When the hair (or wool) is well loosened, the skins are rinsed in water, and then unhaired on the beam with a blunt knife. The water employed in washing should not be much colder than the limes, or it will prevent the hair from coming away readily. The wool or hair is washed and dried for sale. The skins are thrown into water, to which a little lime-liquor has been added, to prevent precipitation of the lime in the skins by the free carbonic acid of the water, which would have the effect of making them rough-grained. Next comes the first fleshing (_Vergleichen_) or “levelling.” By this, the loose cellular tissue on the flesh-side is removed, together with the head, ears, and shanks; and the flanks are trimmed. The skins are then again thrown into water softened with lime-liquor as above described, and then into a puer of dogs’-dung. This is prepared by stirring up white and fermented dogs’-dung with boiling water, and straining it through a sieve or wicker basket. The puer must be used tepid, and not too strong. The skins “fall” (lose their plumpness) in it rapidly, and become extremely soft and fine to the touch; and the fat-glands, remaining hairs, and other dirt, can now be very readily scudded out. Too strong puers, or too long continuance in them, produce evident putrefactive effects on the skins. (See also p. 181.) When the skins come out of the puer, they are stretched and worked on the flesh with a sharp knife, and any remaining subcutaneous tissue is removed. This constitutes the second fleshing. They are then rinsed in warm water, and beaten with clubs in a tub, or worked in a tumbler-drum, in either case with a very little water only; and finally brought into a tank of water, not too cold, and kept in constant motion with a paddle-wheel. The skins are next cleansed on the grain-side by working on the beam with plates of vulcanite set in wooden handles, so as to remove fat, lime- and ammonia-soaps, and other lime compounds, together with all remaining hair or wool. The skins are now a second time washed in the “paddle-tumbler,” first in cold, and then in tepid water; and after allowing the water to drain from them, they are transferred to the bran-drench.