Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-05-14

How the World l. Ransacked for suitable
Material.

WHAT OLOVES AhE MADE Of
How the World l. Ransacked for suitable
Material.
aMany Of the gloves that are sold in
this country under the comprehensive
title of kid" said glove manufacture
err, fare really made Of goatskin. There
is hardly a country in the world that
does not supply some sort of materials
which are made into gloves, and many
of which pass for kid in the retail
stores. The supply of kidskins of the
finest quality is naturally limited. The
greater part is absorbed In the manu-
facture Of women's gloves. Mems
gloves, therefore, are frequently made
Of fine lambskin, which is better than
the second-rate kid The genuine,
fine kidskins are mainly of French
origin. and those obtained from the
mountain slopes of Southern France
are world-famed for their excellence.
All the best conditions of climate, air,
and diet appear to unite in exactly the
degree required to secure perfection in
this district. Nowhere else are the
conditions equally favorable, although
kidskins of great excellence are pro-
duced throughout the mountain ranges
of Southern Europe. Their production
is the principal industry among the
| mountaineers.
"Great pains must be taken to secure
the softness and delicacy of texture
and freedom from blemish which form
the value of the kidskins. The diet is
the most important factor, and moth
er's milk is required to keep the kid in
perfect condition. If the animal is al
lowed to eat grass, its value declines,
as the skin Immediately begins to grow
harder and coarser in texture. To keep
the skin in perfect condition, the young
kid is kept closely penned and care,
fully guarded against injury from
scratches, bruises, and so on. As soon
as the kids have reached the age at
which their skins are in the best con-
dition for the glover, they are killed,
and the skins are sold to travelling
peddlers, who bear them to the great
centers of the tanning industry at
Grenoble Annonay, Milhau, and Paris.
"Fine lambskins are raised in great
quantities in Southern Europe and
throughout Hungary, Servia, Bulgaria,
and Roumania. The American glove
makers buy most of their lambskins at
Vienna and Muhlburg.
London is the chief market of all
the miscellaneous skins. Here may be
found the Cape sheepskins, tough and
durable, from the Cape of Good Hope !;
colt and calfskins from Buenos Ayres
and other cities of South America; hog
skfns IRON MEXICO ana BfaZfT; ante
lope from India, Brazil, Colorado, and
Africa. OF late years many of these
skins have been brought directly to
New York, and American buyers no
longer find it necessary to go to Lon
don. While fine lambskins arc the
staple in mems gloves, coltskins are
rapidly coming into favor, and fine
calfskinsi are also extensively used.
Each has a grain peculiar to itself,
which, while not visible to the ordinary
buyer, can be instantly perceived by
the expert.
"Calfskins are good-looking. soft, and
pliable, but are apt to crack. This
fault is not found in coltskins, which
are durable and handsome, and in
many respects make model gloves.
The wrinkles are Objectionable, but
these disappear when the glove is on
the hand. The Jacks of Venezuela
contribute the majority of deerskins at
present. The castor comes from tho
antelopes of the West. Heavy leather
gloves are obtained from elks. Hog
skins are used to moderate extent.
Patnas or Calcutta OK hides are also
used.
Every invoice of heavy skins con-
tains more or less curiosities, and the
kind of leather that will be evolved
from q stray moose, muskox, llama, or
kangaroo skin depends upon the skins
that accompany it. Dogskins are oc-
casionally made up into gloves, but
their use is very uncommon. Every
thing that goes by the name of dog
skin nowadays is likely to be Cape
sheep. Ratskin gloves are about as
frequent as rat sautes in Chinese laun-
dres. - Ne,o York Sun.