The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-11-07
ABOUT MY LADY's FURs.
WHENCE THEY COME AND HOW
THEY ARE DRESSED.
The ArisfocrafIc seal Must Undergo a
Very Careful Process--Ths East
Nies with the West la
supplying Them

III inc great tut ihutE Ab Nhc tuici
of them. Nj nj Novgorod. not so long
ago one daring trader cornered tho
market on Persian lamb. buying tho
whole product at something like fifteen
cents the skin. Within n year astrak
han was the rage. and the spcculator
sold out at about 200 per cent profit
The fur takes It's name from the Prov
ince OF Astrakhan. in which huge
ilocks Of curly sheep are kept wholly
for the sake OF their skins. Those OF
them that the furrior loves die young
lin fifteen minutes OF birth. Their
skins come In huge bales 10 the weird
eastern city that is tho largest entire
pot on earth for such unsavory mer-
chandise.
For there you got. too, sable, lynx.
otter. the rare blue and silver fox
Siberian wolf. not TO mention dog and
goat skins for rugs. Both the last
two animals sre bred extensively
throughout Mantchooria. Indeed, dog
ranching Is leading industry. A
Mantchoo bellies dowry is SO many dogs
and bales OF their skins.
Next 10 this source OF supply comes
the Hudson Bay Company. says the
n. Y. Recorder Afterward the agen-
cies scattered over the western and
northern United States. Though fur
bearing animals are plenty enough in
the south. their hair is not close and
fine enough TO give the skins CONNER
cial value American furs come chiefly
from the bear otter lynx. mink,
beaver skunk and muskrat Opossum
and coon skins arc likewise native,
but hardly worth mention among lead
ing sorts.
II America furnishes the raw ma
terial YOU must go 10 London for the
trimmings Tho fresh skins, packed
in salt. all 20 there for finishing.
Whether owing TO trade secrets jeal-
ously guarded or some peculiar quail
ity OF Thames water no man can say,
but the fact remains that sealskin
London dyed Is unapproachable for
softness gloss good color and wear
ing quality
To secure all these is work Of
time and patience. The short vel
vety pile Is over-grown sparsely with
long gray-whito hairs. They are
pluckcd out one by one with tweezers.
Then the prepared skin is stretched,
fur side up on cloth board, and dye
applied with brush evenly over its
surface Great care is necessary to
keep the cooring matter from reach
ing the skin-it would rot and ruin IT,
Three coats arc needed TO give the
rich tone known as "seal brown,
which Is as unlike rs possible 10 the
natural lightish brown gray. After
the last coat il dry the skin passes 10
an especially skilled worker who
looks il all over; II there are bad
spots he cats them out and deftly
sets in 4 good bit IN place of them,
and finally decides what manner Of
garment win best come out OF il; also
from what sections shall be cut par
ticular parts. The matching fur rs
IL is called. is nice operation. In
All animals there is a wide difference
both Of growth thickness and color
between the middle part which covers
the backbone, and the edges. Hence
the wrong side Of any fur garment
looks pretty much like war map or
the plot of new suburban town.
The right must match 10 n hair and
only thus can that result be brought
about
Nearly all sorts OF skins 90 through
the Same process Presumably they
como into the drcssers' hands dry and
hard The first thing Is TO soak them
in warmish water till they are rs soft
as the day they left their original oc-
cupants. Thcn they arc carefully
ileshed with blunt knife tho edges
trimmed. and put by dozens into u big
drum that steam keeps revolving at a
lively rate Sawdust is packed thickly
over and through them as they go In.
| For common furs oak or pine will do.
j Fine ones get sawdust from cedar
mahogany rosewood, walnut or box
wood. The last is so high priced that
! IL is reserved for sable and ermine.
For ten hours or more the wheels
60 merrily round skins and sawdusi
churning about inside. Next rs they
come out each pelt Is rubbed literally
on the hair side with rancid butter
the stronger the better After that il
Is pulled mhny times diagonally over
blunt knife fixed above the work
mans head. This Is 10 secure pliancy
and an even grain. The final curing
process Is packing them In other re.
volving drums with lour instead %
sawdust for another tcn-hour dance.
Here, too sable and ermine assert
their aristocratic supremacy. They
are given ~ bath OF corn starch.
Ermine edged the knights robe
bordcrcd the kings mantle and tn,
queens robes Of state. For such pur
poses il was spotted with small blacl
tails skillfully sewn In. Their mum
Der. rs well as the width OF band al
lowablc was strictly "A matter for cour
regulation.
The wherefore OF this four bath i
90 remove supernuous grease. Th'
finished skins are shaken or beatcl
free OF 1t and 60 on TO those who ca
and sow them.
Theirs should be- q well-paid oecu
patton. certainly II Is q mighty uncom
Portable one. For summer is the sea
son OF it-and think OF sewing sen
capes and bear boas with the Their
momcter at 80. The work requires
high degree OF skill and Is fairly lucra
tive. For long II was regarded a
wholly the province OF tho han'
worker, but the ingenuity OF invcnior