HIDES AND PELTS.
GREEN HIDES -- CONDITION -- SCORES -- PROD POLE DAMAGE -- CLEAN
FLOORS -- LEATHER YIELDS -- PATTERN -- PROPER STORAGE FOR HIDES --
GRADING -- GRUBS IN HIDES -- SALT TO BE USED -- BUILDING OF PACKS OF
HIDES -- TRIMMING OF GREEN HIDES -- SWITCHES -- SHRINKAGE OF HIDES --
SHEEP PELTS.
=Green Hides.=--Next in value to the beef is the hide and the handling,
curing, etc., of this particular part of the animal, until it is ready
to be delivered requires careful attention to obtain the best results.
For convenience in handling green hides a special hide truck, shown in
Fig. 51, is usually employed. The platform of the truck is 3¹⁄₂ × 5¹⁄₂
feet, with a 1¹⁄₄ inch hardwood plank eight inches high on one side and
on front end. The wheels are about eighteen inches in diameter.
[Illustration: FIG. 51.--HIDE TRUCK FOR CARTING BEEF HIDES.]
=Condition.=--The first consideration, of course, is the condition of
the hide. There has been marked improvement in recent years in the
handling of hides. Formerly, where unskilled workmen were killing only
a few cattle daily, or weekly, they did not become proficient in the
removal of hides and the hide was more or less damaged by scores and
cuts. When cattle are killed in large numbers it is necessary to make
a division of labor, and instead of one man doing many parts of the
work, he simply does one part continuously, and hence becomes very
skillful; the “take-off” of the hide, particularly, is improved. That
this condition is appreciated by tanners is evidenced by the difference
in price paid for country and packers hides; the tanners paying from
³⁄₄c to 1c more per pound for packers hides because the hide has been
properly taken off, while a country hide, which is usually taken off
by workmen less skilled has been cut and scored, the scores being
particularly objectionable.
=Scores.=--A score in a hide is made by cutting into it when removing,
far enough to damage the grain of the leather, and when it comes from
the tannery, scores show very plainly and in many cases one-half of
the thickness of the leather is lost by this defect. Hides taken off
properly, should not show these imperfections, in fact, should be as
smooth as though slipped off the animal, were that possible, instead
of by a knife, and with skilled workmanship such is the case. One
man doing one particular operation continuously, the “take-off” of
hides has been so improved that less than ten hides out of a thousand
are found to be “No. 2” quality when taken out of the cellar in a
well-regulated house.
The “take-off” of the hides particularly should be watched by the
killing foreman and the workmen’s attention drawn to the slightest
defects continuously, as much depends upon the reputation a house
may have for its take-off. Many of the small scores which are found
to materially damage the hide when tanned are invisible when the
hide is taken out of the packer’s cellar, as owing to discoloration,
salt, etc., it is impossible to see many of them, but they are all
visible when the leather is turned out. Consequently, if a house has
a reputation for bad “take-off,” buyers usually aim to buy the hides
from a plant with a good take-off. Hence it will be seen that in this
particular department it means a great deal to have a good reputation
for “take-off.”
[Illustration: FIG. 52.--DIAGRAM OF HIDES.]
=Prod Pole Damage--Clean Floors.=--Outside of the “take-off” there are
several other points which should be watched carefully on the killing
floor in the handling of this particular article. The hides should not
be damaged with prod poles by the men handling cattle in the pens. The
floors should be kept as clean as possible, especially where the cattle
are thrown out of the knocking pens, as blood is very objectionable
on the hides. It is liable to cause decomposition when the hide is in
pack, and if it does sufficiently for the hair to slip on the hides,
it becomes a “No. 2.” Another bad feature is that a bloody hide will
discolor the flesh side of the skin next to it in pack, and it is
always advisable to get the hides out as bright and clean as possible,
as buyers prefer them so.
Another reason why they should be kept as dry as possible is that
the hides are weighed as taken off for general record and also for
estimating the cost of the beef. If the hides are allowed to get wet
they will absorb four or five pounds per hide, which if deducted from
the calculations, will represent a false credit of 40c or 50c per
head on the cattle. It is best to keep them as dry as possible, so
that weights used for figuring and record purposes may be accurate.
