ffl"
OF THE
UNIVERSITY
OF
THE AUTHOR RESPECTFULLY
DEDICATES THIS BOOK
to the
TRAPPERS of NORTH AMERICA
ODD
When you come to the end of the long, long trail,
And your hunting and trapping days are gone,
When your step grows weak and your sinews fail,
And its time to answer the great last call;
It isn't the size of the cabin you've built,
Nor what you have won in pelts or fame,
The thing that counts is the right to say
"I have kept the faith I have played the game."
Albert M. Ahern
FUR FACTS
v, By .
ALBERT M. AHERN
QDO
COPYRIGHT, 1922
BY ALBERT M. AHERN
All Rights toitne*
DO
Illustrated by
CHARLES LIVINGSTON BULL
CONTENTS
Chapter Pagc
I The Early Fur Trade in St. Louis - - 13
II American Furs are popular all over the World 81
III The Future Supply of Furs - - 33
IV Is Fur Trapping Cruel ---- - _ _ _ 33
V Hints on How to Judge Furs iX' - - - _ _ _ 34
VI The Natural Color of Furs X- - 41
VII Taking Care of Furs S- - - - 54
VIII FUR FARMING 56
IX MUSKRAT How to Raise, Trap, etc. - 58
X SKUNK How to Raise, Trap, etc. - 70
XI MINK How to Raise, Trap, etc. - - - 80
XII RACCOON How to Raise, Trap, etc. - - 97
XIII OPOSSUM How to Raise, Trap, etc. - - 104
XIV OTTER Habits, How to Trap, etc. - - 109
XV SILVER FOX How to Raise, Habits, etc. - - 115
Red Fox, Grey Fox, Cross Fox, White Fox - - 136
Blue Fox - - 1ST
How to Trap, etc. - - 138
XVI BEAVER Habits, How to Trap, etc. ------ 142
XVII THE BLACK BEAR Habits, How to Trap, etc. - - 151
XVIII WOLF Habits, How to Trap, etc. - 166
XIX ERMINE OR WHITE WEASEL Habits, How to Trap, etc. - 178
XX FISHER Habits, How to Trap, etc. - - 182
XXI WOLVERINE Habits, How to Trap - - 185
XXII LYNX, LYNX CAT OR BAY LYNX, WILD CAT, Etc. - - 187
XXIII BADGER Habits, etc. - 17
XXIV MARTEN Habits, etc. - - - 199
XXV CIVET CAT - 205
Mountain Lion - _ _ _ _ 205
XXVI MOLES - - 08
Ringtail Cat ------- 12
XXVII SEAL Habits, Color, Killing, Dressing and Dyeing - 14
XXVIII GINSENG How to Raise for Market - - ***
XXIX BUYING RAW FURS How to Value, Grade, etc. - -
PREFACE
The object of this book is to encourage the man and boy in the
country, on whom the future supply of fur depends, to take an in-
terest in the small fur bearers that live in his district, and protect
them during the summer and during the breeding season, and to only
trap and hunt in the Fall and Winter, when the pelts are prime and
the fur is valuable. Trapping in season will never deplete the supply
of furs. Most of the fur bearers are very prolific and attain maturity
quickly and are found in large quantities in nearly every state in the
Union.
The question is often asked "is trapping cruel", and the answer
from anyone who knows wild life is unhesitatingly "it is not". Agnes
Laut, who is probably one of the best informed women on wild animal
life in the country, has pointed out that there is less cruelty in trap-
ping than there is in the slaughter house. Anyone need only go into
the wilds to at once realize that natural wild life is more cruel by far
than the most careless and thoughtless hunter. To begin with
there is hardly such a thing as natural death in the wilds. The weak
fall victims to the strong. The weasel hunts the rabbit and kills
indiscriminately; the fox hunts the weasel and so on through the en-
tire list; and if fur bearing animals did not multiply with such ter-
rific rapidity they would soon exterminate one another. To give an
idea of the rapidity with which wild animals multiply, a number of
years ago a settler in Australia, whose home had been in England,
decided to have a pair of rabbits sent over to Australia as pets for
his children. Previous to this time there were no rabbits in Australia
and the rabbit was not a native of the soil. The pair of rabbits
which this English immigrant had sent over from the old country was
the beginning of the Australian Rabbit. In due time the rabbits
had a litter of young. Some of the young were given to neighbors
as pets for their children . Finally some of them left the barn yard and
took up their home in the wilds. This was the beginning of the wild
rabbit in Australia. There was no other wild life to destroy them
with the result that they multiplied so rapidly that in a compara-
tively short number of years they overran the country. It became
necessary for the Australian Government to build hundreds of miles
of rabbit-proof fences to protect farms and ranches from their de-
predations. Their number ran into the millions and no headway
seemed to be made against them. The pest, however, turned out to
be a profit for the reason that their fur is valuable, the hair being used
in the making of felt, most of our felt hats being made from Australian
rabbit skins. The finer grades of skins are used for furriers* purposes
for making low-priced furs, and are known in the trade as dyed coney.
The carcasses are used for food, being shipped frozen by the millions
in refrigerator boats to England, and constitute a very important
meat supply.
So far as trapping is concerned, all the trapping that could be done
in Australia would never keep pace with the increase of the rabbits.
It is only extreme measures such as wholesale poisoning or immense
drives that will cut them down in numbers. As before mentioned
there was no other wild life to destroy the rabbit and from their small
beginning in a few years they increased to countless numbers.
The man, and the farmer boy, in the country has come to realize
that the small fur bearer is a valuable asset, and he should value
them hi much the same way that he does any other live stock. It is
hoped that the suggestions in this book will help to further this
thought. It is the desire of the real trapper to take only the super-
fluous males. A few animals, like the fox and the mink, are monog-
amous, but for the most part the male furbearers fight for a harem,
and when these fights are on, the young are killed and torn and the
females are injured, and the full grown young males are left in the
majority to prey on one another. The trapper has come to realize
that his source of profit is dependent on the increase in the number of
the furbearers in his district. He only wants to trap when the fur is
prime, when the females are not bearing young, and when the young
are full grown. He plans his trapping so that the animal will be
killed quickly and not injure the fur, and if he is well informed he will
never use poisoned bait under any circumstances, for the reason
that it kills the old and young alike and is a wasteful and profit-
less method.
In addition to the killing that goes constantly on between wild
animals, dogs are also very destructive, and this fact will be vouched
for by any sheep raiser. Dogs destroy quantities of sheep and fur-
bearers every year.
As one authority has pointed out, it was not the fur trapper that
exterminated the buffalo, it was the sport hunter and the barbed wire
fence of the settler, and it was the fur trade that saved the buffalo from
total extermination and brought it back, as they have done with the
beaver and other fur bearers. A few years ago one of the rarest furs in
the world was the silver fox. A short time ago the writer visited a
silver fox farm on which there were over eight hundred young foxes
that had been raised within one year. This ranch was started with
three young foxes. Some of the finest silver foxes that have ever come
to market have come from fox farms, which proves conclusively
that fine quality furs can be raised successfully.
FUR FACTS
CHAPTER I
THE EARLY FUR TRADE IN ST. LOUIS
The history of the fur trade in St. Louis dates back to about the
year 1763. It was at this time that a young Frenchman, Pierre
Laclede Liguest, then of New Orleans, received news of the profits
being made in the bartering of furs and lead by the white men among
the Indians.
From his earliest boyhood days young Laclede, as he became
known, had nourished a great ideal that of some day forming a
colony or settlement of which he would be leader. It was this more
than anything else which prompted him to leave his ancestral home
near Bordeaux, France, in the year 1755 and embark for the New
World.
So with the news of the development of the fur trade, came the
desire to move out into unexplored territory where the dreams of
his youth might be realized. Partly through his friendship with
Colonel Antoine Maxent, and partly through his own initiative,
Laclede, with a party of men, obtained permission from the colonial
authorities to undertake a trading expedition up the Mississippi
River. A grant was issued them, conferring the privilege of "ex-
clusive trade with the savages of the Missouri and with all the na-
tions residing West of the Mississippi River for a term of eight years."
Several months passed before supplies and provisions for the
journey had been procured, but on August 3rd, 1763, everything in
readiness, the little fleet started on its journey.
Through three long months they toiled against the current of
the river, traveling at the speed of eight miles per day. (Now the
trip from New Orleans to St. Louis can be made by Rail in 20 hours.)
It was November before the party finally reached St. Genevieve
at that time the only French post on the west bank of the Mississippi
that could furnish shelter or the comforts of frontier life.
It was the intention of Laclede to leave his merchandise and most
of his party at that post until he could find a location higher up the
stream or nearer the mouth of the Missouri, but he was disappointed
14 FUR FACTS
to find there no accommodation for his men or sufficient shelter for
his merchandise. At the invitation of the officer in charge of Fort
de Chartres, Laclede ascended the river to that post and there left
his goods and the most of his men, while he, in December, accom-
panied by Auguste Chouteau and a few other attendants, examined
the country on the western shore as far as the Missouri River, at
that time known as "Muddy Water."
Returning down the stream from the mouth of the Missouri
River, he selected a spot where the shore rose in an abrupt wall of
limestone, at places more than 40 feet high, broken here and there
by ravines through which flowed streams of fresh water fed by many
gushing springs.
This spot, which Laclede conceded to be ideal for his purpose,
they marked by blazing the trees. Then, said Laclede to young
Chouteau, his most intimate friend and associate, "You will come
here as soon as the river is free from ice, and will cause a place to be
cleared and form a settlement according to the plan which I shall
give you." Upon his return to Fort Chartres, Laclede told Governor
Neyon De Villiers that he had found a site where he was going to
form a settlement which, so the story goes, might become hereafter
one of the finest cities of America.
Thus was established the city that has become known as the
world's greatest fur center. It was some time, however, before the
fur trade in this section attained any considerable volume.
Gradually the hunting and trapping extended into the interior,
and the Osage Indians, who were the nearest neighbors to the settlers,
were easily induced, by the gift of beads and trinkets, to contribute
to the success of the enterprise by hunting animals for their skins,
which, when brought in to the post, always commanded what the
Indians considered to be a good price in beads, colored cloth, red
paint, powder and lead.
This trade eventually grew to be very profitable, and in 1810 the
trade with the Osages was estimated to amount to $30,000 a year.
The trading post began to have a name, not only in New Orleans
and surrounding territory, but also in far away Montreal, to which
place its fur packs were sometimes sent for sale, and the French
Canadians who had been in the service of the Great Northwest Fur
Company, began to straggle in to take their chances in the new
settlement.
Occasionally a buckskin Kentucky hunter, with his rifle on his
shoulder, would arrive on his way to the wonderful new hunting
FUR FACTS 15
grounds, whose fame had reached the land of Daniel Boone of whom
we have read so much in history. In fact, Daniel Boone, himself,
in search for more prolific hunting grounds, had moved to Missouri
in 1804 and established himself at a point on the Missouri river about
twenty-five miles distant from St. Louis.
For forty years after the founding of St. Louis, the trade with the
Indians and the adjacent settlers and hunters was carried on as an
individual business, the Chouteaus and Gratiots (who were among the
leading men in the town) and their relatives enjoying the chief share
of it and growing prosperous as a result of it. But in time came the
necessity for organizing a company, and in 1794, the Missouri Trad-
ing Company was formed by the union of all the parties engaged in
the business. In this the Chouteaus and a trader named Manuel
Lisa were the chief partners. This arrangement continued until
1808, when Pierre Chouteau and Manuel Lisa enlarged the Missouri
Fur Company, with a capital of $50,000. With this new organization
they were enabled to extend their operations over a much wider
field. No business was conducted east of the Mississippi River, but
the new company went as far south as the Arkansas River, as far
west as the Rocky Mountains and as far north as the limits claimed
by the great Northwest Fur Company and the still larger and strong-
er Hudson's Bay Company, for both these powerful organizations
were already in the field and attempting to annex the Missouri River
region and even the great plains and domains claimed and occupied
by them.
It is likely that, but for the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804,
followed by the active operations of the Missouri Fur Company of
St. Louis, four years later, the trade of the vast country around the
headwaters of the Missouri would have been lost to us and gone to
enrich the dealers in Montreal and London.
Indeed, it may be said that the enterprise and daring spirit of
the St. Louis traders was a most important factor in preventing this
entire domain from falling into the hands of the British Government,
as the limits between the United States and the British possessions
in the Northwest were vague and uncertain and both the Hudson's
Bay Company and the Northwest Company of Montreal, were
showing a disposition to claim a monopoly of trade in districts in that
quarter by setting up the British flag and claiming the ground as
British territory. The Hudson's Bay Company had already pushed
its operations into what is now known as Utah, without any inter-
vention on the part of the authority of the United States. Had this
16 FUR FACTS
occupation remained undisputed for a few years longer, it is not im-
probable that it would have been necessary to reclaim it through the
force of arms.
At this time, however, came Lewis and Clark, two gallant ex-
plorers, whose expedition was a bold and final proclamation in the
face of the whole world, that all the country west of the Mississippi
River to the Pacific Coast, and including the entire Columbia River
region, belonged to the United States, and when the Chouteau's and
Lisa sent their officers and agents and employees and shortly after-
ward followed themselves into the upper Missouri region the great
Northwest became ours in fact as it had already been by right.
The then extended operations of the St. Louis traders under the
new organization were extremely gratifying. During the last 25
years of French ownership of Louisiana, including the post of St.
Louis, its annual value was estimated at over $200,000. The annual
pack of beaver skins alone it is estimated was worth $60,000; deer
$60,000; otter $30,000; bear $14,000; fox, raccoon and wildcat $12,000;
buffalo $40,000 and lynx $1,500.
The fur trade, which had so much to do with the early life of
St. Louis, began with the very beginning of the city itself, and had
there been no fur trade and no material for such a business, there
likely would have been no St. Louis for more than hah* a century
after the post was established.
Kentucky and Tennessee, the two oldest states west of the Alle-
ghenies, were settled by explorers and hunters from Virginia and the
Carolinas in search of adventure who were attracted by the abundant
game that roamed at will in their boundless forests and, perhaps,
by the danger they would encounter in hunting, from the Indians
who claimed the game and the hunting grounds along with it as
their ancient right.
It was only natural, that following the close of the Revolutionary
War many officers and soldiers who had served in the Continental
Army, and lost everything they possessed, should come over the
AUeghenies, or down the Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee to Lex-
ington, Louisville and Nashville and to find in these new and growing
settlements the opportunity for repairing their broken fortunes and
of attaining eminence in the states of which these settlements were
the beginnings.
And had the mouth of the Ohio been only twenty, instead of two
hundred miles from the Missouri, it is highly probable that the
FUR FACTS 17
hunters from Virginia and Kentucky would have penetrated the
region known as Upper Louisiana in time to have been numbered
among the earliest settlers at St. Louis.
The two hundred miles of travel up the Mississippi, however,
constituted a barrier, which for many years, separated the settle-
ments of Kentucky and Tennessee from those of Missouri. Natur-
ally, as might be expected, these settlements grew to differ as radi-
cally in character as the sources from which they sprung. The
founders of St. Louis were Frenchmen, all the way from New Or-
leans, who came, not for the purpose of fighting the Indians and
driving them from their ancestral hunting grounds, but to buy
from them the furs and skins they had taken.
The early Kentuckians regarded the Indian as their natural
born enemy, always to be approached, even when showing signs of
peace and friendship, with a cocked rifle; but the French pioneers
in the West had a habit of making friends with the Indians and through
this spirit of friendliness and good will they saved themselves from
no end of trouble.
There were many elements to be considered in the successful
carrying on of the fur trade in those days. Good judgment was
required in selecting articles for trade. If blankets were of a dif-
ferent color, or a fraction larger or smaller, or of a different shape
from those to which they had been accustomed, the fastidious savages
would often refuse to accept them and they would remain unsalable
in the hands of the traders.
The red sons of the forest were extravagant in their offers for
anything that suited their fancy, but refused to accept, even as a
gift, anything which was not in line with their established customs.
Trading companies soon learned that they could not depend upon
the red men for supplies of furs and peltries sufficient to make the
trade profitable. The savage hunted simply to supply his necessi-
ties; hence the quantity of skins and furs available from the Indian
was always inadequate.
It became necessary, then, to employ a number of skillful hunters
and trappers upon whose efforts the success of the business depended.
Many hunters and trappers were engaged for this work. The
Missouri Fur Company having at one time as many as two hundred
and fifty men, hunters, trappers, Creoles and Canadian voyagers
in its service, not to mention the Indians also, who, after a little
instruction, contributed to swell the company's annual pack.
18 FUR FACTS
The old Missouri Fur Company operated successfully until in
extending their operations westward, they met the trade of John
Jacob Astor, which, starting from Astoria, located about 75 miles
northwest of the present city of Portland, Oregon, was pushing to the
East, when a combination of interests was effected and the St. Louis
traders united the Missouri Fur Company with Astor in the Amer-
ican Fur Company.
Astor withdrew some time after 1830, and the American Fur
Company fell to Pierre Chouteau, Jr., who conducted its operations
over the whole field in the West, south of the domain of the Hudson's
Bay Company.
Some of the men who pioneered in developing and establishing
the early fur trade in St. Louis were:
PIERRE LACLEDE LIGUEST JOSEPH MILLER
PIERRE CHOUTEAU ROBERT MCCLELLAND
AUGUSTE CHOUTEAU DONALD MCKENZIE
MANUEL LISA ROBERT STUART
DANIEL BOONE WILSON P. HUNT
JOHN JACOB ASTOR LEWIS CLARK
WILLIAM CLARK DAVID P. MITCHELL
RUEBEN LEWIS JOHN A. SIRE
JOHN PIERRE CAB ANNE JAMES A. HAMILTON
CHARLES GRATIOT ALEXANDER CULBERTSON
BARNARD PRATTE ANDREW HENRY
JOHN B. SARPY JIM BRIDGES
BARTHOLOMEW BARTHOLD ELIJAH B. MATTHEWS
THOMAS L. SARPY THOMAS FITZPATRICK
PETER L. SARPY WILLIAM H. ASHLEY
RUSSELL FARNHAM WILLIAM L. SUBLETTE
RAMSEY CROOKES ROBERT CAMPBELL
KENNETH MCKENZIE MILTON SUBLETTE
DANIEL DARLING
Fur and peltry currency in St. Louis, and, indeed, in the whole
West in transactions between St. Louis and New Orleans, Louis-
ville and Pittsburg was a necessity of the times, for gold and silver
money was scarce and inadequate to the needs of business. Furs
and skins commanded a ready sale and they further possessed the
quality of being easily transferred and containing a great value in
a small compass.
In 1807 Judge J. B. C. Lucas bought a house in St. Louis from
Pierre Duquochette, for $600 and paid the entire sum in furs and pelts.
FUR FACTS 19
At that time a coon skin, thrown on the counter in a store, would
always command its fixed value for any goods in the store, and a
bundle of coon skins, might be presented in payment for any com-
modity or service.
Plenty of furs and peltries meant plenty of currency, and this,
in turn, meant increased imports of necessaries and comforts up the
Mississippi from New Orleans or down the Ohio from Philadelphia
and Pittsburg. Furs and skins had a fairly steady value. Prime,
medium beaver was always worth $5.00 a skin; otter $5.00; buffalo
$8.00; grizzly bear $10.00; black bear $4.00; lynx $2.00; fox $1.00;
raccoon 40c and mink 40c.
The goods traded to the savages for their furs were cheap cloth,
high colored red being the favorite, beads and trinkets, guns, powder
and lead and when a lot of these were disposed of, and choice beaver,
otter, and lynx furs, or deer skins, bear skins and buffalo robes re-
ceived in return, there was a good profit for the trader.
After a century and a half of unrivaled success, St. Louis fur
traders gradually adapted themselves to new conditions. The
American Fur Company wound up its business about the time of the
Civil War, as there was no longer a trade with the Indians, they
having gradually disappeared from the plains and valleys of the upper
Missouri. The buffalo, black, cinnamon and grizzly bear moved
away before the encroachments of the railroads and the increasing
population and soon the fur trade settled down to a regular trade in
the pelts of smaller fur-bearers.
Following the Civil War representatives of the St. Louis houses
traversed the Mississippi Valley, the mountains and the coast,
wherever there was fur production. Thus, St. Louis became the
concentrating point and a great primary fur market.
In 1877 there were 12,386 bundles of furs and peltries received
in St. Louis. Ten years later, in 1887, the receipts had increased
to 22,045 bundles.
Now the bulk of all of the furs produced on the North American
continent come from within a radius of 600 miles of St. Louis, and
St. Louis is the center of the raw fur industry of the world. In 1877
there were 12,386 bundles of furs and peltries received in St. Louis.
In 1881, Robert Emmet Funsten, William Fitzhugh Funsten and
Johnson Funsten, came from Virginia and established Funsten Bros.
& Co., which firm eventually became the largest fur house in the
world. Through the efforts of this house and with the support of
other big fur traders, St. Louis became the largest fur market in
FUR FACTS
the world, and the number of shipments of furs for the season
of 1919-20 is estimated at 1,068,000 shipments, as compared .with
12,386 in 1877, and totaled the gigantic sum of $60,000,000.00.
This includes fur shipped to St. Louis from all over the world.
The value of fresh pelts trapped during the wmter season of
1919-20 in surrounding territory and shipped to St. Louis is
so much greater than the business of the early fur traders that
there can hardly be any comparison. In 1810 the value of pelts
marketed in St. Louis was estimated at thirty thousand dollars
($30,000.00) a year. In the Fall of 1919 and early Winter of 1920, a
little over one hundred years later, the value of the shipments of
furs received in St. Louis from North American trapping grounds
was estimated at thirty five million dollars ($35,000,000.00).
CHAPTER II
AMERICAN FURS ARE POPULAR ALL OVER THE WORLD
Fur bearing animals were created by a wise Providence for the
use and benefit of mankind, and there is nothing that can take the
place of furs for warmth, comfort and pleasure. No woman con-
siders herself well dressed today without a piece of fur, and no woman
can be really comfortable during the winter season without fur.
It is a fact, not generally known, that out of the forty-eight
states, there is in all, except the state of Florida, a record of zero
weather during the winter season.
American furs are not only in demand by Americans, but Euro-
peans also prefer the American skunk, opossum, muskrat, mink,
wolf and other American furs to the furs produced in any other
country.
China, while one of the oldest and most densely populated
countries in the world, is still a big producer of furs. Siberia, which
most of us think of as a land of ice and snow, is also a great pro-
ducer of furs, the principal kind being the Russian squirrels. Siberia
is a delightful country in the summer, with its ponds and lakes.
It is virtually a fur paradise, and one of the richest undeveloped
countries in the world. The supply of furs from Siberia will in-
crease as the country develops and becomes more thickly populated.
Strange as it may seem, the small fur bearers, which go to make
up the bulk of the fur supply of the world, follow the small farmer.
New York state is one of the largest fur producing states in the union,
and the supply of skunk, muskrat and fox continues year after year.
The professional trapper, the amateur trapper, the man and boy
in the country has come to realize that the fur bearing animals in his
district are his friends that they are a source of profit and that they
are just as valuable to him as other live stock on his farm, such as
his pigs and chickens. The old raccoon may eat a little of his corn
and the muskrat may gnaw his carrots and the mink kill a chicken
occasionally, but the fur bearers around his farm are fully worth all
they take, because their pelts are very valuable, if he takes the pelt
at the right time of the year. Therefore, the farmer has come to the
point where he realizes the importance of protecting his fur bearing
FUR FACTS
animals, and he uses good judgment as to the time of trapping them
in order that they may increase and continue to be a constant source
of profit to him, his children and his grand -children. In this he re-
ceives the co-operation of the old established fur houses who have
large sums invested in the fur business and who are vitally interested
in seeing the industry prosper and the supply of fur bearing animals
increase. Funsten Bros. & Co., furnish the best information obtain-
able, encourage reading the reports prepared by the United States
Department of Agriculture, furnish him with most humane traps
and suggest the best time and method of taking pelts of the fur
bearers.
Every boy in the country now is almost an expert in the trapping
of fur bearing animals, their care, the care of the pelt, how to stretch
it and how to prepare it for shipment. Information about game-
laws etc. is sent free by the big fur houses and by the United States
Government, who recognizes the value of the fur crop to the farmer
as well as to the country at large. The total value of all of the pelts
taken in the United States annually runs into millions of dollars and
is a big source of revenue and a big help to the farming community.
In addition to protecting the fur bearers, that run wild, a great
many enterprising farmers and stock men have undertaken the
raising of fur bearing animals for profit and in many instances it has
proved very successful. The silver fox farms of Prince Edward
Islands being unusually so, and this particular industry has developed
in the last decade to a business running into millions of dollars.
Of late years there has been considerable interest shown in fur
farming and it is safe to predict that the next ten years will show
wonderful strides made in this branch of industry. Muskrat, mink,
skunk, opossum, raccoon, which are the staples in the fur line can
all be raised successfully with profit, and no doubt great progress
will be made along these lines.
CHAPTER III
THE FUTURE SUPPLY OF FUR
Fur bearing animals will be with us forever if they are given half
a chance and the man and boy in the country is taught to realize that
the fur bearers are his friends and not his enemies. Every man who
traps furs or is in anyway interested in furs for profit should see that
the fur bearers in his neighborhood are protected and should encour-
age his neighbors to protect them, and he should preach the gospel
of saving and increasing this tremendous source of wealth. "The
commercial history of America begins with furs, and from the early
days down to the present this has been an important article in the
domestic and foreign trade. There are few commodities in common
use which distribute their benefits so widely. From the country
boy who traps a few muskrats to the professional who patrols miles
of country, the money received for pelts goes at once into various
channels of circulation." Today the great fur centers of the world
are in the United States. The amount of capital invested in the fur
trade is greater than ever before and many thousands of people in
the great cities derive their support from it in the different branches
of dressing, dyeing, manufacturing, selling, etc. The investment on
the part of dealers, manufacturers and retailers runs into hundreds of
millions of dollars. This gigantic industry and this tremendous
source of profit to the trapper and the man and boy in the country
would of course cease the minute the supply of furs was shut off;
and this industry would naturally decline in proportion as the supply
of fur declines, or increase as the quantity of furs increases. There-
fore it can be readily seen that the future supply of furs is a very
important factor and that it is something that well deserves the
attention of every boy and man in the country and that it is up to
them to conserve and increase the supply of fur bearing animals.
This can be comparatively easily done as has been proven in many
sections. The small fur bearer is very prolific and breeds rapidly.
There are millions of acres of ground in this country from New York
to California and from Canada to the Gulf where the small fur
bearers can roam at will and breed and multiply for generations to
come. There are vast areas not only in this country but also in
FUR FACTS
Canada and Alaska where fur bearers can thrive and multiply to
insure the future supply of furs for an increased population. Wher-
ever the fur bearers have been protected, and nearly all states now
have safe and sane game laws, they have increased. A few years
ago a certain section of the country protected beaver. After several
years the beaver became a pest and overran the community. A few
years ago it was said that the black and silver fox could not be raised
in capitivity. Today in Prince Edward Islands and in our North-
ern states there are millions of dollars invested in this industry, and
the farming and breeding of silver fox has come to stay. A few
years ago one author went so far as to say that fur farming could
not be done, yet today some people are worrying about its being
overdone. There is not much danger of the wild fur supply be-
coming less if the boy and the man in the country will do his part by
realizing that the fur bearers are his friends and protecting them,
feeding them, and helping them in every way possible and only
trapping in the Fall and Winter months, and not shooting them in
the Spring and Summer, or at any time when he knows that they
should not be molested. Nearly every man and boy who lives in
the country knows when furs are at their best. This varies in differ-
ent sections and a rule that might apply in Minnesota would not
apply in Florida, but the man living in these states is familiar with
conditions in his locality, or he can easily obtain any information he
desires as to the game laws and when furs are protected by writing
to the big fur houses. They send out a catalog each fall
in which is printed a synopsis of the game laws for all of the states and
provinces. The writer has advocated the conservation of the fur
bearers for more than twenty years. Wild creatures quickly learn
where they are safe from molestation and in such places the fear of
man disappears in a surprisingly short time. It would seem ad-
visable to set aside a district in every trapping section and protect
the fur bearers in that section at all times. In other words it would
be a game preserve in which no trapping would be done at any time,
and the animals could breed and multiply in this protected area and
thus a great many objections on both sides of the question would
be overcome. This plan was tried out in Canada. A park was
set aside; a great many trappers who were in the habit of hunting
and trapping in the region in and about the park which was set
aside as a preserve, found it very hard to keep out of the park after
it was established as a sanctuary for fur bearing animals; but they
finally got together and agreed to stay out and did stay out and later
FUR FACTS 25
when they held a conference and compared notes they found that
they were getting three times as much fur outside of the park as
they were when they were admitted to it and that all of the fur
bearers were on the increase and increasing rapidly. If you are
located in a good fur section, take an interest in conserving the fur
bearers and interest your neighbor in agreeing to set aside a certain
district of swamp land or any other land suitable for the purpose,
and get your county authorities to co-operate with you in forming
a game preserve. If necessary have a local game warden to protect
it. If the people of the district will agree not to trap on this ground
thus set aside and only trap a certain distance from it, they will
be surprised at the wonderful results, and you will help insure a
constant supply of furs for yourself, your children and grand-
children.
