1.Every child who reads this book knows that leather is made from the skins of animals.We cannot，of course，call any piece of skin “leather；”it must be carefully prepared before we can give it that name.
2.When the skin is stripped off the dead animal，it is still covered with hair on the outside，while on the inside there are many bits of fat and flesh.If nothing is done to preserve①theskin，it soon begins to rot，and in a week or two it becomes quite decayed②.If the skin is salted and dried，it will keep quite well，but it will become as hard and stiff as a board.
3.What the man has to do who turns the skins into leather is to preserve them from rotting，to keep them soft and flexible③，and to make them look as nice as he can.This work is calledtanning，and the place where it is done is called a tan-yard.
4.The skins are first soaked in pits filled with lime-water-thatis，water with which some quick-lime④has been mixed.This①Preserve，keep from wasting.
②Decayed，wasted；unfit for use.
③Flexible，easily bent.
④Quick-lime，a kind of earth got by burning limestone.
loosens both the hair and the fat.The skins are then taken out and scraped on both sides with long two-handled knives.
5.After this has been done，the skins are so soft that they look almost like sheets of jelly.These jelly-like skins are wellrinsed①in fresh water，and arethen put to soak in large pits filled with water and the bark of the oak-tree.The water draws out of this bark a substance known as tannin；and the tannin changes the soft，jelly-like skinsSCRAPING THE HIDES（刮削兽皮）into tough，strong leather.Thistakes a long time，and the skins have to remain in the tan-pits for about a year.
6.When the tanned skins are taken out of the pits，they are well dried and rolled.After this has been done，we no longer call them “skins，”but “leather.”To finish the leather，it must be curried.This is done by rubbing into its pores as much oil andtallow②as they will hold.If we want the leather to be black，wemust mix some lamp-black③with the tallow.
7.Leather is light，tough，flexible，and waterproof④；and because it has these properties⑤it is the very best material for making boots and shoes.For this purpose leather made from the skins of cattle is used.These large skins are called hides.The thickest parts of the hide of the cow are used for the soles of boots.The thinner skin of the calf gives us the lighter leather which we want for the “uppers.”
①Rinsed，washed with clean water.
②Tallow，the melted fat of animals.
③Lamp-black，a kind of soot formed by the smoke of a lamp.
④Waterproof，able to keep water from passing through.
⑤Properties，qualities.
8.The skin of the pig makes the best leather for saddles.The goat‘s skin produces the beautiful leather called morocco，which is used for binding books，and for making slippers.The skins of many small animals-such as the kid，the dog，and the lamb-are made into gloves.The skins of sheep and of dogs are not tannedwith oak-bark，but are soaked in alum①-water instead.