St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-09-28
PLUCKING LIVE ho0S.
Whore Bristles Como From and I1o
They Are Obtained.

PlUCklNG LIVE HOGS.
Whore Bristles Como From and uov
They Are Obtained.
Il saw it stated in a newspaper th,
other day." said brush manufacturer
'that most Of the bristles used in brush
. making in this country came from En-
gland. To the average reader tn,
natural inference of that statement
would be that the bristles Were The
product Of swine raised in England
Such is not the case by any means. On
the contrary. English hogs do not grow
bristles that the brush manufacturer:
can use with profit or economy. Rus
sian swine provide nearly all of the
bristles that are used in that business
everywhere. and they are imported
into this country from England. But
there are not SO many Russian bristles
used in the United States as formerly.
for the great Western hog market oi
our own country now supplies all that
are necessary for the commoner kinds
of brushes.
1.-The best bristles in the world, OK.
cept those which France supplies in
limited quantities. come from the vast
forests OF Northern Russia, those oi
the Ukraine being superior to others
OF that country. In no part OF the
world are there such endless supplies
OF mast, berry. acorn and conal trees
Their area covers thousands of miles,
which are unbroken forests of oak,
larch. beech, pine and other trees that
bear and drop the richest food for
swine, which swarm in the woods in a
half-wild state, guarded and looked
after by swineherds as wild as the
hogs themselves. 1t is not there and
in that state Of savagery that the hogs
give up their bristles to commerce, but
from these great droves the swine are
selected for the culture of the bristle
crop. for the hogs that are to furnish
it are treated and cared for with that
end in view. They are brought from
the northern wilds and pastured near
the great tallow factories OF Russia.
They are fed at certain seasons on the
refuse OF the tallow factories. which in
short time puts them in fine condi-
ton. The bristle crop is gathered in
the summer time, after the hogs
have been fed for months on
the tallOw refuse, are enor.
mously fat and in the desired
condition for plucking-for Russian
bristles are not the yield of dead hogs,
but are live the same as our own
geese feathers are. The swine are
driven into Enclosures until they are
packed in like sardines in box. They
plunge and kick and squeal in their
close quarters until they are heated to
q feverish condition of blood. That,
together with the state OF fatness they
are in. seems to loosen the roots of the |
bristles and the bristle pluckers pull |
them out more easily than q woman |
can pick the feathers from a goose.
Apparently the pulling out Of the
bristles is attended with no pain what
ever to the hog. When the hogs are
all plucked they are turned loose and
are at liberty to run at large in their
pastures until they grow new crop of
the material for which they are kept,
and the time arrives for tallOw.fatten.
ing them again for the next plucking.
Bristles from Russian hogs can always
be distinguished by little tuft of soft
wool at the roots. from a thick sub
stance of that kind that underlies the
roots OF the bristles in the hogs skin.
This is supposed to be provision of
nature for protecting the animals from
the vigorous weather that prevails in
Northern Russia, their natural habitat
France and Germany supply a
mall but valuable share of the bristles
lsed in the trade. The German peas
snts save every bristle that falls from
heir hogs. and their herds are watched
so that none of the valuable
shedding is lost They do not pluck. their
logs alive. but when a pig is killed
he first thing done is to secure the
'ristles. Collectors 60 about the coun-
ry in regular intervals purchasing the
'ristle hOardings Of the peasants.
produces more bristles than
france, but those of the latter country
xceed all others in value, although it I
las long been conjectured in the trade Z
hat large portion Of the bristles
old rs French are really the Russian
rticle. manipulated by . process {
;nown only to French bristle dealers.
'rench bristles are the white, beauti-
ones Of which choice
rushes for artists and painters are
,ade. Many sO-called camel's-hair
rushes are simply the French bristles,
Thich possess all the softness at the 9
and that peculiar springi-
ess that make the camel's hair SO val.
able. IC
whenever shoemaker is choosing 3
is bristles he never wants them over
x inches in length-the Russian grow
5 long as eight and ten inches-for
yer that length they do not have the
'ughness and firmness necessary for .
is use. Color il the chief thing 10 be .
|oked for in determining the value OF G
ristles for fine brushes. White bris-
es bring the highest price. White is
Dt their natural color, whiteness be-
x produced by much washing and :,
,mbing and skill!ul bleaching with =
llphur. Some bristles will not come
ay nearer white than a cream color,
Id they are the next in value. OH
's-and many others, It that-will
Pt consent 70, change from q dirty J;