Your Children and Wild Animals
Since the time of the earliest settlers, children in the open country
have been taught to look upon the wild animals as their natural
enemies. Did a gray squirrel appear in the barnyard, it was stoned
to death. Did a fox scamper through the wheatfield it was shot.
Did a muskrat appear near an icy pool, it was a signal for healthy
boys to stop skating and give their attention to its extinction.
There were numerous reasons for this, parents handed down this
theory that all wild animals were enemies to their sparse crops.
They also encouraged killing them off because animals meant food
when food was scarce.
But the boy of today must be taught to look on animals of the
open not only as friends, but friends who will make money for him.
He should be taught also to foster their growth in every way, to
hunt them only when the pelt is prime, to protect their young and
to take an active interest in all methods that multiply their numbers.
The United States has taken first place as a fur producer and mar-
keter and the world looks to America for its supply of raw furs.
The skunk, long held in ill repute for such deeds as wholesale
chicken snatching (which he was not guilty of) has within the last
few years proved a mighty aid to the farmer in destroying pests and
its beautiful pelt is one of the never-ending staples of the fur market.
Skunk, while plentiful, is not inexhaustible and must be encour-
aged and protected by man if man is to realize the high profits that
accrue from trapping them. Boys should realize this.
26 FUR FACTS
Muskrats, too, once held as an irrepressible pest, have proved
their worth as fur bearers and are in heavy demand and can be
increased rapidly.
Your Friend, The Skunk
Among the fur-bearing animals of the United States the skunk
is second in importance only to the muskrat. The animal's readiness
to accept almost any climatic condition and its easily satisfied appetite
has fostered its growth in every state in the Union.
Skunk should be encouraged. Protection, does not mean merely
confining trapping to the open Season. This is not enough, this
valuable animal must be taught that man is not his enemy but his
friend.
If the supply is to be increased, friendly measures must be practised.
With skunks, this is not difficult. They are never savage, cunning,
nor have they the instinctive hate for man possessed by many of
their larger brethren. Indeed, the skunk lends itself to domesti-
cation with great ease.
The matter of making friends is up to the farmer, the woodman
and the trapper. It is no difficult task to improvise homes that will
be welcome to them, allow them to rove the fields unmolested during
the warmer months, feed them in case of heavy snows, and allow
them to raise their young untroubled, and in the end it will pay
enormously.
Contrary to the belief of a few years ago, the skunk is the farmer's
friend. Investigation by scientists has shown that the animal's
principal food is insects that are injurious to plant life, among them
the wheat-head army worm, and the tobacco worm. Examination
of the stomachs of 62 skunks showed that a majority of them were
filled with grass-hoppers and predatory beetles enemies of agri-
culture.
Further testimony in behalf of the skunk is contained in govern-
ment reports stating that poultry killings usually attributed to
skunks are in reality the work of weasels. Skunks do occasionally
raid a yard killing one fowl not half a dozen as the weasel does,
and they do nibble at garden truck. But even so they should not
be driven off; for the cost of their depredations is more than offset
by their own destruction of dangerous pests and counterbalanced
by the price their pelts will bring in the market.
Outdoor men can help the skunk and themselves by heeding a
few simple suggestions. Encourage skunks to breed in the open
FUR FACTS 27
places. Do not molest them but make them feel "at home". Trap
only in the open season and then take only furs at their best. Let
the young ones go to propagate later.
The man who is in business for himself is ever watchful of any
conditions that may affect that business harmfully, in other words,
bring loss of capital to himself. Now the professional and amateur
trapper alike may well consider that they are in business for them-
selves and with the real business man's foresight should take care
that no harmful influence be allowed to affect it.
For selfish reasons, a few individual trappers may wish to con-
tinue trapping activity even while the fur-bearing animals are
breeding, however he can be made to see that the really selfish and
most profitable thing for him to do is not to trap at that time.
Trapping in the breeding season is like killing the goose that
lays the golden egg. It is to the trapper's own interest to see that
the fur wealth in his neighborhood on his own trapping domain is
being increased rather than diminished, for though a few more pelts
may be temporarily added to his catch, the future of his trapping
business is becoming more and more endangered. Two pelts taken
out of season, especially of the female may mean twenty pelts
lost for the next trapping season.
You are simply stealing from yourself the fur supply on which
your own trapping prosperity depends. The trapper should learn
the proper seasons for trapping the many different fur-bearing ani-
mals, when the quality of the pelt is the highest and when the skins
will bring the best price on the open market. The big fur houses
which make it a policy to help the trapper in his work and diffi-
culties, are always more than willing to give the best information on
these subjects.
Always remember that the fur-bearing animals in your
neighborhood represent the wealth on which your trapping business
is profitably conducted.
Inmring the Stability and Growth of the American
Trapping Industry.
Trapping is a real industry and has proven itself to be such from
the time the few colonial settlers went forth into the wild country
of the West and began to establish the first trading relations with
the Indians. From the beginning the value of pelts, skins, and furs
of all kinds was recognized by the white men; and those engaged in
this remunerative work gave all their time to trade and barter with
the Indians who trapped and secured the furs for them.
28 FUR FACTS
The old methods, of course, have long since vanished from the
fur industry; but the salient point to note is that the fur industry
is a big industry and that from a very small beginning it has in-
creased to the immense proportions of today. That there is stabil-
ity and a sound foundation can not be contested for the proof lies
in the centuries of success it has enjoyed, that the market for furs
has been continuously open, and that an even heavier demand may
be looked for in the years to come.
The trapper is the real backbone of the trade, for it rests on him
to supply the immense quantity of furs required by the trade.
What is Fur Conservation
Many farmers when they hear the words "conservation" or
"protection" mentioned, instantly assume a defensive position, under
the assumption that they and their interests are being attacked.
They consider that fur conservation means restricted trapping,
smaller catches, smaller profits.
It is true that trapping and game legislation can be overdone.
A law which is inflexible may often do more harm than good. But
conservation does not necessarily mean legislation. There are other
means for effective fur conservation besides law. If the trapper
himself will realize that by sane methods of conservation he is pro-
tecting his own wealth, insuring himself bigger catches each year,
and helping to stabilize the trapping industry, there will be little
need for protective laws. In fact, the trapper can do more than
the state or county to protect the fur-bearers in his section.
Great harm is done to the fur crop by poisoning and wholesale
killing and unless the trapper will assume the duty of protection
considerable damage will be done to the fur supply. Most trappers
know when animals in their neighborhood begin to breed.
Take care to preserve the dens, holes, water houses, etc., of the
animals in your section. As far as you can, keep their haunts nat-
ural and undisturbed. Never trap females, kits and immature
animals, if you can help it, either in season or out. Work together
with your trapper friends in the interest of conservation. Form
some kind of a mutual agreement to protect the fur-bearers.
Most important, convince yourself that conservation benefits you
more than any other individual. It will help make trapping a per-
manent occupation, render you bigger profits each year, and will
help to standardize the fur supply and the fur market.
FUR FACTS 29
What the Trapper Should do During the Summer
When the trapping season ends, every trapper should consider
it his own duty to refrain from trapping during the mating season,
and to help increase the supply of animals in every way he can.
The first thing to do is to go over your trap line carefully, and
be sure that you do not leave any open sets lying around all summer.
Take in your traps and wash them in strong lye water, and then
hang them in a dry, shady place, where you can find them conven-
iently when the new trapping season opens in the fall.
It is not enough that you should cease from your own trapping
once the season is over; go out among all your friends and neighbors
and prevail upon them to join in the work of fur conservation. Get
everyone to agree to trap only when pelts are good.
The fur crop in your section really belongs to you and is a part
of your personal property. So it is wise and profitable to keep in
close touch with it during the summer when there is no trapping.
In this way you will protect and increase your own wealth.
Protection
Until a few years ago there was a general prejudice against musk-
rats among farmers whose bottom lands they inhabited. The
farmer's chief complaint was that they burrowed under his fields and
occasionally nibbled his crop, thus causing him losses, seldom stop-
ping to consider that the muskrat pelts would more than pay for the
trifling annoyance the animals caused. Farmers oftejn set out to
exterminate them by draining the land, poisoning, shooting and
destroying them in every way possible.
For every case where it is shown that the mus.krat attacked
crops on lands near marshes, there is another which shows that he
left crops entirely alone, even though they were near at hand.
It has taken the American farmer a number of years to realize
just what a money-making asset the possession of muskrat marsh
or ponds on his lands is to him. Time was when .he either ignored
muskrats (save for the sport of catching them) oar actually drove
them out while subject to the belief that they were pests.
Now the more astute American farmer looks on the presence of
muskrats in his bottom lands just as he regards th cornfields of the
higher slopes as a crop.
He encourages them to breed, protects them during the mating
season, traps them only when the pelts are good atfd makes every
30 FUR FACTS
effort to promote their growth as a crop because muskrat conser-
vation pays and pays well.
It is no unusual thing for a farmer to trap 100 muskrats in an
acre or two of useless marshlands and receive for their pelts an aver-
age of $1.00 apiece and in many instances more. At this rate, his
fur crop would bring him in the neighborhood of $100 money that
comes to him practically without effort on his part, since muskrat
trapping is simple and requires little time.
To the man in the country who, up to this time, has been in-
different to the muskrat's existence, the animal's new status should
be of interest, especially since fashion has taken up the muskrat
and the market for his pelt is broader than ever.
The small fur-bearer is the best wild animal friend that the
farmer has and there ought to be and can be three times as many of
them as there are now; but it is up to you. Any boy or man living
in the country can have two or three dozen skunks working for him
all of the time. They will help the farmer by destroying mice,
grass-hoppers, crickets, white grubs, etc., and will furnish from
fifty to one hundred dollars worth of fur every year, and all they
ask is a little kindness; Don't shoot at them every time you see
one run across the yard. If .they kill your poultry it is your own
fault. Keep your poultry shut up out of the way in animal proof
houses. As a matter of fact skunks are often more valuable to you
than your poultry and will pay you bigger dividends, and the same
can be said of many of the other fur-bearing animals. If you have
any muskrat on your place, take care of them. You can trap all
you want when the fur is prime, but do not blow up their houses,
and do not hunt them day and night, Summer and Winter, give them
a fair chance.
A fine dog is a nice animal to have and some one has said that the
dog is man's best friend. This may be true but a lot of people will
keep three or four old hungry hounds on their place and allow them
to run down every fur-bearing animal that comes around and chase
them and scatter them for miles and then waste money feeding the
hounds valuable food. Dogs are alright where they are needed
but they have killed countless sheep, and destroyed millions of fur-
bearing animals, especially the young and the weak. If you have to
decide between the hungry hound and the fur-bearer, decide in favor
of the fur-bearer and shoot the hound. Get the thought firmly
fixed in your mind that the fur-bearer is a part of your stock and
belongs to you just as much as your sheep, hogs, or chickens and
FUR FACTS 31
is just as big a source of profit. They want you to take care of them,
and they will be with you as long as your other live stock, if you
will take care of them. Set aside a district on your farm for them to
breed. Don't allow anyone to go near it and don't go near it your-
self. Do not trap in this reserved strip. When it comes time for
you to trap set your traps out away from it, and encourage your
neighbors to do the same thing, and you will be surprised at the
wonderful results obtained. Directly and indirectly the small
fur-bearers of this country contribute to the support and comfort
of a large proportion of our population. The greater part of the
furs trapped in this country are trapped on privately owned land,
and any farmer who wants to do it, can improve the fur supply
by following the suggestions given. The most logical step to be
taken to assure a big increase in the future fur supply is to set aside
a preserve for fur-bearing animals, a big preserve if possible, but at
least a small one, and stock it with the best animals that can be
found, supply them with dens, and allow them full liberty, and it
will prove a continuous source of profit, and a joy and pleasure to
the owner.
CHAPTER IV
18 FUR TRAPPING CRUEL
Ever so often some one will start a campaign against trapping
on account of the cruelty to the animal. Every trapper knows
that there is more cruelty among wild animals themselves, than
there is on the part of man. It is the trapper's desire to kill the
animal, and not merely to catch it. If an animal caught in a trap
remains there too long, its pelt is liable to be damaged to
such an extent that he is not paid for his trouble. All argu-
ment to the contrary, trapping is very hard work. The modern
trapper uses traps or tries to set his traps in such a manner that
they kill instantly. As one authority has pointed out there is
hardly such a thing as natural death in wild life. It is a constant
battle and the weak and the old fall victims to the strong. One
kind will prey upon another. Man is the most merciful of any of
the creatures and has no desire to see any wild thing suffer. As
a matter of fact he makes his plans and sets his traps in such a manner
as to cause little suffering on the part of the animal caught. But
not so with the animal's natural enemies. The hawk will pounce
upon the young rabbit, snatch it up in its claws and fly away with
it for miles to feast upon it in some tree top. The weasel will attack
and kill for the love of killing and will oftentimes leave its victim
crippled and bleeding and go on in search of another. The pro-
fessional trapper and the boy in the country who lives outdoors
studies animal life, he knows their habits, when they come and go;
he knows their dens, he knows what they feed on, and how they get
their food, he does not kill the young, and he does not knowingly
destroy the females. Most men who follow the trap line are big
hearted, wholesome, out-of-doors kind of people who have a real
love and affection for animals such as raccoon and opossum and
despise the wolf only because it is deadly cruel to the weaker animals.
There is constant warfare going on in wild animal life at all times.
If the theory of some over sensitive people was carried out we
would have no slaughter houses and we would probably all be-
come vegetarians. It is hardly fair to say that it is more cruel
to trap a mink and kill it than to lead the innocent lamb to
FUR FACTS 33
the slaughter and crack its skull with the blow of a hammer, or
to load live stock into a crowded box car and transport them for
days at a time, often without food or water, and crowded in such
a manner that if one gets down it can not get up. It must be
remembered that wild animals have not the same delicate nervous
system as the human being and consequently does not suffer in a
like manner. On the whole taking it by and large the trapper is
humane, the very nature of his calling makes him so. Fur bear-
ing animals were created for the use and benefit of mankind and
should be so considered.
CHAPTER V
HINTS ON HOW TO JUDGE FURS
The wearing of fur garments dates back to the time of Adam and
Eve. We read in the Book of Genesis Chapter Three, Verse Twenty-
One, "And the Lord made for Adam and his wife, garments of skins,
and clothed them."
The American woman is the best judge of values in the world.
She knows silks, linens, cotton goods, shoes, stockings, hats and furs.
She instinctively knows quality, and the enterprising wide-awake
retail merchant has come to a realization of this fact, and con-
sequently the reliable retailer does not try to pass skunk as black
marten, or muskrat as river mink. As a matter of fact the leading
retail furriers take pride in calling furs by their right names and there
is hardly a woman shopper in any of the big cities today but knows
a genuine silver fox when she sees it, and that can judge fine mink
almost as well as the furrier himself. She knows that fine muskrat
sheared will take the dye and make as fine a coat as Alaska seal,
with the advantage that the muskrat is lighter in weight and lends
itself to nearly any style of garment and on this account she does
not hesitate to pay almost as much for a fine muskrat coat dyed seal
color as she does for dyed Alaska seal.
Some furs are made up into garments in their natural color, others
are dyed, and some are merely blended, that is the top hairs are
tinted by barely touching the hair with a feather dipped in dye;
other furs are plucked and still others are both plucked and dyed.
Plucking
Beaver is one of the staple articles of the fur trade and thousands
of them are used every year for trimming, but very few if any are
ever used dyed, the furrier using the beaver fur in the natural color.
Beaver is used to trim coats, capes, etc., and has a soft, thick, dense
fur, as smooth as velvet with a light brownish cast which shades
off from the light into the dark, the plucked skin being darker along
the back of the animal than it is on the sides. But the change in
shade is very gradual, so that any way it is looked at it is a beautiful
rich soft color and one of the best wearing and most dependable furs
FUR FACTS 35
that money can buy. The fur is about three fourths of an inch in
depth and is very thick and compact. The nutria which is found in
South America is very similar to the North American beaver and is
very much the same color, but the fur is shorter and looser, the
nutria fur being about one fourth to one half of an inch in depth.
Both of these furs are plucked before they are used by the furrier.
The beaver pelt, as well as the nutria, when it is taken off of the
carcass of the animal, has long coarse guard hair which covers the
entire pelt, this long hair is from one half to three quarters of an inch
longer than the underfur. This top hair, or guard hair, is coarse
and wiry, and the uninitiated seeing a beaver skin before it is plucked
would hardly recognize it as beaver fur. Before the manufacturer
cuts the skins up into garments they are sent to the dresser and
plucker and all of these long coarse guard hairs are pulled out. This
work is done by experts who use a large dull knife. The skins are
laid over a circular beam and the guard hairs are literally plucked
out, leaving the soft velvety underfur. The same thing is done with
the otter, the nutria and also with the Alaska seal. One difference
between the beaver and the seal is that the beaver is very rarely
dyed. They are so beautiful in their natural color and shade that
the furrier rarely if ever dyes them. The beaver and otter are furs
that cannot be imitated successfully, and the nearest approach to
it is the nutria, and nutria in itself is a very fine and dependable fur.
The seal skin, however, is dyed after it is plucked. The natural color
of the seal after it is plucked is somewhat similar to the beaver, being
of a light brownish cast, but after it is dyed it is black with a brownish
sheen.
How it was Discovered that Seal Skins Could be Plucked
One of the greatest authorities on plucking and dressing Alaska
seal that ever lived told the writer the following story. It seems
that the art of dressing and dyeing Alaska seal is only of compara-
tively recent origin. Less than one hundred years ago seal skins were
used very little by furriers for garments. The pelts were taken in very
large quantities but they had little or no value for fur purposes; and
in England their principal use was for trunk lining. The pelt side was
softened and tanned until the leather was pliable and they were then
used as lining for cases, trunks, traveling bags, etc. It seems that
the trunk makers were brick layers in the Summer and trunk makers
in the Winter, in other words they had two trades. It is also said
the bricklayer-trunk maker prided himself on being able to drink
36 FUR FACTS
more beer and not show it than any other tradesman with the pos-
sible exception of the printer. They were always ready to show their
prowess if the time was ripe and funds were available.
It so happened that the proprietor of a trunk making establish-
ment was called away from his place of business for a day to another
city and the night before he left he appointed one of the workmen
to take charge of the shop the following day, and gave him very
explicit instructions about a certain order that was to be filled.
Everything went along well the next day until one of the men sug-
gested getting a pot of ale which was forbidden during working
hours when the proprietor was around. A vote was taken and it
was decided that a pot of ale would not be out of order, and one pot
called for another, until after a short time there was more thought
of ale than there was of work. A dispute arose and a scuffle followed
with the result that a large barrel of water was knocked over and
drenched a pile of seal skins that were lying on the floor. This
accident tended to sober some of the more serious minded of the
workmen, and they were at a loss to know what to do with the wet
seal skins. If the boss came back and found the skins wet they
would probably all lose their jobs, and so they decided the best
thing to do was to dry them quickly before anyone could discover the
accident. They built a roaring fire in the stove and draped the wet
seal skins around it and waited for them to dry. In due time they
dried out alright, but when the workmen came to handle them they
found that the hair came out and this put them in a worse plight than
before. They made another discovery, however, that it was only
the top hair that came out, and that after the top hair was loosened
and pulled out, there was a soft velvety underfur strong and beauti-
ful and much better looking that the seal skin had been before. One
genius in the crowd suggested that they pull out all of the top hairs
and line the trunks with the skins having only the underfur, and as
there was hardly anything else to do under the circumstances, they
went ahead with the balance of the skins, wetting them and hanging
them by the hot stove, pulling out the top hair, and lining the trunks.
The trunks were finished in time and were sent off to the customer.
When the proprietor returned he congratulated the men, not knowing
of course anything about the accident and the fact that the cases
had been sent to the customer lined with plucked seal.
Some time afterwards the customer who had received the trunks
placed another order and this order was lined with the old fashioned
seal. The customer sent them back and refused to take them and
FUR FACTS 37
said that he wanted trunks lined like the last order. The manu-
facturer quite naturally was very much bewildered and set out to
investigate. He called on the merchant to whom he had sold the
trunks and for the first time he saw one of his own cases lined with
the plucked seal. He hurried back to his shop and finally after a
lot of scolding and threatening he managed to get the story bit by
bit from the workmen as to how the accident had occurred, they of
course feeling that something terrible would happen to them on
account of the mistake. After hearing the story the manufacturer
tried the same method of wetting the skins and heating them. The
result was amazing; the top hair pulled out easily leaving the soft
beautiful under fur; and this, so it is said, was the beginning of the
plucking process. This trunk manufacturer had a great rush of busi-
ness and he had practically a monopoly, until the story got out and
every trunk maker began dumping barrels of water on the seal skins
and plucking them after they were dried before a hot fire.
Later on, more careful study was given to the matter and a more
scientific method evolved for the plucking of seal; but today seal
skins are plucked in much the same manner, they are placed in a
room with a very high degree of heat for a certain length of time
and then taken out and a man with a long dull knife, known as an
unhairer, plucks out the guard hairs.
The reason that the top fur will pull out and the soft underfur
remains in, is that the guard hair is deeper seated than the soft under-
fur, the bulb of the guard hair being closer to the surface of the pelt
side. The pelt side is scraped down until the bulb of the guard hair
is almost exposed. The bulb of the guard hair is a little sack or
pocket similar to the root of any other hair; and when it is exposed to
a strong heat this bulb explodes by the steam that is formed in it
and then it is very easily extracted or plucked out.
After the discovery that seal could be plucked and that they were
more beautiful and soft in their plucked state than in their natural
state, they were made into fur garments. Some time later an enter-
prising dyer conceived the idea of dyeing them a rich brown, and for
many years seals were brown in color, in fact it created a new color
known as "seal brown". Later on they were dyed a color almost
black but still retaining a brown glaze and the rich brown under-
ground.
The muskrat is treated in a similar manner to the Alaska seal
except that the muskrat fur is not plucked but is sheared, that is the
38 FUR FACTS
muskrat fur is cut down to almost the same length as the Alaska seal
and is dyed by much the same process and produces much the same
effect, except that seal made from muskrat is lighter in weight than
the Alaska seal.
Plucked Fur
The plucked furs are the beaver, the otter, and the Alaska seal.
The Alaska seal is always dyed after it is plucked. The otter is
sometimes dyed, but it is more often used in its natural state as it
resembles the beaver but is a little shorter in nap and finer in quality.
The beaver is rarely, if ever, dyed, but it is always plucked before it
is made into fur garments.
In judging a seal coat, whether it be made of Alaska seal or
muskrat, the lustre, quality and thickness of the fur must tell their
own story. It is difficult to distinguish between the Alaska seal gar-
ment and one made from the muskrat, there is little difference in
price and no reliable store would attempt to sell one for the other.
There are many discriminating women who prefer seal made from
the muskrat to the Alaska seal. There is a seal, however, made from
the Australian rabbit which is sheared down and made to imitate
the finer seal, but it is poor in quality, will not wear, and is not de-
sirable. This is readily distinguished however, from the muskrat or
Alaska seal, as it has a longer soft nap, does not stand up, and looks
like what it is, namely rabbit skin. No large department store or re-
liable retail furrier, would attempt to sell sheared and dyed coney,
which is known as French seal and electric seal, as muskrat seal or
Alaska seal. The great popularity of muskrat and the fact that musk-
rat are bringing high prices is due to the fact that it makes such a
wonderful seal fur, known as Hudson Bay seal. Firms specializing in
the dressing and dyeing of muskrat have developed this art until the
finished product is a thing of beauty and a joy to most women who
like a light weight, stylish, and beautiful coat.
Silver Fox
The highest priced pelt in the world is the American silver fox.
It is found in some of our northern states, throughout all of Canada,
and in Alaska, and is raised on a very extensive scale in Prince Edward
Island, and in other parts of Canada as well as in the United States.
Silver foxes are judged by their lustre, quality, and the beauty of the
fur. The finest skins are a rich, deep, bluish black color, about three
quarters of the length of the body, and the balance of the skin down
to the root of the tail is sprinkled with white silvery hairs. The
FUR FACTS 39
brush should be full and of the same rich black color as the mane,
with a white tip on the point of the tail. The skins that bring the
highest prices are full-furred, with the guard fur intact, (no rubbed
or damaged spots), with the long hair standing straight up and full
of life. Skins that are a shade off, that is skins that are called "rusty'*
are not so valuable. They may come from the same section, but
when the animal wanders around in the sun the fur is liable to lose
its gloss and its rich black color. Some silver foxes are gray in
color all over and these skins are also very popular and high priced.
Silver foxes range in price up to one thousand dollars per skin, and
even more for exceptional specimens. The average price in the Retail
store for good skins is about five hundred dollars. Some manu-
facturers have attempted to imitate silver fox and sell what is
known as "pointed fox"; but American women do not care much
for imitations, and the "pointed fox" has about played out. How-
ever, it is rather interesting to know how the silver fox is imitated.
This is done by taking the ordinary red fox and dyeing it black,
and then using the white badger hairs, taking a single hair at a time,
dipping one end of it in glue and then inserting it among the hairs
of the dyed fox. Enough of the badger hair is added to the dyed
fox to give it the appearance of silver fox, in that it is sprinkled
with white hairs. But this imitation is readily perceived, except by
the most inexperienced women shoppers, and no reliable retailer
would attempt to sell "pointed fox" as genuine silver fox. They
are very attractive, but it shows plainly that it is the imitated and
not the genuine article.
Strange it may seem, many people believe that "taupe foxes",
"platinum foxes", "sitka foxes", etc., are natural colored skins.
As a matter of fact there are only seven kind of foxes: silver fox,
which has been described heretofore, the red fox, which is a bright
lemon colored red, the white fox, which is snow white, the gray
fox, which as the name indicates, is gray in color, the tip of the hair
being white and the lower part of a bluish cast, the swift fox, which
is very similar in color to the gray, the blue fox which has a brown-
ish cast, and the cross fox, which is a reddish brown in color with
a distinct and darker cross down the top of the back and across the
shoulders. All other foxes such as "sitka fox", "isabella fox",
"taupe fox", "platinum fox", etc., are dyed, the red fox and white
fox being used for this purpose.
A splendid rule in judging fox fur as to whether it is dyed or not
is to look at the pelt. If the fur has not been dyed the pelt will be
40 FUR FACTS
a clean white color like the inside of a white kid glove. If the fox
has been dyed the pelt will be like the inside of a brown kid glove;
the leather will be the same color as the dye. This test applies
to nearly every fur with the exception of Alaska seal, and the pelt
of the Alaska seal is so thick that after it is dyed it is sand papered
down until the color on the pelt side is sand papered oft', leaving the
white leather exposed. This can not be done successfully with thin
pelted furs so that if there is a question about judging the skin as
to whether it is dyed or not, the color of the pelt test will usually
settle all argument. This does not apply, however, to blended furs,
that is, furs that are tinted by the feather dye process described in
another chapter.
