d:\ ,1 'M !

' FOR THE PEOPLE
FOR EDVCATION
FOR SCIENCE

LIBRARY

OF

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM

OF

NATURAL HISTORY

THE WATER BUFFALO

THE

WATER BUFFALO

( Often called The ^Mud "Biifdlo)

ITS CH.lRJCrERISTICS ^yfJ^D HABirs

rogETHE'R^ irTTH

^Ji 'VESCRIPTIO:'^, OF THE

TRETJRATIO:?^^ OF FTS HIDE

FOX. '-^CAKJ^K^
^AJrHWE l^OOM TICKE'RJ

BY

H. P. (iARLAND

I'l'HLISHEl) B\'

(JARLAND MANUFACTLIRING CO.

SACO, MAINE

; I I '; ;

' >

Giirliind •Shduiiifiiituring Qu.,
Slim, ^Ciiine
^'i . 157 371- A-*5'*^

•^^vi...

Smith & Porter Prrss, Inc., Boston, Man.

Tiiblc of Q 0)1 tents

Prkfack

CHAPTER I

Till \\',\ 11 K IJUFFAI.O

The Wild Buffalo — The Domesticated Buffalo — Its Appear-
ance— Its Habits — Dangerous hut Timid

CHAPTER n

The Bl^kkaia) a Bkasi o\ Biirdkn

It Excels in the Rice Fields — Di-.advantages of the Buffalo —
Buffalo Horns— Buffalo Milk

CHAPTER III

Domes Fic Hides Unsuitable for Loom Pk kers :; :;

Buffalo Hides Make Poor Leather — Make the Best Loom
Pickers — yualit\' Varies According to Living Conditions —
Disease and Famine Increase Supply — Dr\ ing of the Hides
Important — Collecting and Marketing Hides

CHAPTER IV

Preparafiox of Hides for Loom Pick-FRs . . 47

English Prepared Hides Are Best — Our Hide. Skillfully Prepared
— Rawhide Waste — Why Pickers Should Be Seasoned —
Seasoned Pickers in Stock — Catalogue Sent

Preface

An cxpcnou'c of /iiiiin' vfi/rs //t/s s/io-xoi i<s tluit />iit few
of f/iosc \i'ho use rciwlmic loom /vckcrs iirc fii//ii//iir \c/t/i
the nititcridl of ic/iic/i t/icv urc //iiiilc, icfuc/i Iciuls lis to lic-
licvc tlhit d ilcscripttoii of tlic hiiffii/o, its luiluts iiiul clnir-
(ictcnstifs, the nun'kctni^ of its liidcs iiiul tlicir prcf^iirdt.'oii
for loom flickers mdv provr iiitcn'st/iii^.

T licrc is hut little piihlishctl dl'oiit the hitff'dlo, usidc from
d tcchiiicdl description of the duinnil iiiid its luihitdt, so tluit
it hds heeii iieeessdrv for us to go for iiiforiiuitiou to
those -who hiio-ic the hiiffdlo in its luitrve surroundings und
to those \cho luindle its hides. The suhiect nnitter of the
following fdges Ihis, therefore, Itirgely heen ohtnined from
life-long residents of the I\ir Enst iind huffnlo hide mer-
chiints in hoth the Orient nnd Engliind. The U. S. bom-
meree Reports hiive also furnished interesting information,
tind ii persoiiiil nrvestigiition hv the nuthor on the spot luis
brought out much tluit is interesting und is responsihle for
most of the pictures with which this hook is illiistriited.
T he infor/iiiition concerning the interhreciling of domestic
cuttle with the humped Lnduin Ciittle is given hv a refre-
sentiitrce of ^ImeriCiin puching interests in Texiis und
South .Imericii.

It IS helieved tluit this little hook gives much informa-
tion not before genera ll\ known, and if it succeeds in prov-
ing of interest to those who use '''huff ah/' or rawhide loom
pickers, it will have accomplished its purpose.

iiarland Miinitfacturing Co.

S,iia, Me., January, 1'I22

g

Qhdptcr I

THE WAiER BUFFALO

( Often i.illcd Tin- -Mi/.l f.uff.ilu )

1"^! IE water or mud luiffalo (/'///'(////,f hnffclus), trom
whose hide rawliide Iddhi pickers are made,
inhabits the Malav Arcliipelago and southern
China, and is also found in the Pliilippines. It should
not he confounded with the so-called American Init-
falo, which is not a hLiffalo hut a hison, differing from
the true buffalo both in appearance and anatomy.