If the hides go into the packs excessively wet, when shipped, they
will necessarily show an excess shrinkage from green to cured weights,
causing confusion as to actual shrinkage.
=Leather Yields.=--While it is advisable to have hides carry as much
moisture as is acceptable to the buyer, it is not profitable to
have them too wet, as the buyers watch such matters and if a lot of
hides from a certain house do not show the yield in leather which
they should, purchases made after that from such a house are made
proportionate to the yield, hence the additional weight that may be
gained is more than lost in the price realized. There is a happy medium
to be sought in this matter where the seller gets all that he is
entitled to and the buyer is satisfied with the yield he obtains.
=Pattern.=--The diagram, Fig. 52, shows the pattern of a packing house
hide and, as nearly as can be indicated on paper, it shows the part
removed by each workman.
=Proper Storage for Hides.=--This is a point usually not given due
consideration, some packers reasoning that as long as their hides are
in a building, little else is to be considered. The following figures
which are accurate, will give the reader an idea of the loss that lack
of attention in this particular matter may represent. It will be noted
that the test extends over a period of one year, representing a test on
a total of 198,341 hides.
A total of 87,587 hides were cured in house _No. 1_, which consists
of a cellar under refrigerated rooms. While no attempt was made to
refrigerate this room there was a natural radiation to the floor above
which held the temperature at from 55° to 60° F. in hot weather. There
were but two openings in the cellar and naturally little circulation
of air, hence the moisture of the cellar was retained and the hides
show a shrinkage of 14.74 per cent from the green weight on bed to
shipping weight.
SHRINKAGE OF HIDES FOR YEAR ENDING AUG. 1, 1903, IN HOUSE NO. 1.
=================+======+=========+=========+=========+=======
| | | | |Shrink-
| | | | Shrink- | age,
| | Green | Cured | age, | per
Kind |Number| weight | weight | lbs. | cent
-----------------+------+---------+---------+---------+-------
Free of brands |41,870|3,328,133|2,842,542| 485,591| 15.59
Butt brands | 6,087| 507,684| 432,722| 74,962| 14.77
Side brands |13,190|1,078,959| 927,835| 151,124| 14.06
Spreadies | 2,376| 215,676| 190,286| 25,390| 11.79
Texas |11,285| 871,573| 731,165| 140,408| 16.11
H’y native cows | 8,029| 592,338| 500,935| 91,403| 15.43
Light native cows| 2,759| 150,995| 127,108| 23,887| 15.82
Branded cows | 1,991| 128,269| 107,563| 20,706| 16.14
-----------------+------+---------+---------+---------+-------
Totals |87,587|6,873,627|5,860,156|1,013,471| 14.74
-----------------+------+---------+---------+---------+-------
SHRINKAGE OF HIDES FOR YEAR ENDING AUG. 1, 1903, IN HOUSE NO. 2.
===============+=======+=========+=========+=========+=======
| | | | |Shrink-
| | | | Shrink- | age,
| | Green | Cured | age, | per
Kind | Number| weight | weight | lbs. | cent
---------------+-------+---------+---------+---------+-------
Free of brands | 34,192|2,692,615|2,262,426| 430,189| 15.98
Butt brands | 14,279|1,174,093| 977,943| 196,150| 16.71
Side brands | 17,302|1,451,850|1,198,925| 252,925| 17.42
Spreadies | 3,969| 363,233| 307,410| 55,823| 15.37
Native bulls | 1,362| 127,910| 103,263| 24,627| 19.27
Branded bulls | 252| 25,885| 21,761| 4,124| 15.93
H’y native cows| 8,222| 576,313| 472,938| 103,375| 17.94
Texas | 5,247| 395,620| 324,100| 71,520| 18.08
L’t native cows| 14,895| 841,481| 709,181| 132,300| 15.72
Branded cows | 11,034| 694,503| 574,669| 119,834| 17.25
---------------+-------+---------+---------+---------+-------
Totals |110,754|8,343,503|6,952,616|1,390,867| 16.67
---------------+-------+---------+---------+---------+-------
A total of 110,754 of these hides were cured in house _No. 2_. This
was on the first floor of the building and no refrigeration was used
in any of the departments. There were several openings into this
room, permitting the outside air to circulate through the building
and a great deal of moisture naturally absorbed. It will be noted by
comparing the reports that the shrinkage in this cellar was 16.67 per
cent from the green weight to the shipping weight, showing an excess
of 1.83 per cent, which would show a loss of 154,686 pounds. This,
at an average of 10c per pound, would indicate a loss of $15,468.60
sustained by having this number of hides in this particular cellar, as
against what would have been realized had they shown no more shrinkage
than those in house _No. 1_, so that it will readily be seen that it is
of vital importance to the owner to see that the hides are stored in
suitable storage, that there is as little circulation as possible of
outside air through this department, and that all doors and openings
are kept closed as much as possible. This is paramount, in case hides
are sold, seller’s weights, at works. On long shipments involving many
transfers and exposures, the matter is not of such consequence.