CHAPTER VI
THE NATURAL COLOR OF FURS
Gray Furs
The Russian squirrel is -probably the most popular of all of the
gray furs, especially for coats. It varies in shade from a light sil-
very gray to a dark bluish gray; and there are some that have a
reddish tinge. There are others that have almost a pronounced red
stripe down the back, the sides of the skin, however, being gray.
This reddish tinge is caused by the animal lying out in the sun on
bright sunshiny days. The sun will soon draw out the natural color
and tinge the top hairs along the back. They may be just as fine
in thickness of fur and quality as the perfect gray skins, and usually
are, but they are not as valuable on account of being off color. The
expert dyers and dressers take these skins and blend them. This is
done by just tipping the top of the hair with dye the tone of which is
about the same as the sides of the fur. This tipping gives the skin
an even color all over and they are very hard to distinguish from the
natural clear colored Russian squirrel. The clear colored skins are
preferable, but the wearing qualities of the blended skins are pro-
bably just as good. We have millions of squirrels in this countiy,
but they are not suitable for furriers purposes, as the pelt is too
thick and the fur too thin and coarse. Therefore, the supply of
squirrel pelts for furriers comes from Siberia, and from the Northern
part of Manchuria. They are in great demand in this country as
well as in Europe, and it is one of the most beautiful furs that we
have and is reasonable in price.
Chinchilla
Chinchilla is the most beautiful of all the gray furs as well as the
highest priced. It is found in a limited area in South America.
The pelt is very light and thin, and the fur from one half to three
quarters of an inch in depth, very silky, soft, and beautiful. The
color might be described as a delicate French gray, darker and mot-
tled on the surface with a bluish slate tint beneath. In recent years
the Chilean government has enacted laws for the protection of
chinchilla. They are not allowed to be trapped or taken in any
42 FUR FACTS
manner and cannot be exported for a number of years. These
measures will allow the chinchilla to increase in number, and no
doubt we will have a large quantity of them in the future, but for
the present the skins are very scarce, and hardly any of them find
their way to market.
Viscacha
Viscacha is similar to chinchilla in color and it also is found in
South America. It is a much larger animal, but the fur does not
compare with the chinchilla, and there is only a small percentage of
the pelts that are fine enough to be used for fur purposes.
Caracul
Most caracul in its natural color is gray. The caracul fur comes
from India and is really the pelt of a young lamb. Caracul has been
dyed in various colors in recent years and has been very popular for
evening coats, as it lends itself to a variety of shades, and is dyed
gray, tan, platinum, and various colors.
Krimmer
Krimmer is one of the natural colored gray furs and comes from
the Far East. It was formerly used almost exclusively for child-
ren's sets, but is now in vogue as trimming on coats, capes, etc. It
is a light gray with a small loose curl.
American Opossum
The American Opossum is a very light gray in color. The top of
the guard hair, which is the long over hair, is almost black in color ,
the underground being almost white. The fur is about one inch
deep, the long guard hairs being about one and one half to two in-
ches long. The finest skins make up very beautifully in their natural
color and in recent years have been used very largely for trimming.
It lends itself to dye beautifully and can be dyed almost any color,
but it is principally dyed black. When dyed black skunk color it
is very similar to the skunk; in fact it would require an expert to tell
the difference. However the skunk is a natural black color, and the
opossum is of course dyed, and the dyed fur never has the real lustre
and gloss of the natural. The American opossum is in big demand
in Europe and large quantities are shipped to London, Paris and
Liepsic.
Lynx
The lynx is usually sold in retail stores after it has been dyed
black, although occassionally the furrier makes it up natural. The
natural color of the lynx is gray with a slight brownish tint. The
FUR FACTS 43
fur is very thick and soft and from one to two inches in depth, the
fur on the sides of the skin being longer than on the back. The
Liepsic dyers perfected the art of dying the lynx, and before the war
Liepsic dyed lynx was one of the most popular black furs on the
market. The American lynx was sent to Liepsic where they were
dressed and dyed black and shipped back to this country to be made
up into garments. The Liepsic dyers dyed them a beautiful shade
of black with a very high gloss. During the War, the American
dyers, such as Hollander and Chapal, succeeded in dying the lynx
equally as well as the Liepsic dyers, and if the black lynx comes back
into popularity as it was a few years ago, the demand no doubt will
be for the American dyes. The lynx is found throughout Canada
and Alaska and as far South as Minnesota. The lynx cat which
is found in the western states, Colorado, Idaho and Montana, is
similar to the lynx and belongs to the same family, but is very much
shorter in fur and not as valuable for fur purposes as the Alaska and
Canadian lynx.
Alaska Seal
The Alaska seal skin as it is taken from the carcass of the animal
is gray in color, the top hairs being a yellowish white with dark tips,
which gives the skin a decidely dark grayish appearance. These top
hairs are plucked out as described in another chapter, leaving the
soft brown underfur, and this is dyed seal color. Strange as it may
seem, some people think the dyed color is the natural color of the
seal skin.
Australian Opossum
The finest skins are a beautiful bluish gray. The fur is very
thick and close and is about one to one and a half inches in depth.
The Australian opossum is made up by the furriers in its natural
color, that is it is seldom, if ever dyed, and then only the poorer
quality skins are dyed. The Australian opossum is very popular in
America and large quantities of them are imported each year for
trimming on coats, capes, etc. The finer skins are a clear bluish
gray. Some of the inferior skins have a slightly yellowish or brown-
ish tinge.
Wolf
The finest wolf come from Canada and the north western part
of the United States and are very popular with furriers for trimming.
These wolf are a light white gray. The fur is very soft and deep,
especially on the sides and under part of the pelt. There is a coarse
wire like mane across the shoulders and part of the way down the
44 FUR FACTS
back, which the furriers cut out and do not use for trimming on fine
garments. The fur is from two to three inches in depth, the guard
hair being even longer. There are some few wolf used in their nat-
ural color, but most of them are dyed. The wolf on account of its
soft, silky texture and light gray color can be dyed very satisfactorily
in almost any shade, which is one of the reasons for its great popu-
larity, and the price of wolf for the last few years has advanced very
materially on this account. The wolf is found in nearly every state
in the Union, but only those from the more northern sections are
valuable for garment purposes. The southern coyote from Texas
and Arizona is a reddish gray in color, and the fur is coarse and short.
The pelts are used for robes, and purposes of that sort.
Gray Fox
The gray fox is used by furriers for trimming and is made up
into sets for children. It is the lowest priced of any of the foxes, the
average price being about three or four dollars per skin in the raw state
as compared with the silver gray fox which is worth up to four to
five hundred dollars per skin in the raw. The gray fox is found
generally throughout the United States, the largest quantity coming
from the central and southern states. The tip of the hair is white
in color with a reddish cast, and the lower part is a bluish slate color,
the general appearance being a bluish gray. They are used in very
large quantities and it is good wearing fur and very reasonable in
price.
Ringtail
The ringtail gets its name from the fact that it has a long tail
about the same length of the body. This tail is striped very similar
to the raccoon with black and white rings. The body of the ringtail
is about 12 to 14 inches long, and the fur yellowish gray in color.
The fur is about one half inch deep and of about the same softness
and texture as the mink. Ringtail is principally found in Texas,
but some come from Oregon, Washington and California. The
ringtails are almost invariably dyed before being made into garments.
After they are dyed they resemble Kolinsky and usually sell at about
the same price.
Badger
Badger is found in the far western states. The fur is yellowish
gray with black tips, and on the finer skins the fur is very long and
soft. It is sometimes used in the natural color for trimming. The
majority of the badger, however, are not suited for fur purposes, as
FUR FACTS 45
the hair is too coarse; and these skins are sold to the brush manu-
facturers who make the hairs up into shaving brushes, etc.
Mole
In recent years the mole has come into great vogue. It is said
that Queen Alexandria on a visit to Scotland was very much im-
pressed by the stories told her of the ravages of the moles in certain
farming districts. In fact the mole had become such a pest that it
was hard for the farmers to make any headway against them. Some
one suggested that the Queen have a coat made of mole skins, which
would create a market for the pelts, and thus a loss might be turned
into a profit. This she readily consented to do, and one of the leading
London furriers designed a beautiful mole coat for her, and since
that time mole has been one of the fashionable furs.
The fur is a bluish slate color. It is about one fourth of an inch
or less in depth, very smooth and even, and resembles heavy velvet.
Due to the fact that part of the fur slopes one way and part another,
when it is made into a garment, gives an effect similar to watered
silk. As the color of the moles in their natural state vary in shade,
they are blended, that is the very tops of the fur are lightly touched
with dye in order to give the fur an even color. It is very light in
weight.
BROWN FURS
Russian Sable
The Russian sable is found only in Siberia, and it is one of the
most beautiful of all furs. Valued per square inch fine Russian
sables are the highest priced furs in the world. The finest Russian
sable come from that part of Siberia known as the Barguzin district.
This is a heavily timbered part of Siberia and the sable found here
are rarely exposed to the sunlight. The result is that their fur is a
rich deep dark brown color that glistens with life and lustre. These
fine skins have a few white hairs scattered through them which really
heightens the effect of their beautiful gloss. In the old days of the
Czar's regime these skins were known as Imperial Sables and belonged
to the Czar and most of them were used by the Imperial Family.
Of late years these skins have been coming to America, and they
are prized very highly by the woman who wants the finest fur garment
that money can buy. These skins have sold as high as two thousand
dollars per skin. The writer was told by a leading Fifth Avenue
furrier that he once sold a neck piece consisting of twelve Russian
sables for thirty five thousand dollars, or a little over an average
46 FUR FACTS
of twenty nine hundred dollars per skin. These of course were the
choicest selected Imperial Barguzin sables. The average Russian sa-
ble is about fourteen inches long and when cut open and spread out
would average five inches in width so that it would contain about
seventy square inches of fur. The average Russian sable skin raw
sells for two to three hundred dollars per skin. The exceptionally
fine skins are very much higher, and the poorer skins somewhat less.
The very finest Russian sables as described above are a rich deep
dark brown in color, appearing almost black, with a few white hairs
sprinkled along the back of the pelt. The average Russian sable
is a rich brown, and the sables coming from the Kamchatka district
are the largest and most heavily furred. The fur is from three -
fourths to one and a half inches in depth and very dense, and a little
lighter hi color down near the pelt than it is at the top. Some few
Russian sables are blended, that is just the tip of the hairs that have
been singed by the sun, are blended by tipping them with dye. This
is very hard for the inexperienced to detect, and while it is does not
decrease the value of the skin, skins treated in this way are not as
valuable as those that are naturally perfect in color. The Amur
sable which comes from the Amur river, vary considerably in color,
some of them being a light mouse color. They are very beautiful in
fur, and the quality of the fur is splendid, but they are not as val-
uable as the Barguzin or the Kamchatka sables, on account of their
color being very much lighter. Some of them are very heavily
sprinkled with white hairs, giving them a silvery gray effect, and while
they make up very beautifully in their natural color they are not as
valuable as the finer sables.
Hudson Bay Sable
Hudson Bay sable belong to the same family as the Russian
sable and it is similar in its habits and color. They are found in the
forests of North America, the finest and largest skins coming from
Yukon Territory in the Stewart and Pelly River district. There
are large quantities found in the Hudson's Bay Country, and it is
due to this fact that they are called Hudson Bay sable. In the raw
fur trade, however, they are known and sold as marten and they are
thus distinguished from the Russian sable. Some of the finer skins
are very beautiful and compare favorably with some classes of Rus-
sian sable, but as a general rule they are not as deep in fur or as fine
in quality, nor have they the wonderful color and richness of the
fine Russian sable. They vary in color from a rich dark brown to
a very light yellow, the light yellow skins coming from along the
FUR FACTS 47
Yukon River in Alaska. These light skins are large in size and very
deep and heavy in fur. These skins are all blended, and when this
is done by an expert dyer the effect is wonderful and they compare
very favorably with the natural dark brown skins. The fine dark
skins come from the Stewart and Pelly River districts in the Yukon.
Labrador also produces some very fine skins. Martens are found as
far south as California.
Mink
The finest mink are found in America. They are a rich dark
brown color, but coarser than the marten and shorter in fur. The
mink from China and Japan are very light brown, almost yellow.
The China and Jap mink are all dyed; the American mink is made
up natural. The fur is about one half inch deep. When mink are
made up into coats they are often cut up in small narrow strips and
sewed together in order to heighten the effect of the dark stripe
down the back. In fact all of the finer garments are made up in this
way. So that in examining the inside lining of a mink coat if it
should appear to be made up of small pieces of fur sewed together, it
does not indicate that it is made from scraps of fur. On the contrary
it would mean that it was made by the most approved process.
Mink fur is one of the most satisfactory furs that money can buy.
It holds its color well and lasts for years and is always in style for
coats and trimming. For a while there was a prejudice against
mink, because people often connected mink with the old fashioned
fur coats of our grandmothers. Mink like any other article will lose
its original color in time and will fade out and become yellow, es-
pecially the poorer quality of skins, but this takes a long time.
Fresh new mink have life and lustre, are a decided brown in color
and make very beautiful fur garments.
Kolinsky
The kolinsky, or Siberian mink, is found in the district east of
the Yemesie River and in its natural color it is a very light brown,
or yellow. All kolinsky are dyed before they are made up into
garments for the retail trade. In recent years the art of dyeing
kolinsky has been developed in America to a very high state of
perfection, and kolinsky wraps on this account are very popular.
The kolinsky is about the same texture and length of fur as the
American mink, but as they are all dyed, in judging kolinsky it is
well to keep this fact in mind and buy them according to the lustre
and quality of the dye.
48 FUR FACTS
Muskrat
The muskrat is brown in color and while a great quantity of them
are sheared and dyed seal color, a large number are used in their
natural color which is a dark rich brown. In some sections of the
country, notably Maryland, the muskrat is black, and this black
muskrat makes up very beautifully. The dyed muskrat is first
sheared, that is about one half of the top fur is cut, leaving the
underfur about one half of an inch long. This is dyed black, and
is sold as Hudson Bay seal.
Beaver
The beaver is another of the brown furs. It varies in color from
a light rich brown to a deep chestnut brown, and is one of the most
beautiful natural brown furs that we have.
Otter
The otter is very similar to the beaver in both color and texture
of fur, but the otter is a little shorter in nap and more compact, and
will not curl after it is wet as quickly as the beaver.
Wolverine
The wolverine has a long brown coarse fur and is used very little
by furriers. The biggest demand for this fur comes from the Es-
quimaux of Alaska who use it to line the inside of their parkes. They
claim that it is the only fur on which the breath does not congeal and
and form into ice. This may or may not be true, but it is a fact
that the esquimaux prefer the wolverine fur to any other for trim-
ming.
Fisher
The fisher is one of the most satisfactory and durable furs that
money can buy. It is very popular for chokers and other small neck
pieces. It varies in color from a light brown around the neck and
shoulders down to a deep dark brown at the rump and tail. The
medium sized small skins are the finest, the larger skins being coarser
in fur and heavier in pelt. The small silky dark skins are in big de-
mand,
Stone Marten
Stone marten have been very popular in recent years for chokers.
They come from Russia and parts of India and Germany. The top
guard hair is light brown in color and the underground is a gray
stone color, from which it gets its name.
Blue Fox
Blue fox is really not blue in color, but brown. There is a bluish
cast to the underfur, but the top fur is brown. Most well dressed
FUR FACTS 49
women are very fond of Blue fox and they make up into very beau-
tiful neck pieces. There are several shades of blue fox varying from
the darker blue brown skins commanding the highest prices, the
finest colors coming from Alaska. They are found also in Siberia
and Greenland and have been very successfully raised by the United
States Government on the Pribiloff Islands.
. Marmot
The marmot is usually dyed by furriers and is found in Northern
Manchuria. It is classified in the fur trade as blue marmot and
yellow marmot, the finer qualities coming under the heading of blue
marmot. The blue marmot are bluish brown in color, and the yellow
marmot are yellowish brown. However, the marmot are usually
dyed and seldom made up in their natural state. It is a coarse
wiry sort of fur and is used principally for coats.
Nutria
The nutria is brown in color and closely resembles the beaver,
except that it is shorter in fur.
WHITE FURS
White Fox
The white fox is found in Alaska and Siberia and other far north-
ern regions. The white fox is pure snow white. The finer skins
are used in their natural color, but the poorer and stained skins are
dyed platinum color, taupe color, blue fox color, etc. The white fox
lends itself to dye better than any other fur on account of its pure
white color.
The Arctic Hare
The Arctic hare is snow white in color and its fur is very similar
in density and thickness to the white fox, except that it is not so
long, being about one half the depth and not nearly so good in quality.
In fact the fur is very brittle and will break off. The difference
between white fox and Arctic hare can be readily detected by
simply brushing the fur the wrong way. If the small tips of the
hairs break off, you can be reasonably sure that it is Arctic hare and
not white fox. The Arctic hare are found principally in Russia
and are dyed into different colors and used as cheap imitations of
other fine furs, but it is easy to distinguish this class of stuff from
furs of fine quality. An infallible test is the one given above, as the
Arctic hare will always break off and the white fox never will
50 FUR FACTS
Ermine or White Weasel
Ermine, the fur of royalty, is snow white. Some of the skins
have a yellow stain, but these are not as valuable as the clear pure
white skins. The Russian ermine is a little larger in size and a little
deeper in fur than the American ermine, and consequently a little
more valuable; otherwise there is no difference. Both the Russian
ermine and the American ermine have a small black tip at the end
of the tail. Because ermine has been connected with the robes of
royalty, there are some people who class ermine with the more val-
uable furs such as sable and silver fox, but it does not compare in
price with these furs. The ermine is a very small animal and it
takes a large number of them to make up a garment, but they are
less in price than mink and usually bring about the same price as
an average size muskrat.
Polar Bear
The Polar bear is also white, but is never used in the manufacture
of fur garments, being used solely for rugs, robes, etc.
BLACK FURS
Skunk
The skunk is coal black in color and is really the only natural coal
black fur that we have with the possible exception of black fox,
and most specimens of the silver black fox are sprinkled with white
hairs. The skunk pelt as it is taken from the animal is not really
all black. It is black and white; that is there is usually two white
spots or white stripes down the back of the skin that look as though
some one might have painted a white stripe on a black surface. The
black fur of the skunk is coal black and the white fur is snow white.
The hairs do not mix as in the case of the silver fox where the white
is sprinkled through the black. There is no black fur that has the
richness and lustre of the natural black skunk when it is made into
a fur garment. The top hairs are a rich lustrous black, and the under-
fur is a bluish black. The American skunk fur is prized very highly
in Europe where its beautiful black color and its wonderful wearing
qualities have been long known. In recent years it has become very
popular in America, and the word "skunk" no longer frightens a
woman from buying a skunk fur garment. They are dressed and
deodorized and make a beautiful fur that is a delight to furriers and
a joy to the wearer.
Black Bear
Some bears have a natural black color. The young yearling
black bear skins from Alaska and Canada are used in some cases for
FUR FACTS 51
fur trimming, but as a rule bear skins are not used in the manufacture
of fur garments, but are used solely for rugs, robes, etc.
Black Fox
The highest priced of all the black furs is black fox or silver
fox. There are some specimens that are entirely black without a
white hair on the pelt, although all of the black silver foxes have a
white tip on the end of the tail.
Raccoon
The raccoon might be also called a black fur in that there are
some specimens that are solid black, but as a rule they are brownish
black. The raccoon is a splendid fur and is very much in vogue for
trimming. The best skins are very dark in color and thick in fur,
the fur being from one and a half to two inches deep. The yellowish
light brown raccoon are usually blended or dyed brown, and in some
instances dyed black, and when dyed black they resemble skunk as
they are very similar in thickness and quality of fur.
Civet Cat
Civet cat is one of the naturally black furs. It belongs to the
same family as the skunk and has the same habits. Unlike the
skunk, however, it does not have two white stripes down the back,
but has white spots sprinkled over the body. It is smaller than the
skunk and its fur is not so thick or fine in quality. Civet cat are
usually used by furriers in their natural color.
YELLOW FUES
Jap marten, Jap mink, China mink, kolinsky and some marten
found in Alaska and Canada are all quite yellowish in color and are
rather coarse in fur. They are usually dyed brown to imitate Hud-
son Bay sable and American mink.
RED FURS
Red Fox
The richest finest red fox come from Kamchatka, and this fox
surpasses all other varieties in the quality of its fur and the depth
and richness of the red color, which is a dark rich almost mahogany
red, and the skins are very large. The next best red fox come from
Alaska. The Eastern Canadian red fox is also dark red in color.
The foxes from the Western part of Canada and the Northern part
of the United States are a yellowish red. Large quantities of red
fox are trapped in the Central and New England States, but the fur
is a little shorter and little more mottled, that is there are yellow
5* FUR FACTS
hairs scattered among the red. The finer shades of red fox are
made up natural, but all others are dyed, taupe color, Isabella color,
etc. The cross fox is also reddish in color.
In buying furs it is well to remember the natural color of the
different pelts and the following table will serve as a guide to the
natural color of the different fur-bearing animals grouped under
several general heads.
GRAY FURS
Russian Squirrel (used natural, though sometimes blended) .
Chinchilla (seldom, if ever dyed).
Viscacha (used natural, though sometimes dyed and blended,
very few of them suitable for furriers* purposes).
American opossum (almost always dyed, though the finest skins
are used natural).
Lynx (almost always dyed, though some are used natural).
Alaska seal (always dyed).
Australian opossum (used in the natural state, only the poorer
skins being dyed).
Wolf (usually dyed, though a few fine skins are used natural).
Gray fox (used natural).
Ringtail (almost invariably dyed).
Badger (used in the natural color).
Krimmer (used in the natural color) .
Caracul (invariably dyed).
Mole (usually blended).
BROWN FURS
Russian sable (never dyed, but sometimes blended).
Hudson Bay sable or marten (seldom dyed, but often blended) .
Mink (American mink used natural; Jap mink and China mink
always dyed).
Kolinsky (always dyed) .
Muskrat (used both natural and sheared and dyed into Hudson
Bay seal).
Beaver (always plucked, but never dyed).
Otter (always plucked, but never dyed).
Wolverine (used in the natural color).
Fisher (used in the natural color).
Stone marten (used in the natural color).
Blue fox (used in the natural coor).
Marmot (usually dyed).
Nutria (always plucked, seldom dyed).
FUR FACTS 53
WHITE FURS
White fox (usually dyed, the fine skins are used in the natural
color).
Arctic hare (always used to imitate other furs).
Ermine (used in the natural color).
Polar bear (used in the natural color, but always for rugs, robes,
etc., and not for fur puposes).
BLACK FURS
Skunk (never dyed, though sometimes blended).
Black bear (never dyed, seldom used for fur purposes) .
Black fox (never dyed) .
Broadtail persian lamb (dyed) .
Raccoon (mostly used in the natural color, but sometimes blended,
and sometimes dyed black to imitate skunk).
YELLOW FURS
Jap marten (usually dyed).
Jap mink (usually dyed).
China mink (usually dyed).
China kolinsky (always dyed).
Certain sections of Yukon marten (usually dyed).
RED FURS
Red fox (usually dyed).
Cross fox (used natural).
CHAPTER VII
TAKING CARE OF FURS
The buyer of raw furs judges the value and the quality of the
skin by the pelt side. Most skins are taken from the carcass of the
animal cased with the pelt side out. This is done by splitting the
skin around the hind legs and peeling the skin off over the body
like drawing off a stocking. The pelt is then stretched with the fur
on the inside and the pelt or leather on the outside. A prime pelt
means prime fur. The fur of a prime-pelted skin when it is dressed
and made up into a garment will stand up straight, while the fur
of an unprime pelt will lay flat and slope to the tail. In buying a
fur garment it is well to take these points into consideration. Furs
of the best quality have lots of life, the fur bristles and stands up
and has a natural lustre and gloss. The poorer furs are dead looking
and flat, the hair drooping over and there is a lack of life and lustre.
In buying furs one should consider the purpose for which the garment
is to be used. The raccoon coat will outwear almost any other fur
garment for hard usage and automobile wear. The moleskin gar-
ment will not last long if subjected to hard wear. The pelt is very
thin and the fur is light and there is not much to hold it together.
The woman who buys a fine Russian sable neck piece or a silver
fox and wears it out in the hot sun light can expect to have the color
fade and the fur become brittle and lose its natural lustre as the
pigment of the hairs dry up. The life of fur can be doubled and
trebled with a little care. Avoid sitting on the coat, whenever pos-
sible. Do not wear fine furs in the strong sunlight any more than
is absolutely necessary. Keep them clean. It is cheaper to send a
fine fur coat to the furrier and have it cleaned occassionally, than to
buy a new coat. Fine furs should be cleaned as often as any other
similar garments and if they are kept clean and hung in a place where
air and light (not sunlight) can get to them, there will be little or no
danger from moths. The moths will never bother any garment that
is clean and shaken out in the air and used. It is only when they
are stored away full of dust and dirt in a dark closet that the moths
have a feast. Do not pack furs away in moth balls; send them to
cold storage; but most important of all, keep them clean.
FUR FACTS 55
Remember that dyed furs are not as valuable as the natural
colored furs, to the extent that the furrier would not think of dyeing
a fine mink, but he would dye an off colored mink. Therefore,
relatively speaking natural colored furs are worth more than dyed
furs. In buying a fur garment find out whether it is dyed or not,
and if there is any doubt about it, examine the pelt side of the fur
as heretofore described. Some furs are bought for comfort and
warmth. Some furs are bought to set off the woman's natural grace
and charm, and the purpose for which the furs are to be used should
be taken into consideration, and the kind of fur purchased that will
best answer the particular purpose. Softness, quality, and color
are the things that go to make up the high priced furs, and the more
beautiful the skins the more valuable; therefore, in buying fine furs
like Russian sable and fine silver fox one pays for beauty rather
than wear for the reason that a fur like raccoon will outwear any
sable or silver fox two to one.
CHAPTER VIII
FUR FARMING
Raising fur bearing animals for profit, the Mississippi Valley
is the greatest fur producing section in the world. The states of
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, North and South Dakota,
Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ok-
lahoma, Texas and Louisiana are the natural habitat of coon, mink,
skunk, muskrat, otter, civet cat and weasel. In all the central
southern states including Virginia, West Virginia, North and South
Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, all of the above furs are
found, including opossum, which is one of the staple articles of the
fur trade and one of the most important. Indiana, Ohio, Michigan,
Pennsylvania and all the New England states are large producers of
furs skunk and muskrat being the leaders. The western states,
Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, California, Nevada, Utah*
Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico are also large producers of furs,
but do not have the opossum and very few raccoon, the principal
kinds being muskrat, skunk, wolf, mink, civet cat and weasel. In
addition to these are also found otter, beaver, ringtail, fisher, lynx,
wild cat and lynx cat.
Muskrat and skunk are found in every state in the union and
these two lend themselves readily to domestication and have been
raised successfully.
Muskrat farming especially in Maryland, in the marshes, has
been very profitable, and each year there are large quantities of
muskrats taken for the market. In addition to the value of the pelt
of the muskrat, the flesh is also valuable as food, the meat is said to
be delicious, and if it were called by any other name it could be made
a delicacy in the market, and no doubt there would be a big demand
for it. The English call it the musquash.
The muskrat or musquash pelt is in great demand and is one of the
most popular furs. It is sheared and dyed and sold under the name
of Hudson seal. Many women prefer it to the Alaska seal on account
of its lightness and its beauty. The muskrat will always be a
popular fur and in big demand. Any one having a lake or pond that
can be utilized for the purpose of raising muskrat will do well to
FUR FACTS 57
start a muskrat farm, even if on a small scale, and if given the proper
care will prove to be a very profitable undertaking.
Muskrat farming is already a prosperous business. On a marsh
at the mouth of the Maumee River, near Lake Erie the muskrats
were allowed to breed undisturbed for a period of two years. At
the end of that time 5000 were taken in one month. The pelts
brought a high price and the carcasses were also sold in the market
at $1.00 a dozen.