THE WILD nrFFAEO

The wild buffalo is found in the plain ot lirahmapu-
tra and the Gantres, at the toot ot the Himalayas, trom
eastern Assam to Tirhut and abmy; the coast ot Mid-
napur and Orissa proxinces in India, as well as on the
grass lands of the eastern portions ot the Central Prov-
inces, especially in Mandla, Raiptir, Sambalpur and
Bastar, whence it extends as tar south as the Ciodavari
and Pranhita valleys. It is also tound in Purma, in the
northern part of Ceylon and in the Philippines. It li\es
in the tall grass jungles and in the neighborhood ot
swamps, feeding in the evening and early morning and
lying down in the water or mud ot the swamp during
the day.

[9]

lO

GJRLJND M.iNUF.iCTURING CO.

uru..v i.i A-.!.'

- AnuTiciii Maca/inc on rlipOrit-ni

A Chinese water buffalo

C K EDMUNDS

In the wild state the buffalo is one ot the largest,
strongest and most terocious animals in existence. "A
buffalo," declares Baker, "if not killed will surely de-
stroy its adversary. There is no creature in existence
that is so determined to stamp out the lite ot its oppo-
nents, and the intensity ot its tury is unsurpassed when
a wounded bull buftalo rushes torward upon the last
desperate charge." It is more than a match tor the
tiger and, because ot this, the native Indian princes used
to arrange a fight between these tv\'o animals tor the
entertainment ot their guests.

The natives ot the interior ot Java at the period ot
the Mohammedan New Year sometimes stage a Rampok,

THE U.ITF.R BUFFALO

II

or tiger and buffalo tiglit, when a tiger and a domesti-
cated water buffalo, usually a bull or a cow with a young
calf, are placed in the arena. The tiger invariably at-
tempts to kill his enemy by leaping on his shoulders and
breaking his neck, but when he is in the air midway ot
his leap the buffalo usually lunges torward and strikes
him a stunning blow with his head and horns; then,
before he can scramble to his feet, the buffalo is upon
him kneeling and kneading his body with such terrihc
force that he is left a bloody, mutilated and lifeless pulp.
Sometimes two tigers are pitted against one buffalo, and
it is seldom that he tails to vanquish them.

The Burmese when referring to a desperate combat
ot anv kind say "A'vTrc knit Kvii lo hcli' — like a tight
between a buffalo and a tiger — meaning to the death.
Buffaloes, both wild and domesticated, have a ereat

Buffaloes are good swinimers but arc ungainly in tlieir muxenKin laiKi

12

CJRL./XD AL/XiFJCTUR/XC; (.(J.

hatred tor the tiger, and the domesticated animals have
heen known to rescue their herdsmen frt)m his attack.
It was with a herd ot buffaloes that Mowgli, in Kipling's
Jungle Tales, killed Shcre Khan, the tiger, and regained
his power o\ er his jungle friends.

The wild herd w hen attacked is said to form a ring,
with the cows and calves on the inside and the hulls on
the outside, with lowered horns pointing outward, a
ring which no wild animal can break through. Thev
are hunted bv beating with a line ot elephants, bv track-
intr on a sintrle elephant or on toot, and no bjir i:ame
shootinir is attended with jrreater dan<:er.

The cape buttalo [^IihIuiIus ciiffcr) is a nati\e ot South
.Atrica and perhaps is the largest and most terocious ot

■i;->y'*»c- -.-sissftissssss.ii^;

The buffalo feeds on the aquatic grasses and reeds which line the hanks

THE ir.rrER iiiFF.-iin

Water huffalocs in tlu-ir clement

all. Its horns are peculiar, hcini; \ crv large and almost
touching near their hasc to tonii a cap to protect the tore-
head. Thev swell near the skull and then hend back-
wards, rising a little in height in front, with the points
approaching each other, its hide is so thick and tough
that the natives use it tor shields. Thev arc not domes-
ticated and are tast disappearing.

THE DOMESTICATED HUFFALO

The domesticated luitl^alo is tound in India, Burma,
the Straits Settlements, Ia\a, southern China and
throughout the entire Malav Archipelago. It is also
found in the Philippines, where it is known as the
carahao. In its domestic state it dithers hut little
from the wild huttalo, prohahlv because ot the semi-

THE ir.lTF.R IlL'FF.ll.O

I 'J

Buffaloes prefer the mud and water

wild conditions in which ah)iie it can he kept peace-
able in captivity.*

It is not known when these animals became domes-
ticated, but certainly many centuries ago. Thev uere
used by the Egyptians in the titth century and at the
same time the Arabs brought them to Persia. They
were at about this period used in (jreece and Hungary,
and in 600 ad were introduced by the Romans for
agricultural purposes. In recent times Napoleon on his

* Thcv lire also foniid on Mcll'vilh' Island, off' the north-
ern coast of Anstralia, -ic/iere t/n'V -were introduced in any
years ago and now nii/nher thonsiuuls. Here they are /innted
for their hides.

