Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-06-12
WHAT oLovEs ARE MADE or.


now the world Is Ransacked for Suit
able Material to Coter Our Hands.
MANY of the gloves that are sold i
this country under the coinprehensiv
title of kid" Daid glove manufact
urer, "are really made Of goatskin
There Is hardly country in the worlC
that does not supply some sort of ma
teriaIs which are made up into gloves
and many Of which pass for kid in the
retail stores. The supply of kidskin'
of the finest quality is naturally limited
The greater part is absorbed in the
manufacture of women's gloves. Men:
gloves. therefore. are frequently made
OF fine lambskin, which is better than
= the second rate kid.
The genuine, fine kidskins are main
ly of French origin, and those obtained
from mountain slopes of southern
France are world famed for their ex-
cellence 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 favor
able. although kidsllins of great excel
Ience are produced throughout the
mountain ranges of southern Europe.
Their production is the principal indus
try 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 kid skins. The diet is the
most important factor and mothers
milk is required to keep the kid in per
feet condition. If the animal is allowed
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 carefully
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 condition 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, Nilhau
and Paris
"Fine lambskins are raised in great
quantities in southern Europe, and
throughout Hungary, Servia, Bulgaria
- z. Roumania. The American glove
3 eers buy most of their lambskins al
Sfenna or 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 calf skins from Buenos Ayres
and other cities of South America;
hogskins from Mexico and Brazil; an
telope 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 are the
staple in mems gloves, coltskins are
rapidly coming into favor, and fine
calfskins are also extensively used.
Each has 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 the
antelopes of the west Heavy leather
gloves are obtained from the ellIs
Hogskins are used to a moderate ex
tent. Patnas, or Calcutta OK hides, are
also used.
EVERY invoice of heavy skins con
aims more or less curiosities, and the
Kind of leather that will be evolved
from 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 dogskin
nowadays is likely to be Cape sheep.
Ratskin gloves are about as frequent as
rat sautes in Chinese laundries. New
York Sun.