Muskrat farming has probably reached its highest development
on the eastern shore of Maryland, where there are extensive marshes.
This land, a few years ago, was considered almost worthless, but
now owing to the fact that the muskrat thrives in these marshes
and have been allowed to develop, it has become a source of profit
to the owners as well as the trappers, who take the muskrat, the
trappers being allowed one half of the proceeds from the skins for
their work. As an example, the owner of one tract stated that he
bought it several years ago for $2700.00. He leased it for half the fur
that would be produced and in one year his income was $1000.00.
Another example is that of a man who bought a small piece of swampy
ground for $150.00, leased it for the trapping rights and the owner
has received $100.00 a year on his investment of $150.00.
With the prices of muskrat as high as they are to-day these in-
comes would be considerably more. Another owner of a 100 acre
tract of marsh, who does his own trapping, with the aid of his sons,
secured in one season over 12,000 muskrats. At the present market
value these skins would be worth about $18,000.00, and this is prob-
ably all net profit.
In addition to this, muskrat meat is an additional source of in-
come and will no doubt be used in larger quantities as people become
familiar with it. In Dorchester County, Maryland, it is estimated
that the income to the community from muskrat farming is fully
$100,000.00 a year.
Trapping is done only in the winter and there is a closed season
the balance of the time. In spite of all the trapping that can be
done, the muskrats in this section are on the increase for the reason
that where they are only taken by trapping methods they can never
be exterminated in fact, will always show an increase.
CHAPTER IX
THE MUSKRAT
Muskrats require little feeding. The plant life of the ponds and
marshes usually furnish an abundance of food. It is a very easy
matter to plant the right sort of vegetation in the ponds and marshes,
which will develop and grow very rapidly. In many sections the
area adapted to the successful raising of muskrat is extensive, and
there are no doubt numerous places that are now considered value-
less that could be turned to profit by turning loose a few muskrat, and
protecting them until they get started. They require no attention,
will take care of themselves if left undisturbed and breed very rapidly.
As the taking of the pelts is done in the winter time, it lends itself
very nicely to the farmer, who has more time in the winter, and can
easily find time to trap the muskrats on his place during the winter
months.
There is no state in the union where muskrat will not thrive and
do well, and there is not a state in the union where they are not trap-
ped. If you have a lake or a pond that is quite a distance from any
stream, it would hardly be necessary to fence it in. If you will
place a couple of live muskrat in the pond and leave them undisturbed
they will go ahead and breed, and probably will not migrate or leave
until they become crowded.
Muskrat seldom leave the water for a distance of more than a
rod or two, so that there is not much danger of losing them, if there is
not any other water close. However, if a lake, or pond, or marsh is
near a large body of water, it would be well to fence it in until they
have built their dens and have gotten a start. After this, they will
be very little trouble.
Muskrats seldom migrate except where they become over crowded
and food becomes short. If you have a swamp, or a pond or lake
that is already inhabited by muskrats, encourage them, and do not
allow any one to hunt and trap them out of season. Give them a
chance to breed and they will be a constant source of profit to you,
your children and your grand children. Muskrat fur will always
be one of the most popular furs and bring high prices.
Where there is an ideal body of water attaching land belonging
FUR FACTS 59
to several different people, it is possible to stock it with muskrat and
co-operate in raising them and dividing the proceeds when the pelts
are taken, and after they are sold.
If you have a piece of swampy land, do not let it go to waste, and
do not be too anxious to have it drained, for the reason that it may
be more valuable for the raising of muskrat than for any other pur-
pose for which you could adapt it. Muskrat will thrive and breed
tremendously if given protection.
The muskrat has several natural enemies, such as the fox, mink,
wolf, hawks and owls, but all of these together including the trapper
do not greatly affect them, if any care is taken of them.
Muskrats multiply very rapidly, more so than most fur bearing
animals.
HABITS
The muskrat does most of its work at night, but they are also
much more active by day than many persons suppose. Where
seldom disturbed, they often work in the bright sun light, especially
at the season when they are building their winter houses.
Muskrat houses are composed of grasses, rushes, roots and stems
of aquatic plants. The structure rests on the bottom of a shallow
pond, and is built mainly of the kind of plants on which the animals
feed. These are heaped up without orderly arrangement until the
domelike top rises to two or three feet above the water. The mud
on the outside and in the walls of muskrat houses seems to be col-
lected accidently with the roots. Within the part of the structure
above the water a chamber is excavated, from which two or three
passages lead downward through the mass into the water, reaching
it at points well below the frost line. Where the water is shallow,
the animals excavate deeper channels from the house to various
parts of the pond or lake.
The muskrat houses are mostly for winter shelter and food and
are seldom used as receptacles for the young. Occasionally, when
they are driven from their houses or when excluded from under-
ground burrows by barriers of ice or frozen ground, more than one
family may occupy a single house temporarily.
When the banks of streams or ponds are high enough for the
purpose, muskrats often burrow into them. Entrances to the tun-
nels are almost always under water, and the approach to them is, if
possible, by channels of sufficient depth to prevent ice from closing
the passage. The tunnels extend upward into the bank above the
60 FUR FACTS
level of the water. They often rise to within a few inches of the
surface of the ground and are frequently protected above by roots,
trees and shrubs, or by thickly matted turf. These tunnels ex-
tend 10 to 50 feet into the bank and terminate in a roomy chamber
which sometimes contains a bulky nest composed of dried vegetation.
Usually two tunnels lead from the nest to the water, and often a
tunnel has two branches or outlets.
When burrows can be made, muskrats occupy them in winter and
summer; but in shallow ponds and marshes, and especially in north-
ern latitudes, the entrances are often closed by ice in winter. In
such situations and when banks are not suitable for burrows, houses
become a necessity, but they are seldom seen along the borders of
deep ponds and canals.
As cold weather approaches, the animals become very active,
adding to their old winter houses, building new ones, and deepening
channels that lead to houses and burrows. They do not hibernate,
and, aside from the vegetation of which their houses are made, seem
to make little provision for the winter. However, some of the sur-
plus food collected may be found in their burrows at almost any time.
BREEDING
The Honorable David E. Lantz in his comments on muskrat
breeding says "It is now well established that muskrats breed from
three to five times in a year and that the litters average from 6 to 8
young. The early spring litters are usually less in number, and those
of midsummer are somewhat above the average. The muskrat in
their breeding habits are very much like field mice. Where they are
depleted by vigorous winter trapping, they are replenished before
the opening of another season, and it can be seen from a glance that
they breed very fast and multiply quickly. Normally the animals
mate in March and the first litter is born in April; the second litter
is due in June or early in July; and a third in August or September.
In favorable seasons a fourth or even a fifth litter may be produced."
MIGRATIONS
Muskrats sometimes wander over fields and along highways quite
a distance from water. This occurs late in fall, early in spring, or
during severe droughts late in summer. The causes are not under-
stood, although the spring movement has generally been attributed
to the beginning of the mating season. When met away from water,
the animals sometimes show considerable ferocity and have been
known to attack persons savagely without apparent provocation.
FUR FACTS 61
FOOD
Muskrats live on roots, etc. as a general rule and seldom indulge
in animal food, it's principal food being pond lillies, arums, sedges
and the like but in some localities it feeds on mussels and also on
carp and other sluggish fish that bury themselves in mud. When
ponds are frozen over, muskrats are restricted almost wholly to food
accessible under the ice. In rare cases they leave the water and
burrow under the snow in search of grasses and sedges.
The summer food of the muskrat is far more extensive, being
made up of many aquatic plants, roots, stems, leaves and fruit, and
in addition to supplies from near by fields or woods. Muskrats are
fond of nearly all garden vegetables cabbage, onions, carrots, pars-
nips, beets, peas, beans, corn, celery and the like and some times do
damage to unprotected gardens close to their haunts.
In Louisiana the muskrat is something of a pest to the rice planter,
as it burrows in the enbankments in the low lands, causing the flood-
ing or draining of fields at the wrong time, and often feeds on the
growing crop and breaks down the plants. In irrigated sections of
the far West, ditches and reservoirs are sometimes injured by musk-
rats, requiring costly repairs, etc., and it is well to take this into
consideration when starting a muskrat farm, but as a general pro-
position they can be raised in most sections without fear of damage,
except where dams and irrigated ditches are necessary. Musk-
rats sometimes eat fish, but they capture the sluggish kinds and very
seldom, if ever, harm game fish.
MUSKRAT AS FOOD
The flesh of the muskrat is on sale in the Baltimore market all
during the winter season. They are received by the commission
houses from the lower Chesapeake Bay, and sell at from lOc to 20c
each. The flesh of the muskrat is dark red in color, but fine grained
and tender. If care is used in the method of skinning, and the hair
side of the pelt does not come in contact with the flesh, the musk
glands come off with the skin and do not effect the meat at all.
Where the skinning is done by the proper method the flesh of the
muskrat is delicious. The flavor is somewhat like the wild duck
that has been caught in the same marshes, as it lives principally on
the same food, and in the Chesapeake Bay district it is compared to
the flavor of the famous terrapin. To remove the musky odor the
muskrat can be soaked in salt water over night, and when fried,
62 FUR FACTS
roasted or stewed is found to be very palatable. The following
suggestions for cooking muskrat may be found useful.
Fried Muskrat Wash the muskrat thoroughly and cut in quar-
ters. Let it lie in salt water for an hour or more, then wash, dry with
a cloth, and season. Dip the pieces in a prepared egg batter and
dust them with flour or meal. Place the lard in a frying pan and
let it get hot. Then put in the muskrat and fry very slowly for an
hour. Prepare a gravy of milk, butter, flour and parsley and season
to taste. After it thickens pour it over the cooked muskrat.
Roast Muskrat Wash the meat thoroughly, cut it in pieces, and
let it lie in salt water for an hour, then wash again. Put it in a pan
with water, salt, pepper, butter and a little onion; sprinkle flour over
it and baste it until it is thoroughly done.
Stewed Muskrat Wash the meat thoroughly, cut it in pieces,
and let it lie in salt water for an hour. Then wash again, put it in
a saucepan, and season with butter, salt and pepper to taste. Let it
simmer slowly, and when nearly done put parsley and a little chopped
onion into it. When entirely done thicken with a gravy of flour and
water, as for stewed chicken.
HOW TO TRAP THE MUSKRAT
Most trappers use the ordinary steel traps size No. 1 for taking
the muskrat. The muskrat is comparatively easy to trap, but hard
to hold. They twist out and pull out, and for this reason most trap-
pers prefer to use an extra jaw attachment that fits on the jaw of the
trap and catches the muskrat higher up on the leg and prevents his
gnawing or wiggling off. The hold fast jaw and the triple grip jaw
are used for this purpose. The trap is then arranged so that the
animal, when he dives for deep water, will be held there and soon
drowned. It is therefore advisable to stake the trap chain down in
deep water, as the weight of the trap on the animal's foot will soon
drown it.
The manner of setting the trap depends on the situation, and
it is picking the right spot to set the trap that spells success. Musk-
rat trails can be found along the banks of all streams or ponds which
they inhabit.
When you have found the tracks and selected your spot for set-
ting the trap, sink the trap in the trail and force it down a little in
the mud or sand where the water is 2 or 3 inches deep. Fasten the
trap down to a stake or to a long pole. If you use a pole, arrange the
ring of the chain so as to slide along the pole, having a fork on the
FUR FACTS
63
outer end, preventing the ring from slipping off. Secure the pole
firmly to the bank, and when the muskrat is caught, he will strike
out for deep water and will soon drown.
MUSKRAT
Most successful trappers use scent in trapping for muskrat,
especially when they cannot secure carrots, apples, parsnips, turnips,
or other vegetables to bait traps, A little of the scent arouses the
animal's curiosity, and the vegetable bait will take him directly to
the spot you want him to cover. If you have no fresh vegetables it
is almost absolutely necessary to have Funsten Animal Bait, which
has been in successful use for over 20 years.
Place a few drops of the animal bait on a stake and set it in the
mud, and arrange it in such a manner that it will be about a foot
above the pan. The animal in reaching for the bait sets his hind
foot upon the pan and in this manner is securely caught. As soon
as the jaws close, the muskrat will dive for deep water, and if the
chain is properly fastened to the stake, the animal is drowned in-
stantly.
64 FUR FACTS
An old log or a wide plank can be used to advantage as a support
for traps. The log is moored to the shore by fastening it with a
piece of wire or rope and ^anchoring the end with stakes out into the
water by attaching a heavy string and a wire. Nail some light
cleats at the upper^side with space enough between to hold the trap
when set. Notches can be cut in the log and the trap set a little
low and then covered with fine leaves or grass. Secure the end of
the trap chain in such a manner that the animal can reach deep
water. A few drops of animal bait sprinkled along the log will
attract the muskrat and you are sure to get them.
The box trap is also used. This consists of a wooden box with
a gate at each end. The gate is all wire and arranged to swing in-
ward, but not outward. The box is set just under the water, with
one end at the entrance to the muskrat burrow. The animal lifts
the gate on leaving the burrow and is imprisoned and drowned.
Others follow and a considerable number of muskrat can be taken
in this manner.
A similar trap may be made entirely of heavy wire netting of
half inch mesh. Muskrat may be taken alive in this manner and
used to stock other ponds and streams.
Another plan is to use an open barrel sunk in the soil close to
the bank of the stream or pond. The top of the barrel should be
level with the surface of the ground. The barrel is half full of water,
in which place pieces of carrots or apples. A piece of board about
8 inches square and a few floating chips will delude the animal into
jumping into the barrel to secure the food. Once in the barrel, it
cannot climb out, and this is a good method to take them alive.
A floating barrel is also used. A hole 8 by 12 inches square is
sawed in the side of the barrel having both ends intact. A strong
cleat is nailed across each end, projecting 6 or 8 inches on the sides.
Enough water is placed inside the barrel to make it float with the
platform level of the pond. Carrots and apples are placed inside of
the barrel so that they can be secured, or sprinkle a little animal
bait on top of the barrel. The muskrat will dive into the barrel for
the bait and are thus caught.
Another way is to build up a mound of mud and stone in shallow
water. On the top of the mound, just above the water line, sprinkle
a few drops of animal bait and set the trap just under the waters
edge. Leave very little of the mound above the water, just enough
to place the bait upon. The muskrat, in climbing to the top of the
mound, will catch its hind leg in the trap if properly placed.
FUR FACTS
Another method is to set the trap at the foot of the slides or runs.
Place the trap in shallow water, and on an overhanging weed or
branch, close to the trap, place a little animal bait.
If muskrats are taken alive and are to be killed, a sharp blow on
the back of the head is the most humane method. Trappers usually
carry a short, stout club for this purpose.
Several years ago Funsten Bros. & Co., St. Louis, offered $500.00
in prizes for the best trapping methods, and the First, Second and
Third prize winners are published herewith. These methods were
selected from the thousands submitted and are ideas of practical
men who have made trapping a business, and have devoted their
lives to the work.
First Prize winner for Muskrat, by Willie M. Pasley .
"The first thing to consider in setting a trap of any kind is that
the trap should be set in such a manner that the animal will be likely
to go to it. Second, that it will catch him when he comes; and last,
that he will not be able to get away when once caught. It is always
adviseable to smoke the traps in burning hemlock, cedar, or juniper
boughs, or dip the traps in the blood of pigs that have just been
killed, if it can be procured. Now, having arranged this, your next
business will be to induce your animal not to be shy. If trapping in
the wild woods, the surrounding scenery will generally appear wild
enough, but near at home, or on the farm, care must be taken to
take away the appearance of preparation, yet preparation must be
made.
Place the trap, size No. 1, equipped with triple grip jaws, in the
water where the animal's tracks indicate its recent presence. The
most successful trapping can be done where the bank of the stream
is twelve inches or upwards in height. If possible, find a place of
this kind, where the Muskrat has been climbing to feed. Set the
trap in the water one and one-half or two inches below the surface,
and in such a position that the Muskrat's hind feet will become
caught in the trap when he starts to climb the bank. It is best to
try to trap him by the hind feet. If the trap is fastened to a small
bush, which may be set against the bank about eighteen inches to
either side, the Muskrat will start for deep water, and while fight-
ing the trap will drown shortly after leaving the shore. He will be
readily located in the water, and can in most cases be gotten from
the bank without the use of a boat, but I recommend the use of a
boat when trapping for any water animal.
66 FUR FACTS
Muskrats can also be trapped very successfully at the mouth of
their holes, where they enter the bank above or partly below the
surface of the water. But the first plan I consider the best for taking
the Muskrat. I have caught seven rats in one trap by this method
in eight nights. There is no method of trapping for Muskrats equal
to a good steel trap, set according to your best knowledge and ac-
quaintance with the animal.
A trapper can't tell all he knows in a way to be understood, unless
he is talking or writing to a trapper. In order to be successful, he
must possess a knowledge of the habits and ways of the animal he is
after, and set his traps according to his best judgment.
The most successful bait for fall and winter trapping for the
Muskrat is good, mellow apples or the Funsten Animal Bait for
Muskrats. I think the latter best for spring work."
Second Prize Winner for Muskrat, by Perry Ward.
"I give below my plan for trapping Muskrats:
Now every one who knows the habits of the Muskrat knows
that they enter their burrows from underneath the edge of the water.
My way to trap them is to find where their burrows are, and set the
trap in the mouth of burrow, under the water, and fasten the chain
out in the water as far as the chain will allow. When this is done
they will drown themselves and so avoid driving other Muskrats
away. If you can not find their burrows, set your trap about six
inches out in the water and three under water, set a stick up by the
trap, let it protrude about six inches above the water, put a piece
of an ear of corn or apple on the stick, and put on a plentiful supply
of Funsten's Animal Bait. They will be attracted by the scent of the
animal bait and go right into the trap. It catches them by the hind
feet every time."
Third Prize Winner for Muskrat, by Byrt Blackburn.
"I have trapped muskrats in the following way with great suc-
cess: Find a place where they run; take a piece of carrot and put
a little of Funsten's Bait on it; then get a stick about two feet long,
put your carrot on one end, stick the other end in the bank, so that
the bait will be about eighteen inches above the water, where it is
about four inches deep. Then take a No. 1 trap, set it under the
bait and stake it out in the water the full length of the chain. This
will keep Mr. Rat off the bank, for if he gets out of the water he is
apt to get away."
FUR FACTS 67
MUSKRATS SHOULD ALWAYS BE TRAPPED AND NOT SHOT OR SPEARED
How to Prepare for Market
Muskrat should be cased, pelt side out, and never stretched open.
In order to take the pelt off cased, it is necessary to begin skinning
at the heel. Slit up the middle of the hind leg to the tail, around it,
and then down the other leg to the heel in the same way. No other
cuts are needed. (Never cut open along the belly.) After you have
made the cut described, the skin will peel off easily to the front feet.
Cut closely around nose, eyes and lips so as not to tear the pelt. If
bits of flesh adhere to the skin about the head, they may be scraped
off. Remove all superfluous meat and fat and cut off the tail, as
the tail of the muskrat has no market value. After this is done the
skin is spread over a thin board or shingle of proper shape (see
illustration), or, better still, stretch the skin over one of the Funsten
Muskrat Stretchers specially made for this purpose, with the fur on
the inside and the pelt outside The Funsten Stretcher allows the
air to get inside and prevents tainting or spoiling.
After the skins have been properly placed on the stretcher, stand
them or hang them in a cool, dry place. Never dry skins near a
fire or in the sun. It is only necessary to dry muskrat pelts long
enough to hold their shape in order to ship them.
Kind of Traps to Use
Any of the following traps can be used for taking muskrats:
Newhouse, Victor or Jump traps, size No. 1; Victor No. 1 Giant;
Funsten Two Trigger trap, Kompact or Coil Spring. The efficiency
of any of these traps is greatly increased by the use of the Funsten
Triple Grip Jaw attachment.
How to Dress Muskrat Skins for Home Use
Formerly many muskrat skins were home tanned and made into
caps, collars and other articles of wearing apparel. At present,
however, the farmer and trapper is anxious to turn his muskrats
into cash, and comparatively few of them are used by the man who
traps them. However, it is desirable to be familiar with a good
method for tanning skins and the following directions, if carefully
followed, will give better results than the use of alum, which most
amateurs are inclined to use.
Directions for Dressing
Prepare a tanning liquid composed of a quart of salt and one-
half ounce of sulphuric acid to each gallon of water. This mixture
68 FUR FACTS
should not be kept in a metal container. Allow the muskrats to
stand in the liquor twenty-four to forty-eight hours, until they are
thoroughly saturated and the pelt is soft. Then remove them from
the liquor. Wash several times in soapy water, wring them out as
dry as possible and then rub the flesh side with a cake of hard soap.
After this is done, fold them in the middle, lengthwise, over a line,
hah- side out, and leave them to dry. When both surfaces are barely
dry, and the interior is still moist, lay them over a smooth, rounded
board and scrape on the flesh side with the edge of a worn flat file or
a similar blunt-edged tool. In this way an inner layer of flesh is
removed and the skin becomes nearly white in color. They are then
stretched, rubbed and twisted until quite dry. If parts of the skin
are still hard or stiff, the soaping, drying and stretching process
should be repeated until the entire skin is soft. Fresh butter, or
other animal fat, worked into skins while they are warm and then
worked out again in dry hardwood sawdust, or extracted by quickly
dipping them in gasoline, will increase their softness.
By following out this method a fairly good result can be obtained
and the skins can be used for home purposes. For the best results, the
skins should be sent to a regular fur dresser and the pelts will then
come back in a soft, pliable, splendid condition. As stated before,
the man in the country is interested in turning his furs into cash,
especially muskrats, as they have advanced so in price in the
last few years that the farmer can buy woolen garments at much
less than his muskrats would cost.
Size of the Muskrat Pelt
The largest muskrats are found in the Central states and more
especially in Illinois and Ohio. The large size muskrat pelt, after
it is taken off and stretched and made ready for shipment, measures
about sixteen inches long by an average width of six and one-half
inches, and would contain about one hundred and twenty square
inches of fur. The Central muskrat, ready for shipment, taking
the average size as they run, would be about five skins to the pound .
The muskrat from the Western and Northern states ranges a little
smaller in size and the large Northern muskrat is about fifteen by
five inches. The average weight of the Northern muskrat pelt is
about two and one-half to three ounces, or about five or six to the
pound. The Northern and Western muskrat is very thin in pelt
and for this reason is lighter than the Central muskrat, which is
heavier pelted.
FUR FACTS 69
Large quantities of muskrats are found in Louisiana but they
are not as valuable as the Central or Northern muskrat, for the
reason that they do not lend themselves to shearing and dyeing for
Hudson Seal purposes. They are usually made up in the natural
state, that is, not dyed, and are very much sought after by the
European markets. They are a rich dark brown in color and make
very attractive coats.
The muskrat is one of the staple articles of the fur trade and
there are more muskrat skins used than any other fur-bearing animal
procured in North America. All of the states have well established
game laws protecting muskrat during the breeding season and the
supply of this fur will last for generations and will increase if they
continue to be protected, and the raising of muskrats is taken up
by the small farmer in the districts where they thrive.
CHAPTER X
SKUNK
The skunk is found throughout the United States and is one of
the leading American furs, and is considered by the fur trade, as well
as by the women who wear them, as one of the best wearing and most
substantial furs that money can buy. When made up into trimming,
it is a beautiful rich black in color and adds style and character to
any coat or garment.
The increased demand for skunk fur and its consequent high
price has led a great many farmers to become interested in raising
skunks for profit, and quite a few have been very successful with
Skunk Farms and no doubt this industry will grow much larger.
SKUNK
The wild skunk is comparatively easy to trap and is taken in
large quantities each winter. Nearly every state in the Union has
strict game laws protecting skunk by closed season, and the farmer
himself is very anxious to protect the skunk and allow them to in-
FUR FACTS 71
crease, as he has come to realize that the skunk is not only a big
source of profit in its pelt, but is useful in destroying noxious insects,
and a fuller understanding of the economic value of skunk will no
doubt result in greater protective measures by the farmer in order
that the supply of skunk will increase from year to year.
Any farmer boy can start a skunk farm, and as they are abundant
in nearly every state in the United States, it is not a difficult problem
to get a start if one really wants to begin.
The skunk lives in dens, and they prefer to use natural cavities
in rocks or burrows dug by other animals such as fox, badger or the
woodchuck, but they will also often dig their own dens in ordinary
soil. They are said sometimes to attack and kill woodchucks before
taking their burrow. Fallen logs, recesses under stone walls or fences
and cavities under tree roots furnish the skunk convenient retreats.
If the floor of a building is near the ground, the space below is often
used by a family of skunks. Also they nest under well covers,
board walks, hay scales and stacks, as well as in culverts, covered
drains, abandoned cellars and caves for storing vegetables. In
winter the warmth of the floors of occupied dwellings or country
schoolhouses seems to be especially attractive to them; and the
animals often take up their abode in carelessly filled trenches con-
veying steam pipes from boilers to distant buildings, no doubt
attracted by the warmth.
When skunks dig their own dens the burrows are seldom very
long or deep. They go down below the ordinary frost line, and after
they dig a short way, end in a rounded chamber where they make a
nest, a bed of leaves or dried grasses. Occasionally there are two
entrances to a den.
In Northern latitudes skunks lie housed in their dens during the
coldest part of winter, but in mild weather they move about freely
in search of food. Usually a considerable number occupy the same
den, possibly members of a single family of a preceding summer,
but sometimes the number seems too great to be only one family.
As many as fifteen to twenty-five have been captured at one time
from a single den in the winter. When Ihus disturbed skunks are
found lively enough to prove that hibernation is not complete. As
spring approaches the animals mate, and the pairs betake themselves
to separate establishments. In the South this gregarious habit is
not so marked, although the young usually remain with the mother
until mating time in the late winter.
72 FUR FACTS
Skunk are mainly nocturnal, but when not harassed by enemies
they often hunt in broad daylight. They usually come out about
sunset and spend the summer twilight in catching grasshoppers and
beetles by springing upon them with the fore feet as the insects rise
from the ground in flight. After dark the skunk depends upon its
sense of smell and hearing to locate its prey. It digs many beetles
and their larvae from the ground, leaving the surface thickly pitted
with small conical holes where the insects were obtained.
It would seem to be advisable in raising skunk to start on a small
scale and not attempt a big skunk farm.
As a rule the most successful stock breeders are those who make
a special study of the stock they have in hand and give their animals
special attention. Too much attention, however, to the skunk will
cause it to become domesticated, and if petted and over fed their fur
deteriorates and is of little value, but if allowed to live in as near a
wild and natural state as possible they will breed rapidly and produce
good fur. They will become tame and lose their fear of man if not
frightened or disturbed. Two or three pair is enough to make a
start, and forty or fifty is the maximum amount recommended for
a successful skunk farm. With full furred skunk bringing the high
prices of today, this will show a very nice return for the investment,
which is very little.
Almost any piece of ground can be used for the purpose. After
you have selected your location it is well to build a suitable enclosure,
Pick a piece of ground on which there is a small stream or spring,
but not a wet, swampy place; in fact, a side hill with a spring or
stream at the bottom is preferable. A piece of rocky bluff makes
an ideal location for a skunk farm. The skunk is not a water animal
although they like plenty of water.
Make the enclosure as large as you can, depending, of course,
upon the number of skunks you expect to start out with. In other
words, the secret of a successful skunk layout is to have the conditions
as nearly natural as possible. Do not attempt skunk raising in a
small pen or yard, as the animals will not do well.
Galvanized wire netting, about one inch mesh, makes a very
good fence. If there is any heavy drift snow it would be advisable
to have the fence about seven feet high. Ordinarily a four foot
fence is high enough. It is advisable to turn the wire at the top or
place a sheet of tin or something along the edge to prevent the animals
from climbing out. In erecting the fence it is advisable to sink the
FUR FACTS 73
netting into the ground or lay a piece of the wire netting flat on the
ground at the foot of the fence, inside, of course, or protect it in the
best way possible, depending upon conditions, so that the skunk
will not dig under the fence and escape.