— Zinn in '■'■JV ild ^Ininials of I'esterday and Today .''

i6

GJRLJXn M.IXUFJCTCRIXG CO.

return troni Egypt introduced them in Landes, a depart-
ment ot France hnrderinir on the Pyrenees, and the Ijav

c" . '

i)t liiscav, where the hind on the shore is so swampy or
sandy that the peasants walk on stihs wlien tending their
herds, hut the yenture was not a success, due perhaps to
lack ot the tropical heat to which the huftalo is accus-
tomed.

Fevy animals haye clianged less in captiyity than the
huffalo, which neyer interhreeds with the natiye humped
Indian cattle. The huftalo matures at the age ot" four,
liyes aliout twenty years and is worth trom twenty-tive

BufFaloes about to charge the photographer

THE ir.lTER BUFF.-ILO

The hiift'alo, although a dangerous animal, is gentle to those v\ honi he knows,

particularh' children

to thirtv-tive dollars. The pairinti; season is in tht
autumn and the calves, not infrequently two at a birth,
are horn in the suniiner, the period ot 'j;estation liein^
ten months. The cow has hve or six cal\es during her
life.

ITS APPEARANCE

The buffalo is large in size and possesses enormous
strength, some breeds in India averaging in weight from
I 600 tf) I 800 pounds and measuring 6' 2 teet high at the
shoulder. Its horns, which are black and bend back
toward the neck, are ot great size, having been known
to measure 6 feet from tip to tip. The finest pair of horns
on record is said to be in the IJritish Museum, the length
along the outer curve ot one horn being 77? 8 inches and

GJRLJXD MJXUFJCTi'R/\(; CO.

the basal girth i 7"^ inches. Thev are more or less flat-
tened and angular at the base, with rings for one-half

their length, and
'" 4 -«>*'•■ 3re pointed at the

tip, dirtering from
the other mem-
bers ot the ijenus
Bos bv the dis-
tinctly triangular
section ot their
horns as well as bv
the rounded form
ot the hinder part
of the skull. It
has a powertul
neck, short thick
legs and black hoots, which, being brcjad and splayed,
prevent its sinking too deep in the mud when plough-
ing in the rice
fields.

"r he b u t^-'a 1 o ,
when young, has
a certain amount
ot coarse bristly
hair ot a dark
color, sometimes
with a reddish
tint, over the head
and body, but, un- RUmg buffaloes

A Karen hov riding un a water buffali;

THE ll.rrER EVFFALO

19

Buffaloes are usualK driven singlv or yoked in pairs, hut occasionally driven tandem

like the African buffalo, this hair is directed forward
from the haunches to the liack ot the head, a whorl in
the hindquarters marking the point at which the hair ot
this region commences to be directed backwards. The
hair, however, disappears almost entirely with age, when
the animal shows onlv a skin ot a dark color not unlike
that of an elephant and has onlv the knees, teet and end
of the tail ornamented with thick coarse hair.

ITS HA 15 ITS

It eats food which other animals will not touch and
it can even go without tood tor some time, provided it
can wallow in mud and water. It swims well, but is un-
gainly in its movements on land. Its sight is poor, but
its hearing and sense of smell are good.

20 G.mLJND AUNUFJCTURIXG CO.

Burtal(jcs with x\uodeii wheel cart in India

As its name implies, the buffalo lo\es the water and
mud, and preters to live where it can teed on the coarse
aquatic grasses and reeds which line the banks and spring
trom the shallow waters ot tropical streams, and where
it can wallow in the mud undisturbed.

When Ivinir in the water or mire, it is constantly
ducking its head under to drive awav from the top of the
head between the horns the swarm ot hot Hies which
attack it at a place where it has no other means of de-
fence. When out ot the water small iiirds ho\er around
the animal to teed upon the t^ies and insects wliich pes-
ter it. Even in the domesticated state, the buffalo must
be given a chance tor a daily wallow or it becomes \ile
tempered and unmanageable and sometimes runs mad.
When it lacks its daily bath, buckets of water are some-

THE UATF.R BUFFALO 21

times thrown ovtr its hodv when harnessed to a cart,
as otherwise when passini:;; a stream or canal it is likely
to dash into the water with its burden. It is for this
reason that cattle are preferred in India tor hauling carts,
especially in the drier parts ot the country.

DANGEROUS HUT TIMID

The buffalo is a danirerous animal luit at the same
time timid. In charging, he lowers his head sidewiseand
rips upward with one horn. He dislikes strange objects
and has a particular aversion to a woman in European

lau can be kept peaceable in captivity

2a GJRL./XD MJXCFJCTURl XG CO.

