Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-13
KANGAROO LEATHER
Keeps Growing in Popularity as an
Article of Foot Wear.
LEATHER AND HIDES STILL DULL.
Receipts of Grain and Hay Were Very
Heavy for the Week.
GENERAL FEATURES OF WEEKS TRADE
OFFICE OF PITTsBURG DISPATCH, I
SATURDAY. October IL, 1880.
Leather and Hides.

SATURDAY. October II, 1890.
Leather and Hides.
The hide and leather situation is practic-
ally the same as it was a week ago. If any
difference, markets are weaker Country
hides are very slow at the decline already
noticed in this column. Steer hides are
selling at Nc per pound below prices OF
three weeks ago. The current number OF
the Shoe and Leather Reuiew has this to say
of the situation as to Chicago hide market:
"The market is in very mixed and pecul-
lar condition. Each packer has his own
particular view of the situation in hides, and
acts accordingly. 1t is admitted that
stocks are not heavy in the hide cellars, as buy
ers have been actively picking up what they
wanted. Receipts are enormous; "a, 600 cattle
and calves arrived in Chicago last week-the
largest on record. Besides selling hides for i'm
mediate delivery. the packers seem anxious TO
sell futures to sustain markets"
The Fashionable Leather.
A Wood street shoe merchant said yesterday
that the most popular material for footwear
in the city is kangaroo skin. 1t comes pretty
high, but produces a good effect and possesses
excellent wearing qualities, having great
tenaclty of fiber and a thick, compact grain,
which offers effective resistance to water. Some
5000 kangaroo skins are received in Newark,
N. J.. every week, and all are tanned in one es-
tablishment in that city.
Australia and New Zealand furnish kangaroo
skins for the world. The kangaroos are cap
tured in Australia. Until about 1870 they were
killed and eaten in Australia, and their skins
cut up into shoestrings. But an Englfshman
named Brown in that year discovered the won
derful consistency of the grain in the leather,
and brought several thousand skins to this
country. He tried to sell them to the tanners,
but they were shy of the novelty, and he finally
sold them to a bookbinder at a sacrifice. The
bookbinder made triangular corner pieces for
lcdgers aud commercial books, and so discov-
cred the good quality of the leather. 1t was
in this way that the tEade became attracted to
the kangaroo leather.
The great popularity limited supply and
high cost of kangaroo leather has been an in
centive to tanners to find some substitute, and
after long experimenting limitations are being
made from horse hides. Light and spready
calfskins, classed as 'deacous,' are also largely
used for imitation kangaroo. and are very de-
sirable substitute. They can be sold at one
third the cost of the genuine.
In Cereal Lines.
1t will be seen by reference to domestic mar
ket column that receipts of grain and hay have
been unusually large both this week and last
and nearly 20 cars in excess of the correspond
ing period year ago. The marked feature of
the week mas been the great scarcity Oh shell
corn. On account of scarcity each day has
shown an advance in prices. Dealers report
that there is plenty on the way. and a check to
the upward movement is sure to come within
few days.
Notwithstanding liberal receipts oats are
still firm, and drift of markets is upward.
Receipts of oats for the two weeks past, as
bulletned at the Grain Exchange, were 1876
cars. Hay has weakened the past week owing
to heavy receipts. and prices are lower. as was
predicted in this column week ago. Packing
hay was very scarce last week, but now there is
plenty. There can be no shortage in the hay
supply, as this seasons yield beats all former
records.
In Produce Lines.
Among the features of the weeks trade are
the upward tendency of markets for choice
creamery butter and fresh eggs, and the
downward movement of garden stuff. The
weather has been very favorable to gardens in
this section, and as a result vegetables of all
kinds in abundant supply, with markets
lower all along the line. Tomatoes, cabbage.
turnips and radishes are seluom as low in price
at this season of the year. There have as yet
been no killing frosts in the vicinity of Pitts
burg and gardens are making up for lost time
in the spring, when weather was exceedingly
unfavoraDle to gardens. Things even up in the
wintry weather as an offset to the late
spring. The frosts that kill are usually
here before October. but this season is an ex
ception to the rule, as almost half of October is
gone without any damage from frost to our
home gardens. Tomatoes have been selling at
SOC per bushel for a few days past rare thing
at this season in this latitude. Turnips and
radishes are worth whatever they Will bring
The buyer can almost name his price. Choice
potatoes are almost as scarce as hens teeth.
Our market has been flooded of late with in
ferior stock. which does not yield enough to pay
freight. The wet fall has developed the potato
crop to an unusual degree, but tie growth has
been too rapid to furnish the right quality.
Liberty street commission merchant said: "The
potatoes we are receiving of late look very nice,
The outside is very nice. The potatoes are very
large, but they are like whited sepulchres with
a pretty outside and corrupt within" The
grape crop for this has passed its best and
prices are shade flrmer than last week.