Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume X.djvu/283

 LEATHER 277 about two thirds of the whole for use. Eussia leather, such as is used in pocketbooks, trav- elling bags, &c., has long been highly popular in the United States and Europe, not only for its durability, but more especially for its pecu- liarly pleasant smell, which it retains after years of use and exposure. For these reasons it has always commanded a high price, and many American manufacturers have striven hard to make a close imitation of the genuine article. The leather is made of the ordinary Russian hides, which, as is the case in all cold climates where the pasturage is generally poor, are large and thin. These hides are tanned by a very slow process, generally in the weak liquor of the willow bark, which contains not more than 2 or 3 per cent of tannin. The leather has very little of the positive bark smell which may always be noticed in more thorough or more rapid tannages ; but to give it the particular odor by which it is distin- guished, what is called " birch bark tar" is used. The exact manner of using this tar, which is said to be simply a condensed ex- tract of birch bark, is held as a secret by the principal manufacturers in Russia, each one of them having especial modes of their own; but it is certain that they all depend upon this as the means of giving the pecu- liar odor which characterizes Russia leather. The willow bark used in tanning gives a dif- ferent color from any other tanning material, and it is supposed that in the finishing pro- cess the leather is laid away, after a liberal ap- plication of the birch bark tar, to become thoroughly impregnated with its peculiar odor. The importance of the leather industry in the United States, considering the amount of capital and labor employed in all its depart- ments, is next to that of agriculture. It is doubtful whether it holds this relative position in England, where the iron and cotton and wool interests are so large, or on the continent of Europe, where the consumption of leather in proportion to population is much less than in the United States. In all other parts of the world besides the United States and British North America, the British islands, eastern and southern Europe, and Australia, the pro- duction of leather is comparatively very small, and the product inferior; the raw hides and skins from the excluded sections form no small proportion of the stock from which leather is made in the countries named. The most com- plete statistics of the leather industry of the United States yet gathered were presented to congress in 1870, as made by Special Revenue Commissioner David A. Wells. The values created by the leading industries are computed as follows: agriculture, $3,282,950,000; rail- road service, $360,000,000 ; leather manufac- tures, $222,600,000; iron production, $119,- 950,000. The value of leather tanned and of leather manufactures, the number of hands em- ployed, and the amount added by labor to the value of the products, are given as follows : Value of leather tanned and dressed Deducting value of hides and skins used as raw material Value added by labor $124,760,069 66,581,114 $58,228,955 $246,252,000 180,169,608 Value of boots and shoes produced Deduct value of all materials used, inclu- ding leather Added value of boot and shoe industry $116,082,892 Value of other manufactures of leather, har- ness, hose, belting, bags, portemonnaies, &c Deduct value of materials, including leather. Added value of above industries $48,300,000 Number of hands employed in the manufac- ture of leather Employed in manufacture of boots and shoes Employed in other manufactures from leather $63,800,000 15,000,000 80,000 19,000 Total. RECAPITULATION. Value added to hides and skins in the manu- facture of leather $58,228,955 Value added in manufacture of boots and shoes Value added in other manufactures from leather 48,300,000 Total added value $222,641,847 The value of product in the manufacture of leather is apportioned as follows : Raw material $66,531,114 Supplies and repairs 24,828,955 Labor 20,000,000 Capital 18,900,000 Total $124,760,069 The value of the product of the boot and shoe industry is apportioned as follows : Eaw material $180,169,608 Supplies and repairs 9,373,959 Capital 24,625,000 Labor 82,088,438 Total $246,252,000 The above statistics were made on a basis of currency prices, with gold at 25 per cent, premium. By far the larger proportion of the industry to which these figures relate is car- ried on east of the Alleghany mountains ; and while the leather manufacture is of no slight importance in Kentucky and the states north of the Ohio, comparatively little is done in this business anywhere on the Pacific slope. The leather made in all the New England states, and a large portion of that made in New York, finds its principal market in Boston, which is the leading upper-leather market in the United States, and does a large business in sole leather. The following comparative state- ment, including receipts from New York city, and receipts of rough leather which is sent again to the tanneries nearer Boston to be finished, and thus appears twice in the receipts, represents the business of that city :