A hurtalo or carabau with cart in Manila

dress or a hov on a bicycle. A sign of fear is quickly
recognized bv a charging buffalo, when it becomes ex-
tremely dangerous, but a shout and a wave of the arms
cause it to stop and run awav. The animal is, however,
usuallv kind and gentle to thttse whom he knows, par-
ticularly children, who guide him with a twig and
whom he seems to delight to have ride on his back.

Chciptcr II

THE BUFFALO A BFAST
OF BURDEN

11" IS as a beast ot luirdcn that the huffah) is in\alu-
ahle. Its prodii^ious strensj:;th enables it to do an
enormous amount ot work; bein<^ alile to live on
tood which other animals refuse makes it less expensive
to keep, and its ability to live and do heavy, hard work
in the hot humid atmosphere ot" the tropics makes it
particularly suitable tor the conditions which prevail in
the Far East.

It is otten harnessed to a cart, but its fondness for
water, as already stated, makes this attendant with some
risk. In IJurma it is especially valued tor dragging heavy
logs up the steep river banks to the saw pits where the
logs are sawed by hand. The logs are scarfed off on one
end so that they can be dragged along the ground, a
hole made near the end and a chain fastened to the log
and yoke. A pair ot buftaloes in this way will easily
drag an immense log which two yijke of oxen could
not start.

IT EXCELS IN THE RICE FIELDS

It is in the rice tields, however, that the butfalo excels.
Rice is not sown broadcast; it is tirst planted in nurseries.

24

GJRLJXD AUNUFJCTUR/ya CO.

A street scene in Manila

and when about i 2 inches high is transplanted a spear
at a time into the soft mud ot the fields which has been
prepared bv ploughing. Rice grows best under about
4 inches ot water, and the ploughing which produces
the richest mud produces the best crop.

In preparing the ground tor the rice, no animal is
equal to the buftalo, lor in the mud and water ot the
field it is in its element. Its ereat weiirht causes it to
sink deep in the mud and its enormous strength enables
it to plough deeper than can be done in anv (Jther man-
ner. The ploughing mav be done bv a single butialo
dragging a wooden plough or thev mav be voked in pairs.
The voke is a straight, heavy beam ot hard wood turned
to a diameter ot about 5 inches. Instead ot a bow such
as the old ox-bow of New England, two straight, heavy
hard-wood pins are put through holes in the voke down

THE WATER HUEF.ILO

each side (jf the huri-'ahi's neck, and a plaited rope is placed
under the neck and fastened at each end to the top of the
pins. A voke of this kind the hutfalo cannot cast, 'i'hey
are driven with reins, the dri\er walking or riding be-
hind, and are sometimes guided hv a rope attached to a

nt)se ring.

DISADVANTAGES OF THE BUFFALO

Rice is the staple article of food throughout the Far
East, so that the prosperity of the people depends largely
upon the quantity of rice raised and its price. In Burma

\\ ater buffalo ploughing in a rice field in the Straits Settlements where a single
buffalo is used. In Burma the buffaloes are always yoked in pairs

i

THE JfATER hUFFALO

27

at one time the area given td rice was small because a
roval decree prevented its exportation upon the theory
that the cost ot rice would he less; hut when the prohi-
bition ae;ainst the exportation was removed, the acreati;e
increased enormously, so that irrigated land away from
the rivers and streams was used for rice planting. The
buffalo under these conditions could not be used to as
good advantage as the bullock, owing to the absence ot
rivers and swamps in which to wallow. Because of this,
bullocks were used tor ploughing, and when the plough-
ing season was over were tied up and stall ted. The
buttalo on the other hand is cared for with difHcultv
when the ploughing is done, as it must be gi\en a
chance tor a daily mud bath or it runs amuck and

r.uu^'liiug ill the rice HcIlI,-.. Nutc [lie dcpdi ot the mud

28

GARLJND MJXL'FJCTURING CO.

hecomesdangerous.
riien, too, the bul-
luck is used tor
driving in place of
horses, and can he
used in other than
the ph)ughing sea-
son. Disease, espe-
cially the hoot and
mouth disease and
the cowpox seem
to he more prevalent anions; hufhiloes than amontr hul-
locks, so that the tarmer takes trreater risk in raising
buffaloes than in raisinir cattle. The luillock, therefore.

A Chinese hufFalo with plough

* ..•>' «►"">*

m.

Buttaloes ploughing in the rice fields

THE 11. ITER BL'EEJLO

29

Bullocks or humped cattle at Madras, India. Note the difference
between these and the water biuff'alo

is in some cases displacing the huri"al() in tlie interior.
These conditions have a tendency to decrease the num-
ber of buffaloes and consequently the supply ot buftalo
hides.

