as busy in this season
as in any other" said an Arch street
furrier Yesterday, although we are
actually taking in very little money.
Our harvest comes in the late autumn,
when the chill winds begin to warn the
ladies that the freezing blasts of winter
are rapidly approaching. just now we
scarcely sell an article in week, but
we keep our working force going all
the time, and make fur garments of all
sorts and styles for our winter trade.
And then, besides this, we have plenty
of employment in looking after and
caring for the furs that are left with us
during the summer season for preser-
walton from the moths and other
insects. In fact, this is the principal
and most important branch of our
business in the season when furs are
not in use | presume that there are
now on storage in this city something
like five thousand sealskin sacques and
cloaks, while to estimate the number
of muffs, collars capes, and other
articles of fur that are put away care
fully for the summer would be beyond
the power Of any living mortal.
''Sealskin. the most valuable of all
furs, is, strange to say, the least liable
to the ravages of the moth l don't
know why this is, exactly, but | have
been told that there is something in the
dye that offends the festive moths and
causes them to seek other pasture. But
it is not so with squirrel skins, in which
the moth revels and delights. Squirrel
fur is largely used in ladies' cloaks and
dolmans, and serves very often as
lining for winter garments for ladies and
children. The moths attack it without
fail if it be left unguarded, and the re-
suit is that if squirrel-lined cloak or
other garment is carelessly hung up for
summer the odds are that it may come
out in the autumn fit only for the rag
bag. The ladies monopolize the SOUR
rel fur, gentlemen having preference
for beaver, muskrat, raccoon or buffalo
These, too, are subject to the ravages
of the moths, and are very apt to be
eaten up in a month or two if not care
| fully watched, You have no idea what
a ravenous fellow the moth is. He is
ruthless and remorseless, and seems TO
waste ten times as much as no eats.
When he first lights ON a piece of fur
he shifts his grazing ground frequently,
seemingly in pure pride Of possession,
but finally settles down to work system
atically If not dislodged he can de-
stroy a thousand-dollar set of furs in a
week and be ready for another job.
when we put furs into storage for
the season one first care is to beat them
thoroughly with rattans to drive the
dust out and get rid of the moth eggs
that may have been laid in them or
been blown into them from the air This
done they are hung on wire frames that
| dIstend them and put into closets that
are lined with tar paper. Moths can
not stand the strong odor of tar and
never live long under ITS influence.
Every three or four weeks the furs are
taken from the closets and beaten with
rattans, and so in the course of a sea-
son every article has to be handled at
least dozen times. In old times cam
| phor was used, but it was discovered
that 1t had tendency to detract from
their color and make them much lighter
In hue. | suppose there is something in
| the dyes used for sable and other dark
| furs that camphor influences. Old wo-
men still use that drug, however, and
when you see sealskin saceue or cloak
or dolman that shows streaks of gray
or of muddy yellow you can be sure
that it has been kept in cam
phor through the hot weather
The whole secret in keeping furs is to
beat all the dust out of them and then
keep them in close closet impregnated
| by the odor of tar. Another old pre-
ventiye was pepper, either cayenne or
common black, but this has been aban-
doned, and some good housekeepers
used to keep their furs in tobacco cut
tings | have seen moths flourish in
tobacco, and where | have seen insect
powders used they have sometimes in
iured the furs in some way or have been
totally useless in guarding them from
their bitter foes.
''Another desideratum in storing furs
is strict cleanliness. We wash all our
closets every spring with water and
common washing soda, and the latter
serves to destroy any moth eggs that
may have got into the place. Every
| clOSeb receives d frequent DdUn OF the
same kind. Thus we are never in
vaded by the moth, but should we show
carelessness for a single week the result
would be disastrous. Muffs, collars
and other small articles we keep in
boxes, packing with them sufficient tar
paper to keep out the moths, and the
shelves on which they stand are always
kept free from dust Philadelphia
Times.