Compartments should be made to separate the males or females
and the young. If each family can be separated it is advisable to
do so. An old wooden box will answer for a nest if nothing better
can be obtained. Dig a trench and cover it over, fix a few dens
such as the animals would use in their wild state, and leave the
families to themselves and they will prosper and get along very
nicely. Build the dens in such a way that there will be no danger
of their getting damp; in other words, build them on an incline so
that they can easily drain. There will be no unusual scent or odor
about a skunk ranch, as skunk themselves are very clean.
Food for Skunks
Skunks eat a great variety of food, including meat, fish, insects,
scraps of bread, raw vegetables, cooked vegetables, fruits, and scraps
from the table. Only fresh meat should be fed. It is not advisable
to overfeed skunks as they become fat and the fur deteriorates, and as
the object of raising them is to develop the heaviest and most desir-
able coat of fur, the diet should be watched closely and only such
food should be given as is calculated to produce the best fur. Foods
that cause the animal to run to fat are not desirable. Some farmers
feed corn meal mush and cakes made from corn meal and sometimes
they feed fresh milk. Only feed enough food at a time to last them
one day and do not dump in a large supply of offal and expect skunks
to thrive on it and produce fine fur In raising skunks it must al-
ways be kept in mind that the object in view is to produce a fine pelt
and the best way to bring this result is to let the animal lead as nat-
ural an existence as possible. Supply them with food that will
keep them in good health, but not overfed. Females with young
should be fed twice a day and given plenty of good fresh drinking
water. The vessels used to furnish them with water should be
kept clean. Do not catch and handle the skunks at the time of
feeding and do not disturb them while they are eating, or as a matter
of fact at any time unnecessarily.
Breeding
Skunks in captivity breed once a year, but occassionally a second
litter is produced. One male should be kept for three to five females.
74 FUR FACTS
The mating season is usually in March and most raisers re-
commend keeping a few females and a single male in one run together.
If two males are kept in a single pen they are likely to fight. The
period of gestation is about nine weeks and the young come usually
in May. Before the young are born the females should be placed
in separate breeding pens containing a den or nesting box supplied
with straw or similar material. As soon as the young skunks are
about two months old they should be placed in a run set apart for
them. The young skunks are full grown and their fur will begin to
turn prime in December. In many cases skunks that are raised in
captivity have poor fur as compared with the pelt of the wild animal
and this is the result of keeping the animals in small pens and over-
feeding them. They do not get sufficient exercise and they run to
fat. The pelt becomes heavy and there is no under fur, conse-
quently the fur has little or no value for fur purposes. The male
skunks that are to be raised for the fur should be turned into a large
enclosure in September, when they are three or four months old, and
kept there in order that they may have ample exercise and can find
their natural food such as insects, etc. If they are allowed to lead
a natural wild life they will develop as fine a coat of fur as the wild
skunk in the same locality. If they are penned up in small en-
closures the fur is likely to be poor and the farmer will have all of his
trouble for nothing; so that you can see that this is a very important
point and should be watched closely. Select the largest and finest
skunks as you go along for breeding stock and breed to the all black
kind. The broad striped and rusty colored skunks should be taken
at the time when the fur is at its best which is usually in December
and January. Careful selection of the breeding stock will result in
better skunks year after year and if the blacks are selected in a few
years they will produce all black skunks, or what is known to the
trade as black, and will have very little white on them.
Removing the Scent Sack
If skunks are not disturbed they will never prove a source of
annoyance to the owner or the neighbors. Skunks become tame
very readily and the keeper can handle them without danger, but it
is not advisable to pet them and disturb them too much. When it is
necessary to transfer them from one place to another they may be
lifted by the tail, or they may be driven from place to place without
any trouble. For these reasons it is not absolutely necessary to re-
move the scent sacks. Some owners prefer to remove the sacks and
FUR FACTS 75
this is comparatively a simple operation with young skunks, but
rather a dangerous thing with the older ones. The best time to
perform the operation is when the skunk is from four to five weeks
old, and even then it is advisable to have some one who is fairly
expert to do this work. To remove the gland make a sharp in-
cision on each side through the skin and enveloping muscles. This
exposes the round hard gland and duct. Care must be taken not
to cut the duct. When the round hard gland is exposed a clamp-
ing forceps should be placed over the duct close up to the gland. The
gland is then cut and the duct severed just beyond the clamp. The
gland with the clamp attached is then lifted out. It is not neces-
sary to use an aenesthetic for this operation on young skunks, and
we do not recommend it for the older animals unless it is found
absolutely necessary and then it should be performed only by one who
is really expert at this kind of work. Two men are needed to perform
the operation on the young skunk. After the operation the wound
should be dressed with a weak solution of carbolic acid. One promi-
nent raiser recommends that the scent sack be left in and not tak-
en out of the skunks that are to be killed for their fur, and this is
sound advice. For skunks that are to be sold as pets or for advertising
purposes it may be advisable to remove the scent sacks, but unless
there is some good reason for it, the sack should be left in and the
skunk allowed to lead as natural an existence as possible. Some own-
ers advise the method of cutting so as to expose the duct leading from
the gland and snipping out a short piece of it. In healing, the duct
is permanently closed and the animals are prevented from using its
musk. If the amateur is to perform the operation he should wear
old clothes and goggles. An old plank makes a good operating table.
The tools needed are a scalpel, a tennaculum (hook), probe, clamp,
extra forceps, and some white linen. See that the instruments are
thoroughly cleaned by being boiled in water. It requires two to
perform the operation successfully; one to hold the skunk by the
neck and keep its head down. Lay the skunk down on its
belly with its head towards the operator. The operator will wrap
the skunk in a sack or cloth and after this his assistant can release
his hold on the neck of the skunk.
The skunk does most of his prowling at night and searches out
litters of baby rabbits, keeps a constant look out for beetles and bugs,
and is always on the alert. In real bitter cold weather he will curl
up and sleep in his den, but will come out at the first moderate day
and will waddle over the snow in search of something to eat. Early
76 FUR FACTS
in the Spring he is up and out all of the time and has an appetite that
is never satisfied. He looks for big black beetles, insects, field mice,
moles, lizzards, etc. In the grasshopper season he devours these
insects in large quantities as he is very fond of them. The skunk
is really the farmer's friend and will catch more rats and mice, bugs,
beetles, etc., that damage the farmer's stock of grain and his crops,
than any domestic animal on the place; and while occassionally he
may kill a chicken it is not very often, especially with the careful
farmer, who takes the proper care of his poultry and puts them up
at night out of the reach of prowling varmints. The skunk is a very
interesting little animal and has been and will continue to be a source
of unusual revenue to the boy and man in the country and a delight
to the woman who wears furs for protection against the winter
blasts.
The skunk is not particular about his residence, but can be found
in hollow logs, woodchuck burrows, caves in the rocks, and any open-
ing that will suit its purposes. The full grown skunk is about the
size of the house cat and the tail of the skunk is broad and plume like.
The skunk is one of the most valuable fur bearers that we have in
America and is being properly taken care of and conserved in nearly
every state in the Union. The big fur houses of the country have
contributed a great deal to this conservation by calling the attention
of the farmer and trapper to this fact and urging him to take the
same care of the skunks and other fur bearers in his section as he
would of his own live stock, and to trap them only during certain
months of the year, when the fur is prime, and at a time that will not
interfere with the breeding season. The skunk is not at all suspicious
and for this reason can be trapped comparatively easy. One
method of taking skunks that has come into vogue in recent years,
and which has many advantages if it is done properly, is that of
smoking the skunks out of their hiding places and then killing the
large prime male skunks, letting the others escape to be taken at a
more opportune time. For this purpose there has been developed
several devices for scaring the animals out of their dens. The
majority of the skunks are taken in the steel trap, and this, after all,
is the simplest and safest way. Traps are now made that not only
catch the animal but also kill it. We recommend this style of trap
which is known as the Two Trigger Trap. Most trappers use Fun-
sten Animal Bait in connection with their food bait, and as the
Funsten Animal Bait is designed to attract the large male to the
FUR FACTS 77
trap, for this reason if for nothing else, it is very desirable to use it.
The bait is made from odors that arouse the passion of the particular
animal for which it is made. As soon as the male skunk smells the
odor of the Funsten Animal Bait he will make an effort to get to it
and even fight frantically for it. The three prize winning methods
of trapping skunk in the $500.00 contest of Funsten Bros. & Co.,
are given herewith. All of these men are experienced in their line
and have been successful trappers for many years.
Winner of First Prize for ike best method of trapping skunk.
"My plan for trapping skunks is as follows: As I have had twenty -
three years' experience in trapping skunks, and as I have lived and
trapped in twenty-two different States, I will try and give you some
pointers in regard to catching these animals.
The first thing to do is to buy the best steel traps, then
oil your traps good in the joints. See that they all work to
perfection before you start to set them. Then purchase some of
Funsten 's Animal Bait for Skunk, search the country over and where
you can find their holes, or around old vacant houses, or hay stacks,
or under barns or any out-building, where you can find their runs,
set your traps. First carry some old rotten grass, or leaves, or hay
chaff, that is perfectly dry, then take a hatchet and dig out a bed
for your trap, then put in some of your dry grass or chaff, and set
your trap on it. This keeps your trap from freezing tight to the
ground in cold weather. Then if there is any trash where you set
your trap, spread it back over the trap, so as to leave it to all appear-
ances just as near like you found it as possible. And at cross-fences
or cross-hedges is a good place, any place where you find they
run along. Set your trap as I have directed you, then take a piece
of rabbit or a part of a mouse or bird, put it on a small forked stick,
and stick it within five or six inches of your trap, and then put about
six drops of Funsten Skunk Bait on it, and if any skunks come close
you will get them. Place the covering as thinly over the top as
possible, just so you hide the trap from view. Make a round of
your traps every day, if possible every other day at least.
I have been using Funsten skunk Bait, and I have caught many
skunks."
J. R. POYNTEB
Winner of Second Prize
"Having had considerable experience in trapping, I will give
you my idea about catching them.
78 FUR FACTS
A skunk is not a very cunning animal and is not hard to catch. In
order to trap skunk you must be very careful about setting the trap.
Find the hole where the skunks have denned up for the winter. You
will find that the ground at the mouth of the hole is worn smooth.
Dig a small hole just big enough to set the trap in, then cover it with
a little dry dirt or short grass, but be sure not to get any dirt under
the pan of the trap. Skunks will den up sometimes fifteen or twenty
in one hole. It is best to use Funsten Skunk Bait, for it will make a
trap in some old hole just as profitable as a trap without it in a den."
C. D. JOHNSON
Winner oj Third Prize
"Please accept this in your Contest as the best way to trap for
skunk that I have found yet.
First, find the den, path or place where they live. Set your trap
in the center of hole or path, lower it down until it is level with the
soil, put a few drops of some good animal bait Funsten 's is the
best then just cover the trap over with dust to hide it, and you are
safe in getting Mr. Skunk."
H. W. WALTERS
How to Prepare Skunk for Market
Skunk skins should be cased pelt side out for market. In order
to take the skin off cased begin by cutting the skin loose around the
hind feet and rip the skin down the middle of the back of the hind
legs, peel the skin carefully from the hind legs, skin the tail and re-
move the tail bone. Care should be taken not to cut into the scent
gland. No other cuts in the carcass are necessary. Turn the skin
back from the body, using the knife only when necessary to cut the
ligaments. Care should always be taken in cutting around the eyes
and nose to avoid tearing the skin. Keep the skin as clean of meat
and fat as possible. It is well to suspend the carcass from the limb
of a tree, using the Funsten Gambrel-Stretcher for this purpose.
This consists of a regular fur stretcher with two hooks on it to which
the hind legs of the carcass may be fastened, and this enables the
trapper to peel the skin off very easily. After the skin has been re-
moved it will be in the form of a long pocket with the fur in. In
order to dry the skin to the proper shape, dry it on the Funsten
Perfect Stretcher, but if this is not available a board cut to the
proper size and shape may be used. Stretch the skunk skin out
smooth with the hair side in and allow it to dry in a shady cool place.
Never dry skunk by the fire or in the sun. Scrape the skin off clean,
FUR FACTS 79
but do not scrape the pelt too close as that will injure the roots of the
fur. Never use any preparations of any kind in curing skunk skins.
Always remove the tail bone.
Any of the following traps may be used in trapping Skunk, Victor
No. 1, No. 1 Giant, No. 1J^ No. 91, No. 91J/, Jump Traps No. 1,
No. :% No. 91 and No. 9% Newhouse No. 1, No. 81 and No. 91,
and the Funsten Two Trigger Trap Coil Spring No. 1. We also re-
commend the use of the Funsten Perfect Smoker for smoking skunks
out of hollow logs, but do not use it in bitter cold weather when the
skunk are hibernating. The finest device yet invented for scaring
skunks out of the den is the Funsten Spitz-Devil. Unlike muskrat
there are very few skunk skins dressed for home use; however, if
it is desired to dress them the same methods may be used as de-
scribed for dressing muskrat.
The largest skins are found in Minnesota and North Dakota and
are nearly all of the narrow striped variety. The smallest skins are
found in Arizona and New Mexico and are nearly all of the striped
variety. The medium sized skins come from the Central States.
Size of Skunk Pelts
Large Northern skunk pelts measure about twenty four inches
long, not including the tail and about eight inches wide. The average
weight of the raw skin dry and ready for shipment is one pound.
The small skunk pelt from the same section would be about eighteen
inches long and six inches wide. The large size skunk pelt from the
central sections would be about twenty two inches long and seven
inches wide.
CHAPTER XI
MINK
Mink is one of the most valuable and one of the most sought after
of American furs. They are found in nearly every state in the Union,
the finer skins coming from Maine and the northern part of New
York. The mink found in these sections are small in size but are
very fine in quality, the fur being rich and silky, and very dark,
with a pronounced black stripe down the center of the back. The
largest mink are found in Minnesota and the Dakotas, the Minnesota
mink being especially fine in quality. Louisiana is probably the
largest mink producing state in the Union, and the mink from this
state known as "French Settlement Mink" are very good for color
and quality, considering the fact that they are found in an extreme
Southern climate. Mink is not only beautiful, but it is also a
fine wearing fur, and a fine mink coat is second only to Russian or
Hudson Bay Sable. The mink is very quick and active and is
difficult to trap; and trappers are indeed proud when they successfully
trap a fine mink pelt. Mink follow the streams, and feed along the
banks of creeks, lakes, and ponds. They are killers and it is believed
that they often kill just for the pleasure of it. They are more diffi-
cult to raise than the skunk, but they can be made very profitable
and it is to be hoped that many more will take up the raising of mink
for profit and try to make it a successful industry. There is not much
practical information at hand on the subject for the reason that it
is an undeveloped industry and has been attempted by comparatively
few men. Some of these have been very successful, others have
become discouraged and quit. Those who have become successful
are reticent and not inclined to give information on the subject,
others are only too glad to help in any way in order that others may
start that they will have more customers for their live stock.
There is a demand for live mink for breeding purposes and there
will no doubt be more money in raising mink for this purpose than
for their pelts, as good prices can be obtained for live pairs. Live
mink sell as high as fifty dollars per pair, and it is claimed by some
men that the business of mink farming is more profitable than any
other kind of fur farming, with the possible exception of Silver
FUR FACTS 81
Fox. The raising of Silver Fox is beyond the reach of most
people as it requires considerable capital to embark in this busi-
ness, but mink raising may be started with a small capital if
the man or boy can trap or buy a pair of live mink.
Almost any sort of enclosure will do. Fromm Brothers, who
have successfully raised mink, prefer running water on the place
selected so that a small portion of it will run through the enclosure
for the mink, which can be done by building a cement trough at
one end of it. The place should be enclosed with galvanized iron
wire set well into the ground and with the top turned in so that the
mink can not climb or jump out. If you cannot buy a pair of live
mink for breeding purposes, it is well to try to trap them yourself
using a box trap for this purpose. Most mink raisers feed their mink
fresh meat daily. Wild rabbits are splendid food, or anything
of this nature. Fish may also be used, and some raisers
give the mother mink milk. See that they are supplied with fresh
water every day and keep the pens clean, and also the nesting boxes.
Allow as big a run as possible and construct it in such way that the
mink cannot dig out or climb out. For the nest use wooden boxes
divided into three compartments with a small hole bored at one end
for the mink to crawl in and out, and two similar holes bored hi the
partitioning boards. This will admit very little light into the pen
and none at all into the back compartment, which is just what the
mink wants. The darker it is the better they like it. Bore the
entrance hole small and near the ground so that it will let in as little
light as possible. After the young are born place a fresh nesting
box close to the old one and the old mink will make the change if
she thinks it desirable. When the young mink are about two months
old and are able to take care of themselves, it is advisable to take the
mother away from them. Keep the males and females separate,
keeping the males in a pen by themselves and the females by them-
selves. Mink are rather vicious and will sometimes put up a fight,
but if you will wear heavy leather gloves they cannot do any harm.
Some breeders recommend leaving one kitten with the mother to
take care of whatever milk the mother may have left. The man
starting in the raising of mink will have to study out things for
himself, using common sense and good judgment. Do not bother
or disturb the animals too much. They know how to provide for
themselves. Just give them a chance and they will breed very
rapidly under the right conditions. They begin breeding usually
82 FUR FACTS
in March and April and when raising them it is advisable at this
time to pen them up in pairs. Never put two males in the same pen
at the breeding season, or two or more females in with one male, as
they are terrible fighters and are liable to injure one another. It
takes about forty two days from mating time for the young mink to
appear. After the young mink arrive do not bother them by opening
the boxes or going near them. Do not forget to feed the old mink,
and give the mother mink milk and plenty of fresh water. If she will
not take the milk give her plenty of fresh meat. If you bother the
mink in any way at this time you are very apt to lose them, so that
the best plan is to keep strictly away until the young mink are ready
to wean. In order to secure young mink for breeding purposes
they should be taken in May and June. No one would think of
trapping mink at this time of the year for their pelts and it is against
the law hi most states. However, if they are to be taken for breeding
purposes it is possible to get a permit from your local game warden
to trap them. Watch the stream for mink tracks where the old
ones leave their holes and the young mink may be secured by digging
them out, or by setting a box trap for them. There are some raisers
that build the pen in four divisions, one division for the females,
one for the males, and two for the young mink. In selecting a piece
of ground choose a piece that is located on a little hillside with good
drainage, that will take in a bluff of rocks, so that the mink can
find then* natural hiding places. Put in nesting boxes and some
straw so that they can build their own nests at the proper time.
Feed them carefully, and regularly, and with fresh food. They are
very fond of fish, but do not give them tainted or spoiled stuff. They
are also very fond of muskrat meat. Their natural building place
is in old logs, in caves, or in drift piles, but always near the water,
the nest where the young are born being usually in the ground. Try
to arrange the enclosure in as natural a manner as possible, putting
in a few old hollow logs and digging a few holes and making them
look as natural as possible. Funsten Bros. & Co. will welcome any
letters from professional mink raisers that may be published on the
subject, for the benefit of the beginner. This is a new industry and
help can only come from the man who is making a successful business
of raising mink. The best pen is one five or six feet square, with the
sides made of smooth white boards, placed side to side on a raised
footing of stone, or concrete, sunk eighteen inches into the ground.
The floor of the pen should be the bare ground. Heavy wire netting
FUR FACTS 83
may be used instead of boards, but in this case the top should be
turned in so as to prevent the minks from climbing out. Boxes should
be provided for the nests as described heretofore. It is best to furnish
the boxes with a hinged lid, so that they may be opened and ex-
amined, but this should not be done too often, in fact not at all
unless it is absolutely necessary, as the mink should be left absolutely
alone. If a little water can flow naturally through the pen, it will
be a big help. There is a big demand for live mink, so that the time
to start raising them is now, and we advise that every effort be made
to catch a pair of live mink and start in a small way. Every boy
can get a lot of pleasure and satisfaction out of raising mink and you
can make a big profit besides.
Mink are found throughout the United States and a greater part
of Canada and Alaska. The finest mink come from Maine and the
Northern part of New York. The largest mink come from Minnesota
and the Dakotas. The State of Louisiana is probably the largest
producer of mink, and the quality of the fur is good considering that
they are produced in an extreme southern climate. It is a small
carnivorous animal, belonging to the weasel family. A distinct
species is also found in Europe and Asia. The mink has a small
head, a long slender body, rather short legs and bushy tail. It is
very graceful in its movements. They are very fond of water and
get much of their food from it. They usually follow their same
tracks back and forth, sometimes traveling in water and sometimes
on land. If you can locate their tracks and make your sets accord-
ingly, you should have good results. They are flesh eating and are
fond of trout, muskrat flesh, frogs and rabbits. Any of these baits
used in connection with Funsten Mink bait are almost sure to produce
results. Mink is one of the staple articles of the fur trade. The
color varies from a light brown to a very rich dark brown, almost
black. The darker skins are more valuable. The finest, silkiest
skins come from Maine and the Northern part of the United States.
Mating season commences about the first of March and ends about
the middle of March. The young are usually born in April, there
being from four to six in a litter. The fur of the mink is best during
the latter part of November, December and January. Mink trapped
out of season are, as a rule, poor in quality and of little value.
Trapping Mink
Most experienced trappers recommend the setting of traps along
small streams. They are more winding and crooked and more drift
84
FUR8FACTS
is lodged along the way, affording hiding places for the animals and
therefore good places for setting traps, both in and out of the water.
If there is a bluff on one side of the stream and it is low on the other,
the low side is recommended as the best for setting mink traps,
Wherever there are plenty of fish is usually a good trapping range
for mink. Whenever it is possible, sets should be made in water.
Select a place where the indications for mink are favorable. If
possible, place some old drift or logs so as to make a guideway.
Place the trap about the middle of the guideway and on the far side
of the trap drop a half dozen drops of Funsten Mink Bait. The
bait should be placed so as to make the animal cross the trap to get
to the bait. Never put the bait on the trap itself.
MINK
Find a hollow log along the edge of a stream. Use some muskrat
flesh or trout well scented with Funsten Mink Bait, then put the
bait well into the log. Set a trap at each end of the log.
Another method is to secure a medium size tile and wedge a stick
into it crosswise. On the stick place a few drops of Funsten Mink
Bait. Place the tile in shallow water so that the water just covers
FUR FACTS 85
the bottom of it, and place a trap at either end of the tile under the
water.
Another way is to place the trap close to the bank in shallow water
underneath some overhanging grass or weeds, and drop a few drops
of Funsten Mink Bait on the weeds just above the trap.
In extremely cold weather when streams are frozen over, find a
place where there are ripples and thin ice, where it will be possible
for the mink to come out. There are any number of ways and places
that might be suggested, but the trappers' own individual judgment
will guide him best as to the exact spot to place his traps. For trap-
ping mink we recommend the use of Funsten Animal Bait and New-
house or Victor Traps No. 1, or No. 1 Giant, or Jump Traps, No. 1
or \}4y Coil Spring No. 1, or the Funsten Two Trigger Trap.
Mink never den up during the severely cold weather and will go
out every night in the coldest climate. Their favorite haunts are
along the banks of creeks, ponds, and lakes. Mink will go off on
long tramps and will be away from his headquarters for a week at a
time, stopping wherever he can and finding little hiding places during
the day. The mink is suspicious, and has a keen sense, and is there-
fore very hard to trap. For this reason it is advisable to use a good
scent, and Funsten Animal Bait is best for this purpose, as it has been
successfully used for twenty years by experienced trappers all over
the world.
Successful mink trappers run from twenty five to one hundred
traps and where they can afford it they buy the Funsten Two Trigger
Trap, as it is sure death to the mink. A fine prime mink pelt is so val-
uable that care must be taken that they are not damaged in the trap-
The Funsten Two Trigger Trap is recommended for this purpose,
as it does not injure the fur in any way and is humane as it means
instant death to the mink.
All of the great mink trappers of recent years have recommended
the Funsten Animal Bait for the successful trapping of mink, and we
herewith publish the three prize winning methods in the Funsten
trapping contest. These methods are written by men who know
their business and who rank with the great trappers of the world.
R. E. Orr of Paris, Texas, has probably trapped as many mink in his
time as any other one man in this country.
Winner of the First Prize for the Best Method of Trapping Mink
The trapper, like the fiddler, the singer, the orator, is born to
his calling. Born with the inclination, tact and genius in him,
86 FUR FACTS
it does not follow that many others may not become good trappers
by training and experience. The trait of the trapper is seen in the
boy while quite young, and all opposition will not stop his tendencies.
The trapper should be a good walker, and one who is fond of ramb-
ling walks, for much walking is required by the trapper. He need
not necessarily be a fast walker, except at times. Indeed, most of
his walking should be done slowly, in order to give him opportunity
for making inspection of tracks and signs in his territory inspection
of all that pertains to his information. The trapper should be an
early riser, and should visit his traps frequently.
It is important that the trapper should be fully acquainted with
the habits of the animal he attempts to trap, and this can be acquired
only by long and close attention to the places it frequents, its ramb-
lings, the peculiar place where it stops and slides or wallows; its ins
and outs, its ups and downs, from and to the water. All this can be
best learned in time of snow, but the old trapper does not necessarily
need the snow. The trapper must learn his art, for nothing but the
outlines can be put on paper. The trapper must make himself fam-
iliar with his territory. He must learn to know the main stream and
tributaries, or branches, the hills and hollows. He should note
everything pertaining to signs of the animal, its place of passage; in
short, tracks, holes, hollows, hollow logs, hollow stumps, and such
holes, for in so doing he will often find them burrowed up in places
not suspected.
The small streams and branches tributary to larger ones, are
much better for the trapper than the large ones. The large streams
clear themselves of passing drift, and they wash out the holes and
hiding places of the animals. The small streams are more winding
and crooked, and much drift is lodged along the way. They afford
more eddies and ripples and rocky places, which afford hiding places
for animals, and, therefore, good places for setting traps, both in
and out of the water. The small ones have more thicket and willow
on their margins. Now, if there is a bluff on one side and low on the
other, the low side is best for setting traps. Quantities of muskrat
and fish are signs of gobd trapping range. The muskrats make holes
and hiding places for the mink, also good setting places for the trapper
especially those not in use by the rat.
The Habits of the animals This is doubtless the most important
subdivision of the guide to the trapper. The trapper should know,
from his own personal knowledge, the habits of the animal he attempts
FUR FACTS 87
to trap. He must know the kind of places they frequent most, and
learn their motives for going there, and this can be done only by
the closest imspection (what they do there is mink or coonology,
and can only be guessed at) but it will be sufficient for trappers to
note their signs with care, and be careful not to tramp around much
or disturb their haunts, for sure as you do they will quit the place.
In fact, tramping much about their holes, dens and frequented places
will drive them away. (Note never take your dogs with you when
you go to set your traps. The mink can scent a dog for days. Never
set a trap where dogs frequent.)
It requires much care and ingenuity to trap the mink. The trapper
must know his habits well in order to be successful, for he is cer-
tainly the most cautious of all the wild animals in the woods, except,
perhaps, the fox and the wolf. At times the mink seems bold, but
he is always prepared for retreat. He is sometimes seen in open
daylight, but never without nearby retreat.
The mink that visits your chicken roost has his advance and his
retreat all planned before he makes his venture. He always comes
in the rear along some fence through weeds or through any sort of
hiding. In fact, he always has his eye on some way of retreat.
If you track him you find him under cover in every way
possible, traveling in the most secluded places; through thickets,
along the hedges, under shelving banks, under logs, drift, rock fences,
and rock piles. When he puts up for the day he seeks, generally,
some inaccessible place, but he is found sometimes in temporary
places, and I regard that as more a matter of strategy than
security.
If you track him you will find him crossing and doubling on his
trail, making many crooks and turns, going in and out of holes; and
you may believe that you have located him, when at the same time,
he may be a mile away. The only certain test is to make a circle
and count the ins and outs. If there are more ins than outs, you
can say he is here, and if you think best to trap him, find his retreats
and select the best one for a trap. If this one does not leave room or
place for the trap, make room, then place the trap, leaving a peep-
hole, but not enough for him to get out. That is, stop all but the
peep-hole. Do the same at the main entrance in the same way.
then see that the retreats are well stopped up. Go early next morn-
ing, and you are very sure to get him. The writer seldom or never
failed. I counted him as caught, unless he had some retreat I failed
to find.