BUFFALO HORNS

The horns and sometimes the hocjts ot the animal are
used by the natives in making large transparent lanterns,
and, before the prohibition ot opium, large quantities
were made into cups for packing and storing the drug.
They are exported in large quantities to Europe and the
United States — 1 ,000,000 pounds Irom China alone in
I 91 7 — to be used in making combs, shoehorns, knite

30 GARLJND MJNUFJCTURING CO.

Showing horns of the Philippine carabao

handles, buttons, toilet articles and a clever imitation ot
eb(jny.

]]UFFAL() MILK

The milk of the buffalo is very white and very rich.
In northern India "irhee" or a rancid butter used in-
stead ut lard is niade ot it, but in Burma it is seldom

THE IVATKR BUFFALO 31

used because it is tcmtrarv to the Jjuddhist religion to
take the life ot the animal and to drink the milk which
thev sav is the life ot the call.

"The percentage of fat and protein in the milk of the
Chinese buffalo cow is very high, higher than that ot
buffaloes in other parts of the world. More than eight
hundred analyses whicli haye been made during the past
two and one-half years of tifty buffalo co\ys haye shown
an ayerage of 1 2.60 per cent tat. Ten analyses haye
shown the milk to contain 6.04 percent protein, ^^.no
per cent sugar, 0.S6 per cent ash and 76. (So per cent
water. Similaranalyses ha\e shown tliat European cows'
milk in southern China contains: Fat, 3.80; proteids,
3.2:;; sugar, q.(}6; ash, o.Si and water, 86.20. The
total solids in buffalo milk is 23.20 per cent as compared
with I ;!.8o in European cows' milk. Three buffalo

A .'.a;,': :\;;!al-' v\ illi C lunc.-c Jru cr

,p GJRLJND MJNUFACTURING CO.

cows in one dairv herd irave milk testintr as much as
I ^ per cent tat lor a period coverinjj; seven months.
None ot the cows averaged less than i o per cent tat tor
a lactation period.

"Althouirh indi\idual Initt'alo cows in other regions
ha\e given milk with more than lo percent tat, the
average has heen tar trom that ot southern China. Milk
ot the Chinese huft'alo is pure white in color, and butter
made trom it contains hut a taint tint, it anv, ot vellow.
It is wholesome and palatable when produced under
sanitarv conditions. Like most kinds ot milk, when
clean, it contains little or no odor. In recent years some
dairies in Canton and Hong Kong have been using the
buffalo tor milk, and bv selection and good feeding now
have cows giving up to twelve pounds and more milk a
day, testing trom 6 to i !; per cent fat."*

*U. S. Commerce Reports, Jii/y //, I gig

(^haptcr III

DOMESTIC HIDKS UNSUITABLE
FOR LOOM PICKERS

OUR domestic cattle hides are too thin tor picker
purposes and do not possess the strength and
toughness characteristic ot the huftah) hide.
Thev are also much more expensive, so that, even it suit-
able, pickers made of domestic hides would cost much
more than those made ot huttalo hide.

The only American cattle hide which approaches in a
slight degree the buffalo hide in thickness is that ot a
breed of cattle in Southern Texas. It was tound that the
native cattle were thin and scrawny because ot the ticks,
mosquitoes and the Berney fly which pestered them, and
the problem, therefore, was to produce a breed ot cattle
with skin thick enough to withstand these pests. The
buffalo does not interbreed with either the domestic cattle
or the humped cattle of India, but the hides of the latter,
although not as thick as those of the buffalo, are much
thicker than the hides ot our domestic cattle. Cows ot
the native humped cattle of India were therefore im-
ported and bred to Hereford and shorthorn bulls. This
produced a species of cattle with skins impervious to tlies
and immune from Texas fever. Brazil, for the same
purpose, imports b<Jth the bulls and cows, and it has

[33]

M

CJRLJND MJNUFJCrURING CO.

-^.f-,.

"»■ mill mil I «»?9^-«

These buffaloes are scrawiiv and thin because ot laik of good grazing

been found that in lireeding the cows to Hereford bulls
the hump disappears in the first cross hut the skin retains
its original characteristics and is thick enough to with-
stand the plague of Hies.* Although the hide of these an-
imals is thicker than that of the domestic cattle, it is not
thick enough tor picker purposes, nor is it as suitable
as the hide of the buffalo.

*A ict'd/t/iy cattleman of Brad I in IQIQ paid $20,000
for 0)1 e of these hulls.

