Animal Proteins

The book discusses the home supply of hides, which the text says forms a large important proportion of the total raw material. The text says that in a very narrow sense the term hide is also sometimes applied only to ox hides, which for most heavy leathers are the ideal raw material. The text says the best hides are usually obtained from animals which have been most exposed to extremes of wind and cold, as such conditions tend naturally to develop a thicker and more compact covering.

The text says that, in the huge quantities of pelt which go for chrome upper leathers, a primary consideration is the soft, "kind," or mellow feel of the grain in the finished leather. The text says that whilst the heat engineers have certainly done much to solve the question of evaporation and drying, there is still great scope in the more economical application of heat in extraction. The text says there is indeed almost as much scope for research by the chemical engineer as by the colloid chemist.