88 FUR FACTS
The habits of the male and female are quite different. The female
confines itself to a given locality, the limit of which does not extend
more than a mile from a common center, and within this area she
has from two to three places of frequent habit, and it is of much
importance to the trapper to locate them, for the male mink visits
them from two to three times a week. (Note Such places, when
found, should not be in any way disturbed, for they are a common
attraction to all male mink.) Any suitable place in this territory
is the best place to set your traps.
Female mink are found from half a mile to a mile apart, up and
down the main stream, or not far up some branch of it. The line of
travel of the male is from three to four miles up or down stream,
including its branches, with their adjacent territory, and the whole
line of this territory is visited from two to three times a week by the
male mink.
The female mink is really local, her travel being about a mile up
and down the main stream, and also its nearby tributaries. She has
certain places where she frequents, hunts for food, and bathes, leaving
her signs. She has from two to three places where she burrows up
for the day. The places range from a quarter to a half-mile distant
from a common center. Caution ! When you find these places never
disturb them, for sure as you do she will leave. The male has a line
two miles up and down from a given point, which makes a distance
of about four miles' travel. You can trap around and near by her
domicile any suitable place near by is advisable.
Never set your trap in a hole you suspect as being a den or living
place for the mink, for they will surely leave that point. You should
find a stump, or tree-root, shelving bank or drift near by, and leaving
as few signs as possible, set your trap. The mink, like all other ani-
mals, wants to capture his prey, or find it hidden as though some
other animal had placed it there, so you should dig back carefully
and hide your bait in such a way that the mink will be forced to go
over your traps to get it. The bait should be made secure by means
of a stick stuck through the bait, and stuck firmly in the back part
of the pen made for the purpose. Then set and place your trap in
front of it, pushing the end of the spring just under your bait. See
that no sticks or brush will interfere with your trap, then get some old
leaves and cover lightly. Don't use the staple for fastening, but
get some pieces of light, soft wire, say about twenty-four to thirty
inches long and attach them to the chain. You can fasten to any-
FUR FACTS 89
thing near by, such as a dead limb, for what you tie to need not be
very heavy. Then it is best for you to throw water where you have
been tramping around.
Many animals slightly caught get away, and to avoid this most
of the sets can be placed by the water, and by using a wire attached
to the chain, you give the animal a chance to go into the water. The
impulse of the animal is that the water is his protection. He lunges
at once for the water, and is soon drowned, for a No. 1 Trap will
drown a mink or rat in a foot of water.
I have had good luck with water-sets, and with Funsten
Animal Bait. I regard a spring coming out from the banks as
sure places for a catch. When I find such a place I keep my trap
there; in fact, it is a bad habit to move traps often. Be sure you
make a good set.
In selecting the water-set, you will see, by close attention, where
the mink comes up out of the water. With your stick reach down and
punch out a cavity large enough to settle the trap so it will be three
or four inches under water. Put trap down with spring up ; bear down
a little to settle the trap. Then find some water-soaked leaves to cover
the trap; fasten trap to a drag, say a dead limb; for, if caught the
trap will drown him, and the stick is only a means of keeping trace
of your game. Again you will notice bluff rocks any large rock at
either end of which there is a gradual slope from the water up to the
land, furnishing good water-sets. A mink is almost sure to pass
around these rocks, so such places form good water-sets. The trapper
ought to carry with him a cup or can so that he can dash water all
about where he puts his hands, or does much tramping about.
The trapper should take his time in selecting a place to set, and
in making the set he should do the same; first, feeling confident that
he has made a good selection, then taking pains and making a careful
set, then he will go to his traps with confidence. (Note Where
you catch one is the place to catch another, provided you do not tramp
around and make too much sign.) In going to your traps you
should go cautiously, and when near enough to see that they are not
disturbed, go away, if possible, without making a path to them.
Don't leave any whittling or fresh cutting. Such things give signs
to other trappers, and hunters can trace you to your traps. If you
are cautious, you can set a trap, and if no one sees you, no one can
find your trap.
At times during the winter the creeks and large branches are
generally frozen over, but the water soon runs down leaving what
90 FUR FACTS
may be called "hollow ice", but on ripples, about rocks and around
roots of trees, also small inlets on sides of the streams and springs,
the water is open, and here I suggest that at such times and places
is the trapper's opportunity. At such times the mink is under the
ice, both day and night, fishing for minnows, crawfish and mussels.
Go to the open ripples, rocky places about tree roots, logs, inlets and
springs where they go under or come up, and if the water is not too
deep, say enough to cover your trap to a depth of five inches (I mean
that five inches is not too deep), place your trap in the direction that
it appears they jump from the opening. The best fastening for your
trap is a rock to which you wire the trap. Slip the rock under to
one side, dash water and leave the place carefully.
The trapper can use bait under the ice at such times to great
advantage; indeed, I regard sets under ice more successful than on
land, for they can be made with less trouble and less exposure to
animal attention than upon land. The trapper can use almost any
place where the water is not too deep, and the opening suitable to
put traps and bait under. The bait should be tied to a stick of such
a length as the place seems to require; then fasten or fix the bait by
pushing the stick down, then bending it so as to press the upper end
against the ice above; then put whatever you tie to underneath.
Next, place trap at, or about a foot from the stick, if the stick stands
straight; if not, place the trap under the bait. A rock is the best
fastening; You can often pick up a rock so shaped that you can
wire trap to it. I prefer to use a rock to fasten to, for you make less
sign than with any other means. (Note If it can be done, dash water
about where you have been setting.)
There are many devices which are good, but in any thickly settled
community they are not practical, on account of hunters and dogs.
The steel trap is the best adapted to the trapper, for they can be
secreted in such a way as to be inaccessible to dogs and out of sight
of fishers and hunters. The best is the cheapest, for cheap taps get
out of order soon, and more is lost in catches than is gained in cheap-
ness. Among the best is the Newhouse, Victor and Jump. The
trapper should provide himself with pieces of wire thirty inches long
with which to fasten his traps. (I never use the staple.) More
length is needed to let the animal into the water. A No. 1 trap will
drown a mink or rat in ten inches of water. I have a device called
the "Farmer's Chicken-House Guard". Get a joint of sewer tile
three inches in diameter, insert it under the chicken-house at rear,
leaving bell on the outside. Connect it with a box on inside; set
FUR FACTS 91
trap in box. Cover box with wire net; put trap in; leave it in all
season; cover with leaves; put wire on so it can be moved.
Among fresh baits, the rabbit, partridge, jaybird, redbird; in
short, any large bird, is good; fish of any kind; that is, fresh fish.
A rabbit will make six baits, if rightly cut. The hams make two,
cut two more between hams and shoulders, make one of the head
and neck together. No bird will make more than one bait. The
bird bait should be tied. Tie head and feet to the stick used in
staking your bait down. In sticking the rabbit bait, run a sharp
stick through both legs to keep them from being dragged over your
trap before the animal is caught. Always fix your bait in such a
way that the animal must go over the trap to get it. (If I am
not seen carrying a trap, no one will find it.) I suggest you carry
a trap sack. Traps in pocket render the trapper clumsy. He can
not get under in places when loaded with traps. Every trap should
be done up in such a manner as to make it handy. Much time is
lost in untangling traps.
The value of a fine scent or trail bait is appreciated by the trap-
per of experience. During the past fifty years the writer has used
many kinds of scent and trail baits, and can, after this long ex-
perience, say that he knows no equal to the Funsten Baits.
The writer of this essay is now past seventy -four years old; does
no longer go to the frontier to trap, but confines his trapping to the
small streams and tributaries of the Meramec and Big rivers, where-
ever he can get a comfortable boarding place, his object being to
amuse himself and spend the winter season.
In closing this essay the writer will say that in this busy age of
progress trapping can hardly be regarded as business, but there
may be some whose situation in life and condition of health is such
that they can afford to spend the trapping season to advantage,
both in regard to their pecuniary welfare and their health. I am
satisfied that the labor or business-worn man had better go to the
trapping range than any springs, hot springs, or cold springs. As
a rule it is not medicine that worn-down men need, but cheerful
recreation. The mind or condition of the mind, needs more rest
than the body. Nature's true medicine and restoration of health
are found in the forest among the hills, dells and brooks.
The writer of this essay believes that he owes his good health
and activity of body and mind to his outdoor life. He is nearly
seventy-five years old; no pains of any kind; good sleep and good
appetite.
G. M. HORENE.
92 FUR FACTS
Winner of Second Prize
"The greatest trouble is to find a place to set the traps. I find,
after fifteen years' experience, that fall trapping must be done in
water, and I must make places for my sets beforehand in the follow-
ing manner.
Follow the streams you intend trapping along, dig pockets in
bank at water level; dig back two feet; have them eight inches wide;
dig under bank so nothing can get the bait except from the front;
place clam shells in back of pocket; stick brush slanting out over
pocket to hide from view; get short pieces of small, hollow logs, bed
them in mud at the edge of stream so water will run through; cut small
hole in top of log to drop bait through; settle stone or short log in
mud at edge of stream; cut a small trench to turn water around stone.
In this way you have your fall trapping grounds ready, and the game
finds them in hunting for frogs and crawfish, and they can be baited
beforehand.
Use a piece of wire to reach deep water, fasten stone to outer end;
bend long loop in wire near stone; set trap at front of pocket in two
inches of water, and cover with wet leaves; drive stake out in water
the length of the chain; slip trap ring over wire and fasten wire to
stake. Use live frogs or crawfish for bait, and Funsten Animal
Bait. Set trap at each end of all hollow logs you have fixed; fasten
cord to live bait, and drop through hole in log and fasten. Set trap
in channel where you have turned water around stone and logs,
and cover with wet leaves, staking with wire and stone.
Cover up all dens you find carefully with brush for spring trap-
ping. Make nice water-sets near all dens found. If trapping on
open prairie or ponds and sloughs find all tile outlets; set in water
at mouth of tile, and cover carefully, also all small bridges. Make
place to set by staking across with small sticks, leaving an opening
for trap. If too much water, build up with trash. If on dry ditch,
set small stakes across, leaving an opening for trap; lay four or five
tile in ditch with live bait in center; trap at each end. Look out for
runs in banks or ponds dug back by rats, which mink cut through-
To set here, cut a hole in runway near the water; set trap in hole,
and stop up tight. Also all small branches where water runs.
Winter trapping This is the best and easiest time to catch them ,
as they are forced to the streams to find food. Many trappers know
they disappear all at once, but are at a loss to know where. They
find their way to streams and live under the ice during cold weather.
FUR FACTS 93
You must make your places to trap them before it freezes up. Go
along the stream, and at all bluff banks set a row of stakes out in the
\vater several feet. Just under water, square down the bank with
a hatchet, leaving six inches between the bank and the stakes, cut
some brush and stick in the bank, letting the tops lay over the stakes
for mark. In this way you can have several hundred sets ready on
different streams for winter trapping. After streams are frozen up
solid you will find the water has fallen, and leaves a space under the
ice at shore. Here the mink lives through the cold weather. As
they work up and down the edge of the water they must go between
the stakes and the bank. To set traps, cut a hole in the ice one foot
from shore and one foot below the stakes. Set traps between the
stakes and the bank. If the water is too deep, fill up; if too shallow,
dig down. If the traps are likely to freeze up put a hand full of salt
around them. You can pick your set to have them in running water.
Stake in the hole you have cut and cover with ice and snow. If
trapping on swamp, where rats build their houses, mark all runs in
banks made by rats. To set here, cut a hole through to run, and set
trap, as they live here through cold weather. Set at all holes where
they have cut through the house, cut a hole in side of house and set
trap. Drop a rat carcass down the hole so the mink will have to
pass over the trap to reach the bait. Another set Cut out a strip
six inches deep across the top of house and set trap here, covering
all traps smoothly.
Spring Trapping This is the time to catch them in holes, as
they dodge into every one they come to. Locate all the dens you
can through summer and fall. Make holes by driving a sharpened
stick slanting into the bank. Cut away the dirt at mouth of the
hole so the trap will set level with surface of the ground. Cover
the trap nice and smooth with dry grass or leaves; make the same
set at all dens and holes. At this time of the year use no bait.
All you want is the musk from another mink. Put some of this
scent on a small stick; drop in hole in front of the trap, and
you are sure of every mink that comes along. It will also draw
them, as they can smell it a long distance. Set at all bridges and
tiles and holes in rat runs around swamp, using the same scent. I
also recommend the Funsten Animal Baits; they are good and re
liable."
C. S. BKEWER
94 FUR FACTS
Winner of Third Prize
"The following is the way I caught a number of mink, from the 1st
of November until February 27th. In the early part of the fall, I
ordered from Funsten Bros. & Co., two gross of traps. They came
and were all "O. K." I sold one gross to some prospecting trappers.
On or about the 1st of November I began setting the balance of them
for mink. Thinking I did not have enough traps, a little later on I
ordered a few dozen more, also a pair of rubber boots.
Having about two hundred traps, I felt that I was ready for mink
trapping right.
I have been trapping for the past fifteen years. In 1901 I began
paying special attention to these little animals. Since that time I
have studied every crook and turn in their nature. I have tamed
them, experimented with various kinds of baits and scents to attract
their attention. Mink will eat almost any kind of food in the way
of meat, fowl or fish, but he prefers to kill his own game. But if he
is real hungry, he can be taken in trap with an ordinary piece of meat
of some kind. Cheese is about the most effective bait of this kind
that can be used in this way.
The mink is more suspicious than most small animals, but one of
the easiest attracted if properly managed. This must be done by
knowing just where and how to put your trap. My method of taking
mink is to go early in the fall before trapping time to look over the
territory I want to work. If I find it satisfactory, I begin to prepare
as follows: Look along bluff near the water's edge, dig holes about
eight inches in diameter, and about three feet back in the bluff;
throw a lot of driftwood about the hole to make it look as
near natural as possible, leave the place for about ten days or two
weeks, then take your traps and go over the territory. You will
find at almost nine out of every ten holes you dug that mink have
made regular pathways in and out of the holes. Then with a boat,
or a pair of rubber boots, I go into the water and set the traps.
Mink can be taken in runways, but the holes are much better, as
they often are attracted, and they are most sure to go in and out of
them. If there is no suitable place to make holes in bluff, a mound
of dirt may be thrown up about two feet high, extending up the bluff
or down near the water's edge; then make a hole at the bottom, near
the water, throw a lot of old leaves and trash over, to hide signs of
digging, leave the place for about two weeks. You will find that
almost every mink that comes along during the winter will go through
FUR FACTS 95
the hole. If you have large lots of traps and can not make hole sets
for them all, the balance may be set in runways under roots and
bluffs, where mink travel most.
I always fasten chain in water where mink are caught. They go
directly into the water and soon drown in their struggles and you
have him safe. One would think it would take lots of work to make
sets of this kind, but if you live in a country where mink are plentiful,
you will find you will be more than rewarded for your work. I
have taken as many as nine mink from one set of this kind during a
season.
In regard to baits and scents, I have trapped for the past fifteen
years; have experimented a great deal with scents and baits, and I
have no argument to make with brother trappers. I know there
are hundreds of worthless and nonsensical ideas about baits for
different animals. A scent of the right kind about traps will largely
do away with the human scent, and often keep animals from detecting
or being shy of places where traps are set.
The following is a fair and impartial test: Some time during
January (do not remember the date) I ordered a bottle of Funsten
Animal Bait for mink. On the 27th of January I set thirty mink
traps as many in prepared places or holes as I had. The balance
were set in runways. I baited every other trap with Funsten Animal
Bait, placing a little back in the hole or about the trap, so I had
fifteen with bait and fifteen with no bait. The traps set for three
nights. From the fifteen baited with Funsten Animal Bait I took
six mink and one coon. From the other fifteen, not baited, I took
three mink, one coon, and one opossum.
My method of setting traps for mink is as follows: Divide 200
traps into six parts. Set six lines of them in different parts of the
country. If weather is cold I have one man to help, visiting each
line once every day. I usually have my trap lines from two to ten
miles apart. Some times much further on, according to the condi-
tions. I travel from one to the other on horse back, or sometimes
from one station to the other on trains, when convenient. I work
every day and work hard. It is no lazy man's job to be a successful
trapper.'*
R. E. ORR.
How to Prepare Mink for Market
Mink should always be taken off cased pelt side out. Some trap-
pers when they get a dark mink think that the proper way to stretch
FUR FACTS
it is to case it fur side out so as to show the color, but this is not the
case. Always case the mink pelt side out. Experienced men in
that line are fully able to judge the value of the skin just as well pelt
side out as they are fur side out, and it is a big advantage if the
mink is cased pelt side out because the skin can be dressed and
tanned much more easily and it protects the fur. To take the skin
off cased, begin by cutting it loose from the hind feet, split down the
back of the hind legs and peel the skin from the hind legs. Take out
the tail bone, but do not split the tail unless it is absolutely necessary.
After this is done draw the skin backwards and downwards from the
body, keeping it as free from meat and fat as possible. Suspend
the carcass from a tree when skinning, and for this purpose we re-
commend the use of the Funsten Gambrel- stretcher which is the
regular fur stretcher with two hooks on each end from which the
hind legs of the animal may be hung and with this the skin can be
pulled off easily. Care should be taken when the head is reached.
Cut the skin carefully from the eyes and nose taking great care not
to tear the skin. When the skin is taken off in this manner it will
be in the form of a long pocket with the fur in. Stretch the skin on
a stretcher of the proper size. For this purpose we recommend the
use of the Funsten Universal Fur Stretcher, but if this is not available
a board may be cut to the proper size and shape" of the skin. Hang
the skin in a cool shady place. Never dry it in the sun or near a
fire. Fine mink are valuable and great care should be taken with
them.
Size of Mink Pelts
Average large mink after the skin is stretched and dried for ship-
ment will be about twenty inches long from the tip of the nose to
to the root of the tail, about four inches wide and will weigh from
three and one half to four ounces.
CHAPTER XII
RACCOON
Raccoon is plentiful in the Southern States. They are found as
far north as Ontario and as far south as Florida, and a very large
number of them are trapped each year in Oregon, Washington, and
California, but practically none are found in the Rocky Mountain
region.
RACCOON
The raccoon skin is one of the most practical and serviceable furs,
and is used in the manufacture of coats for both men and women,
and in recent years has been in great vogue for trimming of sport
coats and other garments for hard outdoor usage. It is a splendid
wearing fur and very warm and comfortable. The best dark skins
are a beautiful rich color. For many years the finest raccoon came
from what is known as the New Madrid section of Missouri and
were trapped there in large quantities. But the reclaiming of these
98 FUR FACTS
swamp lands scattered the coon and they have migrated to other
parts of the state, down into Arkansas, and more especially to the
Louisiana swamps, with the result that Louisiana is now one of the
largest coon producing states in the Union.
The raccoon is one of our most staple furs, and is used year in
and year out by the coat manufacturers as well as the cloak and
suit trade, who use large quantities for trimming. The raccoon is
a fur that is very popular in the United States, also in Canada, but
comparatively few are exported to Europe, the American and Can-
adian furrier wanting them and paying much better prices than the
Europeans.
Raccoon are more easily trapped than mink and are not nearly so
prolific as muskrat or opossum. Therefore there should be more
attention paid to raising them and especially to conserving them.
If you have any raccoon on your farm or in the swamps or timber
land surrounding, lay off a district, do not trap in this district, and
encourage the coon to use this preserve for breeding purposes and
as a haven of refuge. Confine your trapping to the districts outside
of this preserve. This is equivalent to having a fur farm and the
raccoon will soon find out that the district you have set aside is a
safe place for them and they will live there as long as they are un-
molested.
Raising Raccoon
Raising the raccoon is comparatively simple, and if you can
catch a pair alive they will make great pets, and after you have
them thoroughly gentle you can turn them loose in a runway en-
closed with wire netting of fourteen to sixteen gauge and about
two inch mesh. Set the netting at least two feet in the ground so
that the raccoon cannot dig under, and run a plank or piece of sheet
tin around the top of the posts, with the plank or sheet tin extending
far enough on the inside so that the raccoon can not climb out.
Fence in a piece of land that is well shaded and with some running
water, with some natural openings or bluffs, if you can find such a
spot, and you will find that the raccoon will get along very well.
Pure drinking water is very important, so fence in a piece of ground
that has a good spring or plenty of piped well water, We do not
recommend trying to raise more than one kind of fur bearing animal
in the same runway. Give the raccoon plenty of room and two or
three old trees at least to hide and play in, and they will get along
splendidly.
FUR FACTS 99
How large and where to build your enclosure must be decided
by yourself and will depend entirely on your particular conditions.
A wooded bluff is an ideal place, and if you can, have it within sight
of your house so that you can guard against poachers.
The mating season is usually in the early part of March and the
young are born in the latter part of April or the beginning of May.
Raccoon will eat almost anything, is fond of vegetables, likes fish,
frogs, turtles, oysters, nuts, acorns, grapes, sweet corn, honey,
will eat poultry if he can get it, and destroys all the bugs and in-
sects he can find. They usually sleep during the day and prowl
around at night. They are very clean in their habits. Some authori-
ties believe that raccoon can be raised more successfully than most
of the other fur bearers. They are very hardy, and where they are
kept in the zoos or public parks, they live for many years and seem
to thrive under conditions that are far from being ideal for any
wild animal. A few acres of timbered land well fenced and with
plenty of good fresh water, stocked with a few pair of raccoon will
prove a profitable investment. Raccoon fur is advancing in price
from year to year and will always be in demand. Its fur will always
have a market value, and in some sections of the South its meat is
prized highly as food. Therefore with the high price of the skin
and with the carcass also having a food value, there is no reason
why the raccoon should not be one of the most profitable farm
animals that the farmer could raise, and is well worth the careful
attention of every farmer that has a piece of land suitable for
the purpose.
But whether you go in for fur farming or not, champion the
cause of setting aside a district in your county as a game preserve
and have that district protected by a game warden in order that
no trapping will be done on this ground. Allow trapping only in
the districts surrounding the game preserve, and this will insure
big catches and profitable catches and a large and constant supply.
Trapping Raccoon
The raccoon likes to have his den in hollow trees, and in the
openings and rocky bluffs, and sleeps during the day and prowls
around at night. The raccoon is very curious and will go to a great
deal of trouble to investigate anything that arouses his curiosity.
He likes to investigate bright shiny objects and often gets caught
by reason of this fact. Many trappers use the Funsten Radiolite
Fish for trapping raccoon. This is a piece of tin stamped out in the
100 FUR FACTS
shape of a fish and covered with radiolite. This is fastened to the pan
of the trap and the trap set in shallow water close to the bank. It
radiates a yellow light at night and any coon passing along will stop
to investigate and almost always gets caught. The raccoon, unlike
most other animals after being caught, is philosophical and does not
make much of a fuss over it, so he can be taken alive with little
trouble. The raccoon also has a great habit of running his paw into
small openings looking for grubs, and other delicacies, and the wise
trapper takes advantage of this peculiarity by using the Funsten
Surehold Trap, which consists of a piece of hard wood about as big
around as a baseball bat, and about eight inches long. This is hol-
lowed out and three or four sharp screws set at an angle around the
edge so that the points almost meet on the inside. This is placed in
the ground and a few drops of Funsten Animal Bait dropped in the
opening. When the raccoon comes along he stops to investigate
and jams his paw down into the opening and comes up with the
wooden trap enveloping his paw. He finds that it is a hard thing to
shake off, and if he pulls one way it hurts, so he simply tries to gnaw
it off, but as it is seasoned hard wood he has a difficult job and does
not make much headway. This trap takes the place of the old time
method of finding a log that had fallen across the stream and boring
a hole in the top of it about eight inches deep and setting small
sharp horseshoe nails around the edge. The Surehold Trap has
many advantages over this method. It is more humane as the sharp
screws can be set to a nicety that is impossible with the horseshoe
nails, and you can set the Surehold trap where you please. As the
Surehold trap costs only 20c, it is in big demand.
In some sections of the South the raccoon gets trapped without
the trapper having anything to do with it. It is said that he is
very fond of oysters and will wade along the water's edge and follow
the tide out in hope of slipping up on some unsuspecting oyster that
is lying on the beach with its shell open feeding. The raccoon will
stick its paw down into the shell to extract the oyster and often
times is successful before the oyster can close its shell. But every
once in a while the oyster shell closes on the raccoon's foot and
Mr. Oyster refuses to let go, with the result that the raccoon finds
himself a prisoner. These oysters attach themselves very strongly
to the rocks so that the coon finds it impossible to pull the shells
off; and there have been cases on record where they would find the
coon dead from exhaustion, a prisoner to his friend the oyster.
FUR FACTS 101
The following are the three prize winning methods in the Funsten
Trapping Contest. As all three of these men are extremely successful
trappers with a long number of years of experience, these methods
will be of value to those interested in the trapping of coon.
Winner of the First Prize for Best Method of Trapping Raccoon
"This is my method for trapping coon. First, get the best traps
made Newhouse No. 1J/2 then go to the lakes, swamps, or small
streams and find where the coons are running, which you can tell
by the tracks made along the banks. Set your trap out in the water
far enough for the water to cover the trap, then cut a brush and
lay it in the water beyond your trap, also one on the bank. Bring
the two near enough together to leave a space of about eight inches
where your trap is set, then lay a small stick across the opening
about six inches from your trap, so when the coon passes through
the opening he will step over the stick into the trap.
If brush extends entirely across a shallow stream, make an open-
ing in the center of stream; and set your trap in this opening,
and you will get nearly every one that passes along that stream,
as the brush will force him to go over your trap. He will never go
through the brush, if he can find an opening.
As to bait, I find Funsten's bait for coon the best. In using the
bait I always make a small enclosure out of twigs, leaving an opening
for the coon to go in; put a few drops of the bait on the leaves inside
of the enclosure, then place trap in opening so he will have to pass
over the trap to get the bait."
R. L. SMITH
Winner of Second Prize
"(1) Select a place for your trap near a creek or ditch that is the
natural runway for your animal. No. \y^ or No. 2 Newhouse trap
is the size I use. I do not cover the trap, but place the bait about
twelve to eighteen inches over the trap or under the pan. (2) Saw
a place in a log over the creek just to fit the trap, bore a one-inch
hole under the pan for bait; put trap in notch and secure the chain
to a pole or anything. I arrange for coon (or any animal) to fall into
the water and drown. (3) Deadfalls are my surest way. I use
"figure 4" triggers, with bait tied to the trigger. (4) Blocks sawed
from anything; I use persimmon or hickory saplings, two by four,
with one-inch hole through the block, and put spikes in one end, so
that the coon can not pull its foot out. Fasten with wire or chain to
a * 'swinging limb." or to a drag pole. Set your block in or near the
102 FUR FACTS
trail. I use false bottoms, in order to get the foot out, as it has to
be cut. Put bait in block.
I often use Honey. I always know of a tree of bees. In my
traps I tie the comb on the pan. On the deadfalls I use tobacco
sacks full of honey. When using the blocks I smear the honey all
over them and pour some inside. Crawfish are good, eggs (fresh)
broken on a trap or in the blocks, fish and frags. Tin fish are
used to advantage, as a coon has a great deal of curiosity.
I set traps in the water and on logs and at holes under fences. I use
judgment, and I also study the nature and habits of the animal
I am after the coon and simply outwit him. I use Funsten's
bait or scent with my traps, deadfalls and blocks, and I think I am
safe in saying it increased my catch over 25 per cent."
W. F. HOYE
Winner of Third Prize
"I will try to give, in as few words as possible, my experience and
success in trapping for coon. I will say right at the start that the
first thing to do is to start right, and that means a good deal in the
art of trapping.
Now the next thing is to find where the most coons are, and locate
yourself near where they are, but not too close, as your presence will
cause them to move. Now after you are located, take your traps
(size No. 1)4 or 2, if the spring is not too stout), set them in the trail
of the coon, which may be in the water or on land. If in the water,
place the traps where the water is about three to six inches deep.