THE II -. / TKR B i 'FF. IFO

3S

BUFFALO HIDES MAKE POOR LEATFIER

Buffalo hides are thick and of a course tihre. They
make an inferior leatlier, hiit in times ot great scarcity,
notably during the war, the best grades ot buffalo hides
were brought into this country tor tanninir. The hide
of these animals is so lieayy that it produces a leather too
thick for ordinary use, biit to oyercome this the Chinese,
after soaking the hide, hang it o\ er a beam and with a
short handled tool similar to an axe, split the hide while
in a wet state as uniformly and as well as it done with
a modern splitting machine. Hides split in this manner
are tanned hv the natiyes and produce leather ot the de-
sired thickness.

^'4Q|3^«^ ' :»- Jba. -r- ^- ^-J

V

■*-i»?^-

\

■' ■^ "^ 'po^ ^-i

w 'm

The result of good grazing is shown in the appearance of this buttalo
whose hide will be of good quality

PQ

CO

V
O

a

J3

THE II .ITER BLEEJEO

37

It is not onlv the character ot the huttalo hide and
its thickness which makes it unfit tor producini^ leather
of the hest quality, hut the taking oti ot the hide and
its drvinir still further tend to make the hide unsuitahle

Fabtciiing butfalo hidc^ on bamboo frames tur drying. The\ arc-
held in place by tying with grass twine

for tanning. The hides of hutf'aloes which are killed in
slaughter houses for heef are hetter taken off and more
carefully dried than those taken from the animals hy
the natiyes in the up-country districts, as the latter are
frequently mutilated hy cuts and slashes which, with
careless hranding, seriously damage the hides. The fa-
cilities of the natives for tanning are so crude and the
leather produced so inferior that hut a yery limited
number (jt hides are used tor this purpose.

38

G.IRL.IND MJNUFJCrURlXG CO.

Hides drying on bamboo frames

MAKE THE BEST LOOM PICKERS

We have seen that a tew buffalo hides are tanned,
some are made into sandals and baskets bv the natives
and a small quantitv ot the verv heaw are used tor pol-
ishing purposes, but the bulk is made into rawhide or
"buftalo" loom pickers. The hide ot no other animal
seems as suitable tor this purpose, as it possesses the neces-
sary strength, thickness and elasticity and, because of its
being unsuitable tor leather, costs less than hides which
can be used tor tanning and other purposes.

QLIALITY VARIES ACCORDINCi TO
LIVING CONDITIONS

The hides ot the water buffalo, like the hides of domes-
tic cattle, varv in qualitv according to the conditions

THE IJ'JTER BUFFJLO

39

under which the aniniiils li\e. |]urtah)es in the drier
portions of India where tood and water are scarce are
thin and scrawnv, and their hides not as good as the
hides ot animals liv-
int: where the irraz-
ing is good and
water plentitiil,
such as Java, one ot
the most fertile
spots in the world,
with an abundance
of tood and water.
The Java buffalo
hides are, tliere-
fore, of particularly
good q u a 1 i t \' a n ti
are known as Hata-
vias, from the port
in fava from which
thev are shipped.
Chinese b u tf a 1 o
hides from those
sections in China where the animals live under favor-
able conditions are also of good quality.

Singapore hides are those shipped from Singapore
and are usually of a somewhat courser fibre than the
Katavias, and vary in quality, as in all other cases,
according to the conditions under which the animal
lives.

.»jtei&^"^ ■

I'akint; the hkles ort the t'rames

40 G.-IRLJND MJNUFJCTURING CO.

DISEASE AM) FAMINE INCREASE SUPPLY

In IJurnia and (ither countries in which the iJud-
dhist religion prc\ ails huttaloes are not killed, as it is con-
trary to the religion
to take the life of
the animals, and in
these countries
hides come only
t r o m h u f t a 1 o es
w hich ha\ c died
trom disease, acci-
dent, or old age, stj
that when an epi-
demic ot the toot
and mouth disease
or cow pox occurs,
or there is a great
scarcity ol food, the
supply ot hides in-
creases. In other
countries, such as
C'hinaand )aya and
in the larire towns
of India, the Initfalo is killed for food, and its milk used.
In either case, an epidemic ot disease or a tamine makes
hides plentiful, and the contrary makes them scarce.

The uncertainty of the supply, together with the
tendency ot the hutfaloes to decrease in numher, has
caused a steady advance in the price ot their hides.

