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Show LEATHER MUST " NOTBEWASTCD By Oiling Shoes, Life of Footwear Foot-wear Can Be Prolonged, Says Expert. WASHINGTON, D. C . May 22. War demands leather leather for soldiers' shoes, leather for harness, leather for equipment of many kinds. In this country there is no such surplus that we can afford to waste any of It; and it is wasting leather not to care for and preserve it properly. In the army and out we all wear shoes. If we manage man-age them rightly they .will last longer, we will not need so many new ones and there will be more left for others. oth-ers. The following suggestions from tho leather and paper laboratory of the U. S. department of agriculture can be utilized by everyone who walks: To Save Shoes. Shoes should be oiled or greased whenever the leather begins to get hard or dry. They should be brushed thoroughly and then all the dirt and mud that remains washed off with warm water, the excess water being taken off with a dry cloth. While the shoes are still wet and warm apply the oil or grease w'lth a swab of wool or flannel. It is best to have the oil or grease about as warm as the hand can bear and it should be rubbed well into tho leather, preferably with the palm. If necessaiy, the oil can be applied ap-plied to dry leather, but it penetrates better when the latter Is wet. After treatment, tho shoes should be loft to dry in a place that Is warm not hot. Castor oil Is satisfactory shoes that are to bo polished; for plainer footgear foot-gear neat's-foot, fish oil or oleine may be substituted. If It Is desired to make the shoes and boots moro waterproof, beef tallow may be added to any of these substances at tho rate of half a pound of tallow to a pint of oil. Tho edge of the sole and the welt should bo greased thoroughly. Too much grease cannot be applied to these parts. A simple method of making the soles more durable, pliable and water resistant re-sistant is to swab them occasionally with linseed oil, setting them aside to dry over night. Many of tho common shoe polishes are harmful to leather. All those which contain sulphuric, hydrochloric or oxalic acids, turpentine, benzine, or other volatile solvents, have a tendency tenden-cy to harden the leather and make It more liable to crack. It is poor economy, too, to wear a shoe with the heel badly worn on one side. This throws the shoes out of shape and may soon result in its ruin. It Is also likely to cause temporary injury to tho foot. To Preserve Harness. Harness leather, like shoes, cannot be neglected without injury that lessens les-sens its durability. It should be washed, wash-ed, and oiled frequently. The washing should bo done in tepid water, with a neutral soap and a bpongo or stiff brush. After rinsing in clean, tepid water, the harness is hung up to drain a httlo whilo before oiling. For drhing harness neat's-foot oil or castor oil is best, but for heavy harness there may bo some tallow in the oil. The applications should be light for driving and liberal for heavy harness. The oil, warm to the hand, is rubbed thoroughly into the leather while It is still wet from the washlnrr Excess oil which tho leather is unable to take up should be removed with a clean, dry cloth. oo |