If there is no trail to be found, and you see tracks or other signs,
then the best way is to set on logs or by the end of a log or hollow
tree, and be sure to cover your traps up with bug dust or loose earth,
and sprinkle a few drops of Funsten's Animal Bait for coon around
your traps, and the work is done. I have doubled my catch by using
the Funsten Animal Baits. The coon is cunning and you must
study him to become perfect in catching him."
JAMES H. PACE
How to Prepare Raccoon for Market
Raccoon should always be stretched square and never cased like
skunk, mink, and opossum. Trappers in different sections have their
own methods of stretching the skin square. It does not make any
particular difference what method is used so long as the result is
right. Raccoon skins are valuable and for this reason it will pay you
FUR FACTS 103
to take the proper care in skinning them after the animal is trapped
and stretch them so as to bring the highest price in the market.
Some trappers tack the skins out so as to form a square. Others use
four stout green sticks about twenty four inches long and one half
inch in diameter to get the desired result. To take the skin from the
animal rip the skin down the belly, down the back of the hind legs,
and on the inside of the front legs. Care should be used in skinning
the head. Remove the tail bone and see that the scalp and pelt is
free from superfluous meat and fat. Then split the head from a
point behind the ears down to the nose. Cut small holes around
the entire edge of the skin, and then insert the sticks through the
holes and stretch the skin its full length and as square as possible.
Skins that are well handled are much more valuable than those
that are poorly handled. Cut off the feet and part of the legs to
get the desired effect, as the legs and feet have no value. When you
hang the skins up, or tack them up, select a place where they are
not exposed to the sun. Never dry skins near a fire as the pelts be-
come brittle and grease-burnt which spoils the value of the pelt
entirely. Never use any chemicals or solutions on raw furs. After
they are dried long enough to hold their shape they are ready for
shipment.
The average large raccoon skin after it is stretched is about
twenty four inches long from the top of the skin to the root of the
tail, and about seventeen inches wide, and will weigh about ten
ounces. This is for average coon from the central and southern
section. The heavy large coon from Minnesota and some of the more
northern sections will average larger in size and heavier in weight.
CHAPTER XIII
OPOSSUM
y_
The American Opossum is found in the central and southern
states, as far north as Iowa and as far west as Kansas. In the states
of Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Ken-
tucky, Indiana, Ohio, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, West
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Louisiana, opposum
are found in great numbers. Opossum fur is very popular with
American furriers and large quantities are also exported to Europe.
It takes most any shade of dye on account of its light grey color,
and the opossum is valuable not only for its fur, but it is also valuable
as a food. The flesh of the opossum is highly prized in some sections
of the South, especially by the colored people who are very fond of
it. In fact, fat, well-baked opossum with sweet potatoes is said to
be a dish fit for a king.
In the Fall of the year the opossum feeds on corn, berries, paw-
paws, persimmons and mice. The opossum is a splendid climber and
is able to hold his weight by encircling a limb of a tree with its tail,
thus leaving both fore feet free. According to the fruit growers
he is a big eater. The opossum is able to support itself by means
of this tail for hours at a time, and it is often said that they sleep
in this position. The opossum are hunted at night and when one or
more are found in a small tree they are shaken out or knocked out
with a long stick. As soon as they hit the ground they will feign
death or what is known among trappers as "Playing 'Possum".
They will remain in this state as long as any one is around where
they are. Some hunters take advantage of this fact by encircling
their tail around a stick, thus carrying them with little or no trouble.
The opossum is a great climber, but rather awkward on the
ground, his running gait being a series of awkward leaps. They do
most of their prowling at night and prefer darkness to light. They
usually sleep throughout the day in hollow trees, brush piles, or
holes in the sides of the hills or bluffs. The opossum lives with its
mate only during the pairing time, usually roaming around in solitary
fashion during the rest of the year. Some trappers claim that the
FUR FACTS
105
opossum has no fixed habitation, but uses any cranny or convenient
hollow that it may chance upon after completing its nocturnal
wanderings.
OPOSSUM
The body is about twenty inches in length, and the average
opossum skin after it is stretched and dried will measure about
twenty four inches long by about seven inches wide. The opossum
skins are useless for fur purposes until the undercoat of fur is fully
developed, which usually does not take place until late in the Fall
or early Winter. At this time the opossum is usually fat, especially
if the harvest is good. The opossum is very prolific, and the female
is furnished with a pouch and belongs to the Marsupial Family
with the kangaroo. The females produce from nine to thirteen
young and have three and even four litters in a year. They
carry the young in the pouch thus protecting them while they are
small and helpless. In five or six weeks the young opossum have
attained the size of small mice and in about two months they are
usually developed sufficiently to leave the pouch.
106 FUR FACTS
When the fur coat of the opossum is fully developed it consists
of a fine close wooly underfur of whitish color, from which protrudes
a less dense series of long and rather coarse hairs. This latter guard
fur or hair is usually a few shades darker than the underfur and is
sometimes black-tipped. In some sections the tips show a brownish
or reddish cast. The color of the opossum fur does not enter into
its value like the mink or the marten and other furs, for the reason
that most opossum are dyed, and the value of the pelt depends
entirely on the quality and depth of the under fur. All of this
under-fur is shed during the Summer months, and for this reason
opossum skins that are taken in the off season have little or no value
for furriers* purposes.
In recent years the finer qualities of opossum have been used
very largely in their natural color for trimming, and it is found to
be a servicable and dependable fur, and as stated before is one of
the staple articles of the fur trade.
Raising Opossum
On account of the large number of opossum found throughout
the central and southern states, very little attention has been given
to raising them for their food and fur, but it has been done with
considerable success. However, it should be undertaken only by
those who are familiar with the habits of the animal, and a location
should be selected that is quite natural and in a locality where the
wild opossum are plentiful. The ideal place should have running
water and plenty of trees. On account of the opossum being such
a splendid climber it is necessary to build a strong fence of galvanized
wire fencing, with the top constructed in such a way that the opossum
can not climb out. This is done by having a protruding edge built
of smooth boards or galvanized iron sheeting, preferably the latter,
at the top of the fence, so that the opossum can not get any hold on
the smooth surface with his sharp claws. The opossum will eat
almost any kind of fruit or vegetables, or fish and frogs, and will
also eat nearly any kind of meat. In captivity he is fed with scraps
from the table, melons, and fruit, and will eat bread and milk. A
good supply of fresh running water is very necessary. They should
not be overfed, and their condition should be as nearly like that of
the wild opossum as possible. Most authorities recommend that
the males be kept separate, although the females may be allowed
to run together. However, it is quite essential that the females be
kept separate while with young and placed in a small enclosure by
FUR FACTS 107
themselves. The females should be given plenty of food and fresh
water from the time the young are a few days old until they are able
to shift for themselves. The females usually have such large families
that they need a great deal of food in order to properly nurse their
young. It is therefore well to provide a separate pen for each female
with young, although this pen does not necessarily have to be a
large one. An old hollow log, a wooden box covered over with
earth and a quantity of brush, or a barrel, makes a very good enclosure
of course being inside of the wire fence. A little study of their habits
and peculiarities is necessary to get the best results. The opossum is
a strong and hardy animal and is a very prolific breeder, and well-
furred opossum skins are always in demand at good prices. This
together with the fact the carcass of the animal has a food value
will no doubt result in many undertaking the raising of this valuable
animal for its food and fur. A pair of live opossum could be very
easily obtained in any section where wild opossum are plentiful, as
they probably can be taken alive easier than any other fur-bearing
animal. A small enclosure could be made at very little expense
and the size of the enclosure could be increased as conditions justified
it. There will no doubt be a ready market for all live stock that
one would care to offer for sale.
How to Trap Opossum
Opossum are probably the easiest of all the fur-bearing animals
to trap, as they show little cunning, and do not seem to have the
intense fear of man that characterizes most other wild animals.
However, it must not be supposed that they can be successfully
trapped unless a certain degree of care is taken in making the set,
and of course the greater skill shown by the trapper, regardless of
whether the animal is easy to trap or not, the greater will be the
number of skins taken. We give you here the methods followed by
three experienced trappers who have been very successful in the
trapping of opossum.
Winner of First Prize for Best Method of Trapping Opossum
"The Opossum is a night prowler, but usually hides in the thick
foliage of the trees in the day time. The Opossum is not at all
cunning, and will eat most any kind o f meat. Use steel trap No. 1 J^.
Set the trap at his den or in his haunts. Take a piece of meat or
fish, and drop some Funsten Animal Bait over the meat or fish bait.
Hang the bait in a tree, so he can just reach it, or find some brush or
limb of a fallen tree, or drive a stake in the ground if necessary to
108 FUR FACTS
hang the bait from. Cover the trap with grass or rotten wood,
making sure the trap is directly under the bait, so when Mr. Tossum
reaches for the bait he will come down in the trap, and you will be
sure to get him."
C. B. DAKAN
Winner of Second Prize for Best Method of Trapping Opossum
"The following is our method of trapping Opossum. First,
take fish and cut in small pieces and put in a jar or bottle, and
let stand until rotten; then set your traps on logs or in holes, and use
the rotten fish and oil for bait. Put your bait on or close to trap,
so as to make the Opossum step o;n pedal of trap for bait.
We have always found Funsten Animal Baits reliable and satis-
factory.
Cover your trap good with rotten wood and you will get old
Mr. Opossum. We have caught 197 Opossum in one season with
this method.
If a den or hole can be found, set your trap at entrance of hole
and put bait beyond your trap. Conceal your trap good.
The above is our method of trapping Opossum. We have caught
hundreds of Opossum in the last three seasons with this method.
Ask Funsten Bros. & Co., they have our account sales."
J. M. & A. M. RODGERS
Winner of Third Prize for Best Method of Trapping Opossum
"I will give you my method of trapping the Opossum. I take
a dead chicken or a rabbit, and hang it on the limb of some
fallen tree, if there are any limbs on it, and if not, I drive a stake in
the ground and fasten the bait to it about twelve inches from the
ground; then I set my trap right underneath it, and if there are any
Opossums around they will be sure to get caught. Be sure to look
at your traps every morning, for the Opossum will get away."
WILLIAM KNOBPP
How to Prepare Opossum for Market
Opossum should always be taken off cased and stretched with
the pelt side out. Never take opossum off open. Cut off the feet
and tail as these are of no value and only take away from the appear-
ance of the skin when it is ready for market. As the opossum is very
fat in the fall and winter season care should be taken to remove all
superfluous meat and fat from the pelt before it is packed for ship-
ment.
CHAPTERpQV
THE OTTER
The otter is found in nearly every part of the North American
Continent, a larger number of them being trapped in Florida than
any other state at the present time. This is one animal that is in
need of protection probably more than any other furbearer, and
some states have established closed seasons protecting otter all the
year round, and they are not allowed to be trapped or killed at any
time. This is a wise measure, and the writer advocates careful
conservation and protection of the otter in all states. On account
of the high price of the otter pelt and its large size it is hunted ruth-
lessly. This in addition to the fact that many streams have been
polluted has tended to drive the otter out of many sections where
they would do well, especially in some of the older and more thickly
populated states. It would be highly commendable if the game
wardens in some of the older states would arrange with the game
wardens in states where otter are plentiful to secure pairs of these
valuable furbearers and restore them in sections where they have
disappeared. Everyone interested in trapping would be glad to lend
his support to such an effort, and the time to make a start in this
direction is now. The otter is a magnificent animal and its pelt is
one of the finest furs produced. They will thrive in almost any
section of the United States where there is plenty of fresh running
water. It lives largely on fish, but will also kill muskrat. In con-
finement it will even feed upon beef which they prefer boiled. They
are known to kill wild ducks, but seem to have a special fondness
for trout and prefer rapid flowing clear deep streams as their place
to live. They will migrate from one river to another or from one
lake to another and have been known to travel long distances on
land in their migrations. When closely pursued they will turn and
defend themselves and put up a game fight. The otter loves to
play and enjoys nothing more than a side hill running down into the
water, on which it will form a slide, climbing up to the very top of
the hill, and then sliding down into the water with a splash.
The otter is a very swift and powerful swimmer and has a long
tail that enables it to glide through the water at remarkable speed.
110
FUR FACTS
It is able to catch fish with great ease and is said to wantonly kill
them for the sheer pleasure of killing.
The fur of the otter is very similar to the beaver in color, but the
under fur more closely resembles the seal than it does that of the bea-
ver. The otter, like both the beaver and the seal, is also plucked,
that is the top guard hairs are pulled out, leaving the soft thick under
fur. The otter is often dyed by the same process as that used in
dyeing the seal. However, the otter is also largely used in its natural
state, and is valued highly as trimming on coats for both men and
women, but more especially for men's coats. It will stand hard
service and is a beautiful fur.
OTTER
The otter is an animal that deserves the attention of every trapper,
fur man, and game warden. In states and sections where they are
getting scarce, they should be carefully conserved and protected,
and every effort should be made to allow them to increase and again
become plentiful.
The decline in the supply of otter is not due to the numbers trap-
ped by fur trappers. Many more of them have been destroyed by
FUR FACTS ill
unsportmanslike fisherman, who apparently take a great delight in
shooting them on any and all occassions without any thought or
desire to take their pelt for its fur value, but simply for the pleasure,
if it can be called a pleasure, of killing them. No trapper or fur
gatherer would ever think of shooting an otter, for he would know
that the otter would dive and hide in deep water there to die, and the
probabilities are that the pelt would never do the trapper any good
but would simply be a waste; and trappers value fine pelts too highly
to waste them. They will plot and plan and match their wits against
the cunning of the animal in order to get the pelt, but will never
kill just to destroy.
The female otter raises a litter of from three to five pups every
year. If given a chance they will come back very quickly in sections
where they have been driven out.
How to Trap Otter
Winner of First Prize
"Before you begin to trap otter become entirely familiar with the
game laws of your section. In many states the otter is protected
the year round and can not be trapped at any time. In other states
there is a closed season on otter for a portion of the year, and they
can be taken only at certain times. The larger fur houses will not
handle otter that have been unlawfully taken, and there is no legiti-
mate way in which the pelts may be disposed of. If otter is getting
scarce in your section, it would be well to get all trappers in your
neighborhood to stop trapping them for awhile, regardless of whether
the game laws protect them all the year or not. If given anything
like a chance otter will increase and again become plentiful. If the
animals are still fairly plentiful in your section, and there is an open
season for trapping them, we give the following methods, which will
be found successful, as they have been successfully used by trappers
with long experience in the trapping of this particular animal.
First set for fall trapping. Find as many of then: slides as possible,
and where they go from water to bank. This is the place for you
to trap, as they always go out at the same place. Fix bottom so
trap will set level and about four inches under water. Use heavy
trap, as the greatest trouble is to hold them, and stake in this way.
Use a piece of No. 9 wire, long enough to reach deep water; fasten
heavy stone to outer end, make long, narrow loop in wire, out sev-
eral feet from shore. Drive stake down under water, full length
of chain from shore; slip trap ring over wire and fasten wire to stake.
FUR FACTS
Set small prop under wire to hold up out of mud. When game is
caught they make a dive for deep water, trap ring runs down wire
into loop, and all his pulling only holds the trap ring tighter in loop
and he soon drowns.
The next set is to dig a pocket back in bank four feet, or a little
below water level, to form a small pond for them to fish in. Throw
several clam shells to back part of pocket. Do this early in the fall.
To set trap here, dig down so you have three or four inches of water.
Dam up pocket at edge of stream to hold water. Put a number of
live minnows in water in pocket. Stake live frog to back of pocket
with thread. Break shell off one side of several clams and lay in
back of pocket. Set trap just inside of dam in three inches of water,
and cover with wet leaves. Stake as at first; set with wire loop and
stone to drown. In this way you can make a great number of good
sets. In narrow places in streams you can make good sets by placing
obstructions, leaving room for them to pass through.
In winter they live under the ice almost entirely, and have their
burrows in banks, with entrances under water. Locate as many of
those as possible before it freezes up. Drive row of stakes out into
stream several feet above and below dens, leaving room for them to
pass between first stake and bank. Drive stakes down under water.
After it freezes up solid, the water falls leaving plenty of space along
banks for them to fish, and as they work up and down they are forced
to pass between stake and bank, and are easily caught. Cut hole in
ice one foot from shore and one foot below stake. Set trap between
bank and first stake. You should have your wire, with stone attach-
ed, already laid. Slip ring over wire, drive stake down in hole you
have cut, fasten wire to stake, cover hole with ice and snow. If
danger of freezing up, use salt to keep the water open."
C. S. BREWER
,
Winner of Second Prize
"Set your trap at foot of slide, about four inches under water.
Set the trap on a level with the top of water, so the otter can hit
the pedal with his foot and spring the trap. You understand what
I mean not to let your trap lie flat on the bank as it slopes down.
Turn it up on its edge, and as the otter slides into the water you will
hang him. Use bait in setting your traps. Fish are good, with
Funsten Otter Bait dropped on the fish.
To drown the otter, we use a small iron rod to stick in bottom of
river or lake. Tie an old ax or a piece of iron to your trap, so as to
FUR FACTS 113
weight the otter down to drown him. You can conceal an old ax
best. Try it.
Find where otter come out on the bank. Set a No. %% New-
house trap, with teeth, about two or three inches under water, and
drop a few drops of Funsten's Animal Bait for otter. Stake your
trap back in river, and when the otter swims out to the bank he will
spring the trap with his breast, as the trap pedal has a breast pan on
it that sticks up. The sharp teeth on the trap will clamp him,
and he is your otter. We recommend this method, and by
all means use a Newhouse Special Otter Trap, No. 2^, with breast
plate."
J. M. & A. M. RODGERS
Winner of Third Prize
"Find where the otter comes ashore to play in the sand and
leaves. Look close, and you will see where his feet strike
the bottom. Set a No. 3 or 4 trap in about two or three inches of
water, and cover carefully. Get a rock of about fifteen pounds in
weight and wrap wire around it, or put it in a sack and wire trap to
it. Place stone under water and cover with sand or mud. Fasten
small rope to trap, to pull up with. Fasten one end to bush or tree
on bank. Put a few drops of scent a few feet from trap. The musk
taken from the otter is good. I have good success with Funsten's
Animal Bait for otter, and catch all that come around here.
A good way to catch otter is to find where they go up some small
ditch or muddy stream. Set trap in about four inches of water, and
stick brush in the stream in such a way that it will be impossible for
him to go up without going over trap. Also on bank of stream put
brush or willow. Do this in summer, so the brush will grow. Leave
about two feet passage in stream, and set three or four traps, staked
solid."
WM. HlLLIGER
How to Prepare Otter for Market
In preparing otter for market the skin should be taken off with
the pelt side out, however, in some of the finer specimens it is best to
case the skin with the fur side out. In no case should the skin be
taken off open. Care should be taken to split the tail and take out
the tail bone. The feet should be cut off, but the tail should always
be left on. See that all superfluous meat and fat is removed from
the pelt. In drying the skin, do not dry in the sun as this will damage
114 FUR FACTS
the color of the fur. The long guard hairs will become sun burnt,
thus taking a great deal from the value of the skin. Do not dry by
a fire, as the pelt will become grease burnt and brittle and the fur
is liable to singe and curl up. Hang the pelt in a cool dry place and
allow it to dry in a perfectly natural manner. In shipping the pelt do
not bend or fold it, but ship it as flat as possible.
CHAPTER XV
SILVER Fox
The silver fox is the most valuable and by most people considered
the most beautiful of all furs. The finest specimens are glossy black
to a point just below the shoulders and from there down to the root
of the tail the long guard hairs, or outer fur, is white tipped which
gives it a silvery color. The tail is very large, the color jet black but
always has a solid white tip at the end. Its native home is in Alaska
where the largest specimens come from, it is also found throughout
Canada and is especially adapted to the climate of Prince Edward
Islands.
The silver fox that come from the islands off the coast of Alaska,
while they are very large for size, are coarse in fur, and are not
nearly as valuable as the interior Alaskan Fox and the Canadian
Silver Fox.
Silver Fox farms have sprung up all over the country and in
many cases they have been very successful. The home of the silver
fox farms is on Prince Edward Islands and here the industry is
carried on in a big way, some ranches representing an investment of
a hundred thousand dollars and more. The pioneers in the raising
of silver fox, like the pioneers in most other lines, met with a great
deal of discouragement, and even now there are some authorities
who are inclined to disparage the effort made; but the facts are
that silver fox farming has passed the experimental stage and is
now firmly established and a proven fact. There are no doubt many
things to be learned about this industry in the school of practical
experience, and there will be just as many failures, probably more,
than there are in other lines of industry. It should be remembered
that there are many businesses that do not make a success, and this
is equally true of fur farming; but because there are some failures is
no reason why it is not fundamentally sound and can not be made
successful and profitable if carried on with intelligence and patience.
It requires plenty of hard work and study of the business in hand.
There were some who thought when silver fox farms started that
the market would be overstocked and that the price of silver fox
pelts would decline rapidly; but this is not true. Silver foxes are in
116
FUR FACTS
greater demand to-day than ever before, and the woman who can
afford it, does not consider her wardrobe complete without at least
one silver fox neck piece, and as a rule the woman who buys silver
fox wants the best. There is no doubt that some very poor silver
fox have been raised on silver fox ranches, but it is equally true
that there have been some very fine pelts raised. In fact some of
the finest pelts that ever came to market have been received from
silver fox ranches.
You can not expect to take a pair of silver foxes, pen them up in
narrow quarters, feed them heavy and rich food, pet them, and then
expect them to have a dense, rich glossy coat of fur equal to or better
than the wild animal. The same thing applies to skunk, coon, mink,
or any other furbearer. It should be remembered that this class of
live stock is different from the raising of hogs and cattle where
feeding them for weight is the all important item. In other words
one is raised for its food value and the other is raised for its fur value.
The animal that becomes sleek and fat seldom produces a fine coat of
fur. As a general proposition no one should engage in the business
of raising silver fox or other fur bearing animals, unless he enjoys
the work and is familiar with the habits, characteristics, and climatic
requirements of the animals he intends to raise. The choice of lo-
FUR FACTS 117
cality is of prime importance. Silver fox do not thrive at all in the
middle and southern states. The silver fox belongs to a northern
climate and thrives best in a cold severe winter; and it is the extreme
cold weather that brings out the heavy coat of fur and thins the pelt.
One of the characteristics of animals trapped in the north is that
the fur is very thick and heavy and the pelt thin, while in the south
the same animal develops a thin coat of fur and a thick pelt. In
planning a silver fox farm therefore, it would be advisable to keep
in mind that to raise silver fox for their fur it should be done in a
northern climate, in such States as Minnesota, Northern Michigan,
Wisconsin, Northern New York, Montana, Idaho, etc. These states
are especially favorable for this purpose. While it is a comparatively
simple matter to start a fur farm for the raising of small furbearers,
which may be done in almost any of the states, it is a somewhat
different and considerably more expensive business to start a silver
fox ranch. There need be little worry about the price of silver fox
being forced down. It will be many years before enough fine silver
fox pelts are raised to cause any serious declines in price; in fact it
will probably never occur. The price of silver fox, of course, like the
price of most other articles, is dependent on general conditions and
general prosperity. If times are good and money free, there will
naturally be more buyers for expensive furs than there are when
times are bad and money is scarce; but there has hardly been a time,
whether good or bad, when silver fox pelts have not found a ready
market.
The name silver fox includes what are variously called silver,
silver grey, silver black, and black. The silver fox should not be
confused with the common grey fox, which is found in most parts of
the United States, and has comparatively little value.
The breeding of silver fox in captivity, it is claimed was first suc-
cessfully carried on by Robert T. Oulton and Charles Dalton of
Prince Edward Islands, a Canadian Province in the Gulf of St. Law-
rence, and was started in 1894. These men had devoted considerable
time to the trapping and hunting of these rare animals and from long ex-
perience were well versed in their habits and familiar with their haunts.
They had been very successful in trapping silver fox and had realized
very high prices for their catches. After a study of the situation
these men were impressed with the possibilities of capturing a pair
of silver foxes alive and raising them in captivity, and after ex-
haustive trials were finally successful in doing so. After several
years work these two men formed a partnership and in 1894 built
118 FUR FACTS
their first ranch on Prince Edward Islands and stocked it with two
pairs of silver foxes. They were successful from the first and this
ranch was the forerunner of a remarkable industry which in a few
years mounted into millions of dollars. At the time these men started
the pelt of the black fox was considerably more rare and more valu-
able than the silver fox. As a matter of fact the black fox were very
scarce and on this account brought]enormous prices. In later years the
highest priced fox have been the silver fox as women prefer the fox
having a few silver hairs to those that are solid black. By 1910
these men had raised some of the finest silver fox pelts that had ever
been offered on the market; one pelt from their ranch bringing over
two thousand dollars raw. It was not long until others heard of
the wonderful success of these two men and other ranches were
started in the maritime provinces, Newfoundalnd, Ontario, also
Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, parts of western Canada,
and Alaska.
Another successful ranch of silver fox is owned by the Fromm
Brothers, of Hamburg, Wise., who started in a small way and now
have an investment of several hundred thousand dollars in their
silver fox ranch. They started in this industry in a rather interesting
way. Funsten Bros. & Co., offered a prize of one hundred dollars
for the best photograph of a catch of furs caught with Funsten
Animal Bait. The Fromm Brothers sent in their picture showing a
catch of red fox and won the first prize. With this prize money of
one hundred dollars they bought a litter of Red Fox pups and some
wire fencing and built one of the first fox ranches in this country,
and from this small beginning with a few red fox they increased
their ranch until they are now raising some of the finest silver fox
pelts to be had anywhere, and as stated have several hundred thou-
sand dollars invested in their enterprise, and made it themselves
out of fox farming. This shows the possibility of this industry, and
should be an encouragement to other enterprising young men to
give fur farming serious thought and get started in a small way.
Oulton and Dalton, in order to keep their secret to themselves for
several years, shipped their pelts in small parcels from distant post
offices from their own in order that the source of the foxes could
not be traced to their ranch. However, notwithstanding this secrecy,
the evident improvement in their financial condition was noticed
by their neighbors, who thereupon decided to embark in the same
industry, and it was not long before the story was out and the wonder-
ful success that had been met with by these pioneers in silver fox
FUR FACTS 119
fanning was soon broadcasted all over the world. The price of
breeding stock went sky high. As an example of how rapidly the
price for breeding stock advanced, one ranchman sold his first pair
of cubs for $700.00, and other pairs successively for $3,000.00,
$12,000.00, $13,000.00, and $14,000.00. In the FaU of 1913 good
ranch bred cubs six months old sold for ten thousand to fifteen
thousand dollars per pair. Some pairs of cubs it is said sold as high
as twenty five thousand dollars, and full grown foxes that had large
litters were valued as high as thirty thousand dollars per pair.
Numerous companies were formed and some concerns were of course
formed to take advantage of this unusual condition in order to
float stock. There is no doubt but what a lot of wildcatting crept
into it, but the sale of silver fox for breeding purposes kept steadily
on. There is no telling where the price of prize winning pairs would
have been pushed to, if the War had not come along in 1914,
which put a damper on the speculative operations for the time
being. During the war period ranch bred silver fox could be bought
for about $2,000.00 per pair. Fox ranches are now established in
nearly all of the northern states and all of the Canadian Provinces,
and there are probably three hundred alone in Prince Edward Is-
lands. This industry has now passed the experimental state, and
each year hundreds of fine pelts are sent to market from silver fox
ranches.
As stated before it is not advisable to attempt to raise silver
fox in a central or southern climate, as the fur growth is intimately
related to climate and the silver fox pelt to be valuable must be
well furred, of good color, and fine and silky in quality. It is, there-
fore, advisable to start your ranch where there is a reasonably long
cold season with at least a moderate rainfall, aftjd the fitness of the
locality for fox raising can best be judged from the quality of fur
produced by the natural wild foxes in that locality.