Taking buffalo hides to tlic hoat at a landing on

the irawaddv River { Pakkoku ) between

MandalaN and Prome. At every stop the boat

takes on a tew hides

THE I r. ITER nUEE.-lLO

Drv huffald hidL-> brcmght to Rangoon b\ rail

DRVINC; OF THE HIDES
IMPORTANT

The drvinLi; of the hide after being taken oft the ani-
mal is of the utmost importance liecause ot the climatic
conditions. The heat of the tropics is intense and the
ravs of the sun hurninir durinir the dav, hut the nitrhts
are cool, with heavv dews. The native sun-dries his hides
hv spreading; tliem on the ground to drv, hut it not prop-
erly cared for the heavv dews deposit water in the de-
pressions of the hide, wlhcli the intense heat ot the sun
acts upon, and decav results.

The liide, when taken oft', if properly handled is
first rieshed and then treated with an antiseptic solu-
tion to protect it from ants and insects. It is then
stretched upon a frame and held in place by means

42 GJRLJND MJNUFACTURING CO.

ot grass twine passing through holes made on tlie edges
ot the hide, when thev are sun-dried. Hides dried in
this manner are much more tree trom the decav likely to

Wet bufFalii hides unloaded from train in Rangoon in earl\' morning

occur in hides laid on the ground to dry. After drying,
the hides which are shipped trom Java and Rangoon
are tolded down the middle ot the hack and packed tor
shipment in hales ot twenty to twenty-tive hides, de-
pending upon their weight. Hides shipped from Singa-
pore are usually shipped loose. Hides are sometimes
salted or pickled, in which case the hide is tolded by
itselt into a bundle ready to ship.

COLLECTING AND MARKETING HIDES

Although some hides come trom slaughter houses,
the bulk is collected in the up-country districts in

THE Jl'ATF.R BUFFALO 43

small lots and lirouirht ti> the railmad stations and boat
landings for shipinent to the great ports, where thev
are assorted tor quality and stencilled with the mark ot
the shipper. The hides are assorted with such care
that their qualitv can he determined hv their marks.
It the Iniver in England, on inspection, considers that
the hides are not up to the usual standard he appoints
some one to arbitrate in his behalf and the seller does
likewise. If the two do not aijree, a third is called in
and his decision is final.

The marks ot Singapore hides ot the best qualitv are,
for instance. Horse Head (Horse rampant), E. B. ik Co.,
B. M. & Co. Hides ot the best qualitv trom Rangoon
are marked PABS. There are also hides shipped trom
this locality known as "Shaved Rangoon," that is, ma-
chine tieshed, which are ot good quality and suitable
for picker purposes. Slaughtered Penang buffalo hides
are prepared with great care and are ot particularly
good quality. Thev are shipped under \arious marks,
one of which is "ONE." Buffalo hides trom )ava are
among the best produced and are sold under various
marks, those most in demand being:

VNC
& MNC, ^^!'' MN, FE, MW, LYTM.
CO. ^

A very few Chinese buffalo hides were shipped to Eng-
land previous to the war, but during the war, and since,
large quantities have been sent to that country. The
quality of these hides is s(j good that there will

44

GJRLJXD M.LXUF.-JCTURIXG CO.

doululcss continue to he a demand tor them for picker
purposes. 'I'hey are shipped under \arious marks, the

most reHahle heinu;

RJ],I)ouhle Ea.rle,

' c" '

S H Y, I) ou hi e
Plioenix.

Amsterdam is
the market torliides
from ( a \' a and
China, whicli are
sold hv tender, hut
at the present time
hides trom fava are
heing sent direct to
England in tairlv
large t] u a n t i t i e s .
1 .ondon is the prin-
cipal auction mar-
ket tor Singapore
hiiies, althouirh in
recent years a large
proportion ot the
hides ha\'e heen houuht "to arri\e," so that, as the
North ot England is the ultimate destination, arrival
contracts are made tor Liverpool.

The huttlilo hide market in the Orient is in the
hands ot the Chinese, who are among the shrewdest trad-
ers in the world, and great care in having must he exer-
cised to guard against talse weights, due to stuffing

Wft huftalo hides being taken trom a
Chinese shop in Rangoon

THE U'ATF.R BUFFALO 45

with sand. It is because of such practices and because
the Chinese better understand their own people that
the European dealers in the East ha\e their own
Chinese buyers as a tr< "-between.

It is a matter of from six months to a year alter the
hides are shipped from the East before they reach us,
so that we are oblii;;ed to anticipate our requirements
far in advance in order to secure the most satistactory
selection.

