The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-12-31
LEATHER IS NEEDED
SO SAVE ALL HIDES
It Is Quite Profitable to Skin All
Animals Carefully.
Tanner Pays More for Packers Hides
Than for Those Obtained From
Farmers-Proper Storage
Is Of Importance.

prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.)
The present very urgent demand for
leather in the industries and the In
crease in price which unsecured hides
bring on the market emphasizes the i'm
portanee and even necessity Of exer-
cising the utmost care Id removing
skins from farm animals. By devot-
ing a little extra time necessary in
skinning animals carefully possibly
only three to five minutes in taking off
the skin of a calf, or Is minutes in
the case of a beef hide-the value of
the hide may be increased several
times. The tanner pays more foH
packers hides than for those from
farmers or country slaughterers. This
is due in part to better facilities In the
large packing houses for curing and
storage of hides, but principally to
the fact that such hides have been
taken off properly. Country hides re-
moved by unskilled workmen are often
: cut and scored. When such hides
come from a tannery, scores show very
plainly, and in many cases .one-half Of
the thickness of the leather is lost by
such defects. Imperfectiohs can be
avoided by the careful use Of the skin
ming knife, by keeping the hides clean
and free from blood and by proper
storage and packing.
The use of the knife may be avoid
ed by taking off ealfskins, except on
the head, neck, legs and tanks, as the
body skin may be drawn or listed of.
Where the knife is used, the skin
should be drawn taut with one hand,
while the knife is used with the other,
special care being taken to hold the
hack Of the blade close to the skin. In
lieu of the knife some butchers use a
wooden stick shaped like mans
thumb and employ knife only on ths
portions of the body mentioned.
1t is Objectionable to have blood on
the hides, particularly in the summer
time, as it is likely to cause the hair
to slip from rotting or decomposition
when the hides are packed and the
placing of otherwise good hides In the
No. 2 grade on the market.
Care should be taken to avoid plac-
ing any hides in the pack until they
are free from animal heat. Allow them
to lie folded for from three to five
hours, or sufficiently long to allow the
animal heat to get out of them. If
ms Is not done, patches of decompo-
sition may result and such hides are
OFTEN reduced in market value at least
cent or more pound.
In building up a pack of hides the
outer edges should be kept a little
higher than the middle, so that the
liquor or brine formed by the dissolv-
ing of the salt in the natural moist
pre of the hides may be absorbed by
them. If the pack is low on one side,
or Is built slanting like a shed roof.
the brine will seep up, causing the
nides to shrink In weight. Use salt
that has been screened and is free
from large Jumps and dirt. Dirty
salt VIII stain the fresh sides of
hides. One pound of salt to each
pound OF the hide is the general rule.
Hides should remain in pack from 10
e ~ days and stored in cool $50 to
% degrees Fahrenheit) cellars from
which the outside air is excluded.