Another process is to steep the skins in a liquid containing bran, alum, and salt, in order to cleanse them from greasiness, and then to apply a preparation of soap and soda, which removes a kind of oil formed in the fur itself. Finally the skin is washed in clear water and dried, when it is found to be dressed and converted into thin soft leather. This is all that is necessary to prepare them for the cutter, whose office it is to cut out the variously shaped pieces, and sew them together to make the different articles. The cutting requires much skill to avoid waste. From a great number of similar skins parts of the same shades of color are selected, and thus each muff, mantle, or other article is made to present a uniform color. The seams are concealed by the lining with which the furs are finished. For the treatment of fur skins used for felting, see Hat.-Furs are subject to injury by moths, which deposit their eggs at the roots of the fine hairs, and as soon as the worm is hatched it begins its work of destruction. They will also decay if exposed to moisture. To preserve furs, therefore, it is necessary to keep them dry and well aired, and to protect them from moths.

The latter object is often accomplished by frequently beating the furs and keeping them in a camphor-wood or cedar-wood trunk or apartment, or by sprinkling them with camphor, tobacco, or powdered cedar or sandal wood. Some of the largest dealers find that the most effective method for preserving furs from moths is simply to beat them about once a month with a rattan.

+ Including 694.213 at the January sale. ¶ Including 61,044 at the January sale.