=Grading.=--This is a question which must be governed largely by the
local conditions. Many small killers find it profitable to sell their
hides without selections, rather than to try to make the different
selections with a comparatively limited number to select from, whereas,
where cattle are killed in large numbers it is advisable to make just
as many selections as is profitable, being governed, of course, at all
times by the market quotations and demands. The usual grades of hides
are termed as follows:
_Natives._--Native steer hides are hides from native steers which
are free of brands. Another selection of natives is what is called
“spreadies,” which are hides taken from native cattle free of brands,
cuts, scores, or grubs and must be six feet four inches wide at the
shoulders.
_Texas._--This is the term used to designate all hides taken off
southern cattle where the hide is very thick and heavy. Brands are not
taken into consideration on these selections.
_Butt Brands._--These are either natives or western hides which are
branded on the butts.
_Colorados._--These are hides from the western cattle, which are too
thin for Texas and are branded on the sides.
A distinction is also made in all these hides as to weights, sixty-one
pounds and up being heavy, sixty pounds and below being light and fifty
pounds and below being extra light.
Cow hides are selected as natives and branded cows; bull hides as
natives and branded bulls. While all bull hides are not sold as such,
hides with a thick neck or pate are sold under this term.
=Grubs in Hides.=--There are two cattle “bot-flies” or “warble-flies,”
as they are often termed. One of these (_Hypoderma lineata_) is found
in the United States, being found more frequently in the southern part
of the country. The adult is about the size of a honey bee. The female
deposits her eggs in summer in the region of the heel of the animal,
causing very much discomfort. In licking the irritated spot the eggs
are taken into the mouth of the animal and hatched, the larvae entering
the esophagus or gullet and finally working their way into the cellular
tissue beneath the skin of the back. In early spring they develop,
forming lumps known as “warbles,” and become what are known as “grubs.”
After working their way through the skin they drop to the ground, into
which they burrow and pupate, finally emerging as adult flies. The
damage caused by these insects to the hides amounts to millions of
dollars per year, as in general practice five grub holes constitute a
“No. 2” hide, on which there is a deduction of one cent per pound.
According to the rules of the trade, Texas and branded cows are grubbed
from November 1 to June 1, Colorados are grubbed from December 1 to
June 1, native steers, native bulls and native cows are grubbed from
January 1 to June 1. No allowance is made after June 1 for grubs in
hides taken off after that date.
=Salt To Be Used.=--The kind of salt generally used in large plants
for this purpose is a rock salt, which is a mined product run through
crushers and screens. Large lumps are more or less objectionable and if
allowed to be used will injure the appearance of the hide. Hides in a
pack weigh very heavily per cubic foot and the lower hides are subject
to a considerable pressure, or weight. Large lumps of salt between the
hides in the pack make bad looking indentations, although they do not
necessarily injure the hides for tanning purposes.
Three parts of rock salt and one part of fine salt make a very good
combination. The fine salt quickly forms a moisture which the hides
will absorb, preventing quite a perceptible shrinkage as shown by
careful tests. When a pack of hides is taken up the “second salt” is
saved and by using one-third new with two-thirds of old salt it can be
used over. It will be found that this addition of new salt about makes
up for the loss in salt that is dissolved in the pack during the curing
process.
