The modern packing house

by F. W. Wilder

—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.