The Cordova daily times., 1923-03-09
SkINNING OF A FOX

years, ana strange as IL Ildy SeelH, the trapper and fur farmer as a whole, have not learned to properly take a skin from an animal and pre- pare it for market.
 If you were to visit tannery and see the pelts as they come from the process of tanning, with the tails, ears, noses, feet and spots on the hide where the hair has come off in the process, you would under stand why we make this statement, and why we are stressing this point. Millions of dollars worth of fur are ruined annually, by reason of i'm proper handling at the time of skin- ming. Too much care cannot be taken in this important part of the process, and it will mean increased money values to the producer. The writer has always been able to con- mand the tip top prices for his furs; the one great factor in his success was the way in which his fur was handled at the time of skfnning and drying.
 The following suggestions do not cover every step in the process of preparing fox skin for market, but only the points which are commonly neglected. In skinning a fox, pro- ceeded in the usual way for cased skin, commencing at the heel of each hind foot and split to the vent, the feet must be skinned out, leaving the claws and first toe joint on the pelt. To skin out the toes split them on the under side and skin out to the first toe joint, then cut off and leave them on the pelt. In skinning out the front paws, the skin should be split from the knee down to the heel on the under side and the foot and toes removed as before stated, leaving the claws and front joint on the pelt.
 To skin out the tail, split it on the under side of the tail from the tip to the vent, remove the bone, and skin out the tail, being careful to leave no surplus meat or animal fat adhering to the skin. Draw the pelt down over the body in the usual way when you come to the feet proceed as directed, in removing the cars care should be used in cut ting the cuticle loose from the head close to the skull. Also in skinning out the eyes, caution should be used, not to pull the skin at this point, as it may tear this delicate membrane out of shape and damage the sale value of the skin. The skin should be cut loose from the head close to the bone, being careful not to dam age the lid, leaving it intact. Skin out the lips, leaving them on the pelt, and in removing the skin at the nose, cut the cuticle about one- fourth of an inch from the end of the nose, leaving the nose on the skin in perfect condition.
 The pelt now being removed from the animal, it should be carefully fleshed at once, using the utmost care to remove all surplus flesh and animal fat adhering to the skin, but do not damage the skin by scraping it too clean If this is not done the fur will slip from these spots in tanning: the grist1e of the ear should be carefully skinned out, and the ear turned inside out to dry.
 If the pelt is the least soiled it should be carefully washed in soap and water until perfectly clean, then rinsed repeatedly till there is no stain. Now put the skin on a stretcher and dry fur side out until the fur is perfectly dry, then turn it flesh side out and place on the stretching board, which must be loifo CiouSH to SCColIuloudlo CuS tail; now stretch the body of the skin properly, open the tail out flat, and clamp open, on the stretching board, by placing two small pieces of board about ten inches long on either side of the split. Open the feet out flat, now take two sticks. about eighteen inches long and in sert into the legs, raise the legs till they are at right angles to the body to dry. This is important as the hair under the leg at the should CT will slip in tanning if the leg is allowed to rest against it in drying.
 Now rub a pinch of dry salt into the feet, nose, tail and ears of the pelt, to assist in curing these parts properly; the ears must be turned inside out and so left till dry. When the skin is dry, that is, dry enough to hold it's shape we'll, or so that it will not lose its shape when removed