H

Qhapter IV

PREPARATION OF HIDES FOR
LOOM PICKERS

THERE are two methods of preparing hides ior
picker purposes. One is hv dehairing without
lime, which takes hut a tew hours and is satis-
factory provided the hides are scjund, hut this method
does not dischise hidden imperfections. Pickers made
from hides prepared in this manner run the risk ot he-
ing made from hides which are apparently sound, !)ut
really imperfect. The other method ot removing the
hair is hv the limine process. The hides are soaked in
lime pits for the purpose of starting the hair and when
taken out are scraped to remove the hair and tlesh. The
decay caused hv sun-hurning, previously reterred to, is
self-evident in manv cases hut in others it is hidden, as
a hide mav appear to he perfectly sound on hoth hair
and flesh sides hut he unsound in the center. Liming
the hides discloses these imperfections, hut no matter
how careful one mav he, or how good a judge ot hides
hefore liming, a lot of apparently sound hides \\\\\ show
from ^ to 1 o per cent unsound when taken out ot the
lime pits. Limed hides are, therefore, the satest tor
picker purposes, and it is liides prepared in this manner
that we use.

[47]

48

GARLAND MANUFACTURING CO.

The hides, after dehairing and Heshing, are aHowed
to dry and are then disinfected bv treatment with a so-
lution ot one to one thousand parts of hichloride of mer-
cury, to comply with the laws of the United States,
when they are shipped to us in hales of about ti\e hun-
dred pounds ot halt hides or bends. Thev undergo ntj
preparation other than that mentioned and are simplv
the hide of the buffalo dehaired and dried.

ENGLISH PREPARED HIDES ARE BEST

It should be remembered tliat the rawhide loom
picker industry is much more extensive in England than
with us, not only because there are more looms in that
country but also because every plain cotton loom in
England takes two rawhide pickers instead of the
leather pickers which we use on the underpick lo(Mn.
The preparation ot hides for picker purposes is, there-
lore, a business by itself in England and is carried on bv
concerns which specialize in this kind of work and do

A small part ot the large stock of hides in our storehous

THE JVATER BUFFALO 49

nothing else. The nearness ot the curers to the market,
which gives them the opportunity to secure hides of the
desired quality, and their years ot experience and knowl-
edge of what is required, result in producing hides
more suitable tor loom pickers and better prepared than
can be obtained elsewhere.

OUR HIDES SKILLFULLY PREPARED

Hides of inferior quality, no matter h(nv caretullv
prepared, do not make the best loom pickers, and hides
of the best quality may be made unsuitable bv too much
or too little liming. It is, theretore, ot the utmost im-
portance that hides be selected and prepared by reliable
and experienced curers it pickers ot the best quality are
to be produced.

We haye for nearly fifty years had our hides prepared
by one of the largest and best curers in England. We
haye the first selection from his stock and our require-
ments are anticipated far enough in advance to allow
ample time in which to select hides of the best quality.
We are, therefore, never obliged to go into the market
and accept inferior hides to keep going. We recei\e
only sound hides of the best quality and are confident
that the hide quality of our loom pickers cannot be
surpassed.

RAWHIDE WASTE

The waste in making loom pickers is very great, com-
ing nut only in the cutting up of the hides but also in

-^o

GJRLAND MJNUFJCTURING CO.

the nianutacturc ot the pickers, and is ivnown as raw-
hide cuttings or strap ends. The waste is of excellent
quality, much too good for ordinary glue, and is used
tor paper sizing, bringing a higher price than the glue
manufacturers can afford to pay.

Damaged hides, of \yhich there is hound to he a cer-
tain percentage in any lot, are cut by the curer into
small shayings, which are used for paper sizing, the

A bundle of hides as it comes from England

principal market for which is this country. E\en old
worn-out pickers are used for glue and to a limited ex-
tent for paper sizing, hut for the latter purpose the oil
and iron riyets are objectionable features because of the
discoloration which they are likely to produce, and
their remoyal is an expensiye operation.

WHY PICKERS SHOULD IJE SEASONED

The hides when receiyed are dry and hard, so that it
is necessary to soak them in water to make them pliable
for working and moulding in the dies to form the fin-
ished picker. The vyater in the hide gradually dries out

THE WATER BUEE.-ILO

51

as the picker ii;()es tliroui^Ii the xarious processes ot its
manufacture, the water in the hide on the outside,
quickly, but the water in the hide inside ot the picker
not exposed to the air, sh)\\lv. It is tor this reason that
old and, therefore, seasoned pickers are more durable
than those newlv made.

SEASONED PICKERS IN STOCK

We carry a large stock ot pickers in all the standard
styles and sizes, which are thorouirhly seasoned and
ready to put on the loom when received. Pickers which
are made to order should be ordered long enough in
advance to allow tlieir lieing held tor seasoning, it the
best results are to be obtained.

CAIALOCiUE SENT

Our illustrated catalogue of i i;o pages and -i^yo cuts
describes a great variety oi loom pickers, gives their
exact sizes and specifies those which are carried in stock.
A copy will be sent on application.

Finally the hides become the well-known Garland loom pickers

/

AMNH I IBRARY

100117882