Salt for the hides should be kept clean. If there is a great deal of
manure and dirt mixed with the salt, it discolors the hides, injuring
their appearance. When the salt is found to be dirty and out of
condition it is advisable to screen it, using a screen same as is
used for screening sand. The salt is thrown against the screen, the
finer salt will sift through and the coarser salt, dirt, etc., will
gather at the bottom of the screen. Salt that has been through the
screen will be found comparatively clean and ready for use; that which
has not passed through should be washed. While this will dissolve a
considerable amount of it, it will, at the same time, wash out most
of the impurities. If handled in the above manner, a careful workman
should be able to salt hides with from thirty-one to thirty-five pounds
of salt per hide.
=Building of Packs of Hides.=--Packing hides is an operation which
should receive close and careful attention. In the building of the
pack, the outer edges should be kept high all the way around, so that
the center of the pack will hold liquid. When the pack is finished it
should be leveled off at the top so that it will be as near even as
possible. The natural moisture in the hides, together with the salt,
will form a liquor which the hides absorb, and if the pack is built
slanting, so as to allow the liquid to pass off, it will be found
that the hides are continuously drawing on the sides, and when they
are taken up the shrinkage from green weights will be considerably in
excess of those from packs properly built.
=Trimming of Green Hides.=--Before the hides are packed they should be
examined for brands, etc., and be distributed to their proper packs,
according to assortment. The switch is cut off from the tail, any
loose ends of the hides are trimmed off and the ears split. Unless
this is done, it makes an uneven pack on account of the thickness of
the ears; furthermore the salt does not have a chance to penetrate the
ears and they are liable to spoil. Any loose pieces of meat that the
butchers may have left on the hide should be taken off, as well as any
excess amount of fat. The hides after being trimmed should be allowed
to lay for three to five hours to cool. If the hides are put into the
pack without doing this, it is likely that, when the pack is taken
up, some hides will be found on which the hair has slipped; these are
necessarily No. 2 hides, and as the uniform rule is 1c per pound less
for No. 2’s than for No. 1’s, it will show a loss of approximately 50c
to 60c per hide. Another bad feature of having “slip-hides” is the fact
that if the buyer finds them at all, he is always suspicious that there
are others in the pack which are out of condition, that he has not
seen, and that they will come out of the tannery with unsatisfactory
results.
When hides are put in the pack, extreme care should be used to see
that _every part_ of the hide is exposed to salt. The legs should
be straightened out flat and the pates thoroughly spread, so that
the salt may reach every part. Hides should lie in pack and salt for
from twenty-five to thirty days before they are fully cured. At the
expiration of this time they are ready for shipment, and are taken out
of salt, inspected and each one rolled into a bundle and tied.
=Switches.=--The switches should be spread out on the floor and given
a thorough chance to cool off, when they are thrown into a pack by
themselves and heavily salted. They should be watched closely, as there
is unavoidably considerable blood and moisture in them, and if any sign
of heating is found they should be overhauled and resalted.
=Shrinkage of Hides.=--No set rule can be made as to how much hides
will actually shrink, but if the foregoing directions are followed
closely and intelligently the shrinkage may be kept at the minimum,
which will usually range from 12 to 15 per cent. This is governed
largely, as before stated, by the amount of water which the hides take
up on the killing floor, which if weighed with the hide will nearly all
seep out when put into the packs and cause an excess shrinkage from the
original green weights. Further the storage has a great deal to do with
it, but if proper care is taken the shrinkage should be kept within the
figures given.
=Sheep Pelts.=--The handling of sheep pelts, especially in hot weather,
requires careful attention. The pelts, as soon as taken off, should
be spread out in a room where it is as cold as possible without being
refrigerated, and allowed to cool off for at least twelve hours before
salting. This is especially necessary when the animal slaughtered has
a very heavy fleece; with shearlings there is little or no necessity
for taking this precaution. Fleece skins, however, hold the heat, so
that when put into a pack and salted, if not properly cooled, they soon
begin to warm and decompose, and as soon as the wool slips, the leather
of the skin is ruined.
After the pelts have been spread out and allowed to thoroughly chill,
as suggested, they should be salted in piles not to exceed thirty
inches high by putting one skin on top of another, flesh side up, and
using a fine solar salt, care being taken that they are thoroughly
salted around the heads and leggings. After they have been in salt
for a week, it is well, especially in warm weather, to overhaul them,
shifting the packs so that when through, the top pelts are on the
bottom and vice versa. After they have lain in salt for two weeks they
are ready for shipment.