The government has taken a great deal of interest in the subject
of fox ranches and encourages fur farming. Ned Dearborn, who is
one of the best posted authorities in this country on the subject
says that one of the most important considerations is the choice of
a site, and that an ideal site for a fox ranch should have security
from unusual noises and occurrences. The fox is naturally timid and
nervous. It can be tamed to a degree, but its excitable temperament
can be completely overcome only by a long process of careful breed-
ing and selection. It is especially shy and irritable during the breed-
ing season.
120 FUR FACTS
Foxes like to be screened from observation, and by day in the
wild state are rarely found far from cover. During the heat of sum-
mer, especially, they enjoy dense shade. Furthermore, sunshine
injures the color and character of fur. It is advisable, therefore, to
locate a ranch among a growth of young trees thick enough to shade
about half the ground. Deciduous trees are preferable to evergreens,
as they allow the sun to make the yards more comfortable in winter
and to clear the ground of snow earlier in spring. Old trees are
likely to be broken by storms, and in falling to demolish fences.
A good site is on a slope with a southern exposure, as the snow
will be gone and the ground warm when the cubs are ready to leave
the dens. A clay surface is to be avoided, but a subsoil of clay or
hardpan is an advantage, as the foxes will not dig ground hard
enough to require a pick to break it up. Gravel affords excellent
drainage, but foxes burrow deeply in it and thus are difficult to
manage, even though they may not escape.
A Modern Silver Fox Ranch
The writer has recently visited and spent some time at one of
the largest and most successful silver fox farms in the world. The
men responsible for this farm started out as boy trappers and have
made a careful study of fox ranching for the past fifteen years. After
experimenting with numerous styles of fox houses they decided on
what is known as the barrel den. This is made by taking an ordinary
new vinegar barrel, and cutting a hole in one end of it about eight
inches in diameter. The barrel should be fresh and clean, however,
and old, oily, greasy barrels should not be used. The next thing is to
construct a small house to hold the barrel. This is made with
a slanting roof that can be raised and lowered, and an open-
ing is made down near the bottom big enough to allow the
fox to enter and is about ten inches square. The house itself
is made about two feet wider than the barrel and about two
feet longer, so that when the barrel is placed in the box there
is about two feet of space on the side and two feet of space
at the end. The barrel is securely placed against one side of
the box, and then an entry way from the opening of the box
to the opening in the barrel is constructed. This is done by making a
square trough out of four ten inch planks and running it from the
opening in the end of the box and then across to the opening in the
barrel which gives the trough an "L" shape, thus shutting out the
light from the barrel itself, so that when the animal finally gets into
FUR FACTS
the barrel it is absolutely pitch dark. An opening is then sawed in
the top of the barrel and hinged so that it can be opened and closed.
The advantage of this is that the entry way can be blocked up and
the lid of the house raised, and the barrel opening lifted, so that the
fox can be taken out and handled, which it is necessary to do at
times in order to sprinkle the fox with insect powder in the summer
and to examine it at other times. As an insulation the space between
end of the barrel and the box and the space on the side is packed
with shavings and sawdust. The idea is that the entire structure
will exclude moisture and light, deaden sound, and protect the foxes
from the extremes of heat and cold.
During the breeding seasons when the animals are unusually
nervous, and when the cubs cannot stand extremes of heat and
cold, these features are especially important.
The supports for the wire are wooden posts set in the ground at
intervals of ten or twelve feet. A trench is dug about twenty four
or thirty inches deep after the posts have been placed in order that
the wire may go down into the ground, so that the foxes can not
dig under the wire and escape. Wire netting of about 16 gauge and
1 H inch mesh is generally used. The height of the fence depends some-
what on the depth of the snow fall, the usual height being about
ten feet, but in some cases as much as twelve feet. As foxes climb
wire fences readily, an inward overhanging of about 18 to 24 inches
in width should be placed on the top to prevent escape. This is
done by nailing a two by four cross arm on the top of the posts ex-
tending inward and laying wire netting along the top of these cross
arms. In addition to the inward overhang, it is well to have an outer
overhang of barb-
ed wire to keep
out dogs and
other intruders.
Provision is
also made for
ventilation, which
is done by cutting
a small hole in the
top of the barrel
and nailing a piece of heavy wire screen over it. The idea of having
the roof of the house hinged is so that it can be easily raised and
lowered, in order to properly disinfect and clean the house when
occasion requires.
122 FUR FACTS
Another plan, arriving at the same result, is to construct a
box like the illustration. This leaves the "L" shaped entrance on
the outside of the box and the box itself is just large enough to hold
the barrel. However, the first plan is recommended as being the
better.
After the house is built it is ready to be placed in the yard, and
the best place is in the center. It is also advisable to have one or
two barrels with an "L" (shaped entrance as described) in the yard
as retreats for young puppies.
The Fox Yard
There are various styles and sizes of yards, but the most ap-
proved kind is the one about fifty feet square. Some breeders prefer
to have a long narrow yard, which gives the foxes more space for a
long run when they are playing, but it is more expensive, and the
50 foot square yard is considered the best. The arrangement of the
yard depends on the number of pens and it is advisable to allow a
space between them of at least five feet; in other words have each
pen independent of the other so that the foxes can not reach one
another through the wire. The larger ranches allow this space be-
tween the pens and in addition to this they have one space about
eight feet wide so that the food can be hauled on a horse drawn sled
thus saving considerable labor. It is only necessary to have the eight
foot strip between every second row of pens as this large lane is used
only for feeding purposes. The five foot strip between the pens
can be used for tree planting in order that shade may be furnished
and yet the trees not be inside of the pens for the animals to climb
out. This style of detached pen costs a little more, but it is a great
protection and is well worth the extra expense. As an extra pre-
caution the wise fox rancher will build guard fences around all of
the pens so that if a fox gets out of its own pen it can not escape from
the yard itself, but is sure to be discovered in one of the alleys and
can be easily caught and put back in its own pen.
Food
The natural food habits of foxes are similar to those of dogs;
birds, mice, rabbits, and other animals are eaten, as well as grass-
hoppers, crickets and other insects, eggs, and many kinds of berries.
In short, the animals are practically omnivorous.
The rations of domesticated foxes include beef, horse meat,
mutton, veal, woodchucks, rabbits, liver, fish, eggs, milk, bread,
mashed potatoes, crackers, mush, dog biscuit, boiled turnips and
FUR FACTS 1*3
carrots, and fresh fruits. The selection of meats is largely a matter
of circumstances. At irregular and uncertain intervals one may ob-
tain injured or worn-out but otherwise healthy horses, or old sheep
that can not be fattened for mutton, and these, when slaughtered,
make good and cheap meat. Woodchucks and rabbits, freshly killed,
are always welcome in a fox yard. When cheap meats fail, beef and
poultry are used.
Fortunately, foxes do not need meat every day. Some keepers
feed it but two or three times a week. Young foxes are not allowed
meat until they are four months old, as it is likely to cause rickets.
Meat intended for a brood matron may be fastened to the top of a
table out of the reach of her cubs.
Milk, with some sort of bread or cooked mush, is the standard food
for old and young. Foxes, which are fed twice a day, usually have
meat in the morning and bread or mush and milk at night. In sum-
mer the proportion of meat is less than in winter. When smelts or
trout can be had they are frequently substituted, but fish is not con-
sidered good for foxes in warm weather. Coarser fishes are some-
times used, but are not very much in favor. It is not deemed well to
feed milk and fish on the same day.
Milk and eggs are often given to fe-
males about the time cubs are ex-
pected, to strengthen them, relax
their bowels, and allay fever. Fish,
liver, and tripe are other laxative
foods which may be used instead of
milk and eggs. A diet of eggs, milk,
mush, and wheat bread without
leaven or salt is excellent.
The preparation of food for foxes
deserves careful attention. All
dishes should be kept clean. Meat
that is diseased, tainted, or infected
with parasites must be boiled. It is
better to skin rabbits, as their hair readily felts and sometimes forms
in balls in the stomachs of animals which feed on them. Their heads
and entrails also should be removed, as these parts are frequently
infested with parasites. Smelts and small trout may be fed whole,
but larger fish should be dressed and the backbones removed.
Chilled meat should be warmed before being offered to cubs or nurs-
ing females. Oatmeal or cornmeal mush should be thoroughly
124 FUR FACTS
cooked. All food for sick animals should be cooked to make it
more digestible and to free it from disease germs.
Foxes should be fed regularly twice a day, morning and evening.
This is especially important in hot weather, as whatever
is left from the first meal will spoil before time for the next. By
giving at each feeding only the proper quantity the injurious effects
of gorging can be avoided. Overfeeding is more dangerous
than underfeeding.
Foxes that are to be slaughtered for their pelts are well fed
during the autumn months, as the finest skins usually come
from fat animals. Brood animals, on the other hand, are kept thin
throughout the summer and up to about the first of January,
when their rations are increased to prepare them for the breeding
season.
Propagation
Foxes mate in February or March. The mating season is often
revealed by a brownish discharge and may last anywhere from a
few hours to two or three days. The gestation period is about 51
days. The size of litters ranges from one to nine, the average being
about four. Each male remains faithful to the female of his choice
and is a splendid husband and father. During the first few days
after the cubs are born the mother remains in the den. Meanwhile
her mate brings her food and remains constantly in the vicinity to
apprise her by warning barks if an enemy approaches. Attempts
have been made by fox breeders to mate one male with several fe-
males in the same season, but, as a rule, the results have not been
encouraging.
Males are removed from the breeding yards for a part of each year,
the length of their exile depending upon the relations of the pair.
If they are quarrelsome, it is best to separate them soon after the
female becomes pregnant. If, on the contrary, they agree and show
attachment to each other, it is wise to keep them together until the
cubs are four weeks old, but after that the male is likely to bite them
during scrambles for food at meal times. While sequestered, the
males are usually kept in small pens which may adjoin the breeding
yards, as shown in figures 13 and 14, or removed to a separate
inclosure, where they may be allowed to run together in a large
yard or confined in individual pens. Because of their inclination to
fight, individual pens are preferable.
The productive period in foxes is about 10 years. Approxi-
mately 50 per cent of the females in domestication breed each year,
FUR FACTS 125
and the aggregate increase is not far from 100 per cent for the total
stock on ranches. Failure to breed is attributable to a variety of
causes, among which are sterility, injuries, worry, and mismating.
Females barren for two years in succession frequently become pro-
ductive on being mated to a different male. Prolific females, run
down by several litters in succession, sometimes skip a year in
which to recuperate.
The excitable disposition of foxes is one of their most troublesome
characteristics, and no opportunity should be lost to abate it. In
the breeding season it is very essential that nothing shall occur to
make them apprehensive. A nervous vixen is likely to refuse the
attentions of her mate, or to injure herself and cause abortion, or,
what is still more probable, to destroy her young soon after they
are born, by neglect, or by taking them from the warm den and
carrying them about the yard in search of another hiding place. In
her extreme anxiety she loses all her instinctive prudence. She
becomes essentially insane, and only closest attention on the part
of her keeper can save her cubs.
From the time the cubs are born until they are two or three weeks
old constant care must be taken to prevent losses in this manner.
Any unusual sight, sound, or odor, by day or night, is liable to alarm
a vixen and cause her to maltreat her young. The best way of dealing
with a worried vixen is to shut her with her cubs in the den for
several hours or until she becomes pacified. If she is disturbed
by the proximity of other foxes, as sometimes happens, her view
should be limited by boarding in the lower 2 or 3 feet of her yard.
Care of Young Important
Young foxes are subject to other troubles which, unless corrected,
often prove fatal. They may be infested with external or internal
parasites, or their mothers may not have enough milk to nourish
them properly. It is very important that their condition from day
to day be known. But the great value of the cubs and their danger
from the irritability of their mothers generally cause the keeper to
refrain from looking into the dens. By watching the behavior of
the mothers they judge whether the young are doing well. It has
been demonstrated by at least one progressive keeper that this uncer-
tainty is by no means necessary. Foxes are not excited by routine
events. By giving them large two-room dens, and always feeding
them in the outer compartment, they learn to expect the entrance
of the keeper as the regular preliminary to each meal, and even to
126 FUR FACTS
welcome it. When the keeper enters, they, of course, depart, leaving
him free to look into the inner den. He should not touch the cubs
unless they need attention.
The young are small and weak at first, and their mother remains
with them almost constantly for the first three days. They grow
rapidly and usually begin to appear outside the den in about a month.
When 6 weeks old they eat more or less solid food. After this they
may be weaned. Many breeders leave the weaning entirely to the
vixen unless she is becoming emaciated. A decided advantage in
weaning cubs when they are 6 or 8 weeks old is that when the keeper
controls their food he can more easily eradicate the intestinal worms
which usually infest them. Care should be taken to keep early-
weaned cubs clean and dry. In case of accident to a mother fox,
cubs may be reared by cats almost from birth. Not more than two
cubs should be given to one cat. After they are about 3 weeks old
their teeth become large and sharp enough to lacerate their foster
mother, and they must be reared by hand.
The taming and training of the foxes when pups tends to the
production of adult animals which are much more valuable for breed-
ing purposes.
Behavior
During the day, particularly in fine weather, foxes are generally
quiet, staying either in their dens or curled up among the branches
of a tree or upon a shady platform several feet above the ground,
whence they can see all that goes on around them. Late in the after-
noon they arouse and until morning engage in a variety of activities.
Sometimes they run and caper joyfully; sometimes when the soil is
soft and the yards are not floored they dig, although animals ac-
customed to captivity rarely show a determined effort to escape by
this means. When suddenly frightened they often attempt to escape
by climbing the fence.
In the majority of fox yards the inmates skulk and hide whenever
anyone approaches, although ordinary travel along a thoroughfare
a hundred yards or more away gives then no apparent concern. All
moving objects interest them keenly. Birds alighting within their
yards often fall prey to their agility. Among themselves they are
generally at peace, but a flash of treachery is likely to be displayed
whenever one animal finds another at a disadvantage. One fox will
seize and mangle another's foot that has been carelessly placed on
the intervening fence, or will maim or kill a neighbor's cubs.
FUR FACTS 127
The natural timidity of foxes can be largely dissipated by special
efforts to domesticate them in the full sense of the word. By wean-
ing them early and thereafter feeding them from the hand, they
usually become gentle and attached to their pens. When animals
escape they sometimes return of their own accord or allow their
keepers to capture them without difficulty. For example, a tame red
fox after being liberated from a ranch maintained for cross and
silver foxes went to live in the woods but presented himself early
each morning at the gate of the ranch to be let in for a visit with his
former comrades. After a time he commenced a burrow on a dry
knoll in one corner of the outer yard and devoted half an hour daily
to its extension. Although his career was, unfortunately, cut short
by a trapper, he lived long enough to indicate very clearly that the
wildness of foxes can be modified or even overcome.
Avoid Handling Foxes
Unless foxes are diseased or injured, it is rarely necessary to lay
hands on them. When one is to be removed from its yard, ordi-
narily it can be first driven into its den and thence into a small
handling box having a sliding door at one end and strong wire net-
ting covering one side. In this manner it can be transferred without
danger of injury to itself or its keeper. It is best to darken the
handling box by covering it or by turning the netted side downward
on the ground before attempting to drive a fox into it. In actually
handling grown foxes it is prudent to wear gloves to guard against
being bitten, though this precaution is not always adopted by ex-
perienced keepers. An effective device for catching foxes is a pair
of tongs with jaws curved to form a circle 2 3^ inches in diameter.
The fox is first driven into its den or into a large covered box. Then
the cover is raised barely enough to let the tongs pass in and grasp
the fox around the neck. By holding the tongs in one hand and
grasping the hind feet and tail of the fox with the other, the animal
can be held securely.
Healthy foxes if properly boxed and cared for can be shipped
safely almost any distance. Two foxes, or even more than two, are
sometimes shipped in the same compartment, but this is inadvisable
unless the distance is short. As a rule, a box containng two should
be partitioned, each animal having a space equivalent to 2 by 3 feet
on the floor and V& feet high. About half of one side of the box
should be removed and the opening covered with wire netting to
allow ventilation and inspection. Shippers often cover the entire
128 FUR FACTS
box with netting or tin to preclude the possibility of escape. A dish
for water should be fastened to the floor close to the front, where it
can easily be filled. Foxes are not usually injured by a fast of three
or four days, but they should not be allowed to suffer from thirst.
Express companies, if duly instructed, will feed animals en route and
add the cost to the regular transportation charge. In case the ani-
mals are very valuable or are to be shipped a long distance, an at-
tendant should accompany them.
Sickness and Health
Generally speaking, sickness is not common among domesticated
foxes that are well cared for. Once in a while one breaks a leg as
the result of a fall or, more often, from entanglement in wire netting
having too coarse meshes. Lacerations rarely result twice from the
same cause or from fighting. Even more rarely is a fox choked while
eating. Passing meat and small or soft bones and cartilage through
a bone grinder will not only prevent choking, but allow enough bone
to be fed with the meat to produce sturdy animals. Simple fractures,
uncomplicated by abrasions, will mend if untouched, but it is better
to bind splints upon the wounded limb to keep it in proper shape,
and then to apply iodoform to prevent the animal from tearing them
off. When a bone is badly shattered, and especially when it pro-
trudes, the leg should be amputated. Anesthetics are likely to kill
foxes and hence should not be used. Flesh wounds ordinarily require
no attention other than washing once or twice a day in warm carbo-
lated^water or with Castile soap, followed by an application of
hydrogen peroxide.
Thus far no widespread disease among foxes has made its appear-
ance. When diseases occur they mainly affect the digestive organs,
and usually can be traced to improper feeding. Indigestion and
inflammation of the bowels are not uncommon among cubs. Isola-
tion in clean, dry quarters is the first step toward a cure, and rest and
fasting are better than medicine. A spoonful of milk diluted with
six spoonfuls of boiled water will quench thirst and aid in maintain-
ing strength. The feces should be examined daily. Constipation is
frequent, and it is especially dangerous to vixens during the first
three days after the birth of their cubs. It can generally be cor-
rected by a laxative diet, as milk, liver, or veal, but in extreme cases
a dose of castor oil or an injection of soapsuds may be necessary.
A protracted attack of diarrhea can usually be checked by a purge of
castor oil followed by small doses of laudanum. Generally, however,
FUR FACTS
a day or two of fasting followed by short rations of cooked milk or
milk and eggs, at intervals of two or three hours, will effect a cure.
During such an attack vitality runs low, and care must be taken to
keep the afflicted animal in a warm, dry place. It should have access
to water that has been boiled. Growing cubs are frequently subject
to weakened and distorted legs. This disease, known as rickets,
can be prevented by including ground bone in their meat rations and
by adding limewater to their milk. The bones of calves and those
from briskets of beeves are comparatively easy to crush so that
foxes can swallow them.
At quarantine stations where imported animals are examined,
particular attention is directed to symptons of rabies and mange.
The fact that rabies, or^hydrophobia, is communicable to man makes
it doubly dreaded. Fortunately it has*not appeared among domes-
ticated foxes so far as known. Mange is characterized by a loss of
fur. It is caused by a tiny parasite, somewhat like the itch mite
and is, therefore, very contagious. Were it to obtain a foothold
among domesticated foxes, it would seriously hamper and perhaps
ruin this branch of the fur industry. All animals showing a tendency
to have bare spots should be isolated at once. The diseased parts
should be treated daily with ointments, as petrolatum or a mixture
of lard and sulphur.
Foxes serve as hosts for a number of other parasites. Lice and
fleas infest their hair and skin, while roundworms and tapeworms
drain their vitality from within. The death of a fox has occasionally
been attributed to lice. Even if not fatal, lice and fleas diminish
the vigor of their hosts and should be persistently combated. Some
fox breeders dip all their animals in a nonpoisonous bath such as is
commonly used for dipping sheep. It is well in any case to dust the
dens with sulphur and insect powder at frequent intervals.
The intestinal worms infesting foxes are difficult to eradicate.
Probably more young foxes succumb to the effects of roundwonns
than to any other cause. These worms are whitish and cylindrical,
tapering toward either extremity. Among the symptons indicating
their presence are dullness, barking, frothing at the mouth, dragging
the body by the forelegs, and convulsions. The flat, jointed tape-
worm, often a foot or more in length, is a less fatal as well as a less
common internal parasite, but animals suffering from them are ema-
ciated and lack overfur or guard hairs. As a cure for worms one
breeder of long experience frequently gives his cubs a meal of crushed
flaxseed and milk, alternating now and then with six or eight drops
130 FUR FACTS
of spirits of turpentine in milk. Another doses his cubs every fort-
night after they are four weeks old with a proprietary vermifuge put
up in gelatine capsules for puppies and pet dogs, beginning with half
the contents of one capsule. Castor oil containing a few drops of
turpentine is also recommended. Any remedy administered by hand
must be pushed down below the base of the tongue, when it will be
involuntarily swallowed.
A fox sometimes dies from no assignable cause. More often
fatalities can be traced to a lack of care or foresight. The dishes
from which the animals eat and drink should be washed daily and
scalded frequently. The water should be clean and changed daily.
The food should be varied and wholesome. Danger from unwhole-
some food is well illustrated in the experience of one ranchman who
lost several of his choice breeders through feeding them spoiled fish;
and another who lost $100,000 worth of cubs as a result of thought-
lessly exposing meat overnight to the fumes of gasoline in his slaugh-
terhouse. The appearance of each animal should be critically noted
every day. On many of the larger ranches a doctor is regularly em-
ployed to look after the health of the stock. In the care of foxes an
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Selective Breeding
The fact that domestic animals originated from wild stock and
that improved strains have from time to time been secured makes it
reasonable to assume that other wild animals can be differentiated,
and improved by the same method, namely, selective breeding. So
far as foxes are concerned, this has already been done. The pioneer
fox breeders began with ordinary silvers, which have a tendency to
produce red as well as silver progeny. At that time dark pelts were
more valuable than light-colored ones. By regularly disposing of
the less desirable cubs and breeding only from the best, the tendency
to throw red was soon eliminated and the color of the fur greatly
improved. Within 16 years from the time the two pioneer fox
breeders built their ranch they were sending to market the finest
fox pelts in the world.
The tendency of wild silvers to produce red progeny is accounted
for by the fact that owing to their scarcity probably only one in a
hundred can have a silver mate; perhaps three in a hundred may
mate with cross foxes, which are merely hybrids, or descendants from
hybrids, between silvers and reds; and the remaining ninety-six must
mate with reds. In any event, although some of the cubs may be
FUR FACTS 131
silver, all of them will inherit from their red ancestors a tendency to
thrpw red. As has already been pointed out, however, this tendency
very soon disappears under the influence of careful breeding. Gen-
erally speaking, pure strains of silver foxes breed true. So also do
pure strains of red. When a red and silver are mated together, the
color of the progeny cannot be foretold. The cubs may be red with
black throats, or they may be crosses, or a mixture of the two. One
or more may be silver, but this is unusual. Random breeding from
silver and crosses of unknown pedigree is equally uncertain, as is
shown by the following results:
A silver mated with a red produced two crosses, which when mated
together produced one red and four silvers. A silver and a cross
produced three silvers and two reds. A cross and a red produced
two crosses and two reds. A cross and a cross produced two silvers,
two crosses, and one red. Another pair of crosses produced nine
crosses. A red of silver-cross parentage mated with a red of silver
parentage produced one silver and two crosses. A silver and a red
produced in two successive years thirteen silvers. A pair of reds
from the same litter as two silvers, produced three silvers, one cross,
and two reds. A pair of silvers produced one silver and five reds,
two of which, when mated together, produced three silvers and one
red the first year and two silvers the next year. Another pair of
silvers produced four crosses, while a silver and a cross produced a
litter of all silvers.
These results indicate the uncertainty of breeding at random, but
they show also that if a fox of any color whatever has a silver strain,
the silver can be made to appear in succeeding generations by selec-
tive breeding. This fact is most important. Suppose a breeder has
a strain of silvers lacking in size, or fecundity, or in some other
desirable particular. He can introduce specimens having the desired
qualities without having to consider color. A red fox can be used
if one of better color is not available. In the course of three or four
generations the silver can be fully reinstated. Among the features
to be considered besides color are size, fineness of fur, fecundity, do-
cility, and hardiness. Fecundity appears to be a hereditary trait
among foxes, daughters of prolific mothers being themselves gen-
erally prolific. How rapidly other desirable characters can be in-
corporated remains to be determined. As with poultry, horses, and
other farm animals, so it is with foxes. Each breeder should strive
to perfect his animals according to some standard.
13S FUR FACTS
It is not known that any particular geographic race of foxes
is especially characterized by fecundity or docility. These qualities
are probably individual, occurring in about the same proportion
everywhere, and while of secondary importance, in the long run
they are sure to be favorable to success in fox farming. Already
prolific pairs bring much higher prices than those which have thrown
small litters or have not been tested. Inasmuch as one of the main
causes of loss among young cubs is the timidity and nervousness of
mothers, the development of more docile strains will result in corre-
sponding increase in the birth rate. Some male foxes are much better
mates and sires than others. In selecting breeders the temperament
of males as well as of females should be considered. The physical
development and potency of males are also essential factors. Young
males that are not strong or not well developed when six months old
are not likely to be of use in the breeding yards the first year and
should not be selected for sires.
Food is recognized as a very important element in the develop-
ment of good animals. The finest specimens of domestic cattle are
those which have been fed most wisely. As regards foxes, much
remains to be learned concerning the effects of different rations upon
such matters as fecundity, character of fur, and rate and limits of
growth. It should be a part of every breeder's plan to discover all
he can about the relative values of foods and methods of handling,
as influencing the process of selective breeding. Ultimate success or
failure in fox farming depends largely upon the aspirations of those
engaged in it. If breeders earnestly, consistently, and indefatigably
endeavor to improve their stock and to produce pelts that are larger,
softer, and more uniformly colored than the usual run, there can be
no question as to the result. There will never come a time when an
extra fine silver fox pelt will not command a good price nor when a
breed producing such pelts will not be in demand.
Suggestions
Contentment and vigor of the animals within a ranch is of the
utmost importance. Whatever contributes toward increasing these
qualities should be incorporated if possible. It is well to test young
foxes with such toys as a ball, a tin can, or a piece of woolen cloth,
with a view to amusing them and exciting a spirit of playfulness.
A variety of objects in which they can hide and upon which they can
mount for a survey of their surroundings, as hollow logs, stumps,
brush piles, or open barrels, is desirable.
FUR FACTS 188
While the suggestions given under this heading apply primarily to
persons having large capital invested in fox farming, they will also
be found helpful to those operating on a small scale. The present
value of silver foxes is so great that every precaution is taken to pre-
vent accidents, sickness, or other misfortunes. Watchmen are kept on
guard day and night. The keeper's lodge is just outside the guard
fence. In addition there is sometime^ a tower, from the top of which
a view can be had of all the yards. Here are recorded the progress of
events in the breeding season; and from here quarrels, accidents, or
signs of sickness can be discovered without alarming the animals.
A tower 12 or 15 feet square and three stories high, fitted up as a
3-room house, would contain on the top floor watchman's couch,
chair, and field glasses, his table and writing materials. A cook stove,
pantry, sink, and other kitchen appurtenances will be on the ground
floor, and here food for the foxes can be conveniently prepared.
Somewhere about the place there will be a medicine chest and various
tools likely to be needed in an emergency.
Risk of loss by theft or escape is lessened by installing electric
lights which can be turned on at any time, and an electric burglar
alarm. Bulldogs are used to reenforce the night watchman; and on
some ranches bloodhounds are kept for tracking thieves. Foxes that
escape generally return to the vicinity of the ranch when hungry,
and a number of small steel traps having the jaws wound with cloth
should be kept on hand to catch them. Ranch foxes have less endur-
ance than wild ones, and a good hound can usually overtake one after
a short run. The manager of a ranch on Prince Edward Island has
a hound which on several occasions has assisted in the capture of
foxes without hurting them in the least. Such dogs are excellent
insurance against loss by escape.
Other accessories of a fox ranch, and those most prominent, pertain
to food supplies. There must be facilities for slaughtering horses,
cattle, and smaller animals; an ice house and a refrigerator for keep-
ing the meat fresh until it can be used; and conveniences for drying,
smoking, and salting meat that must be kept a long time. A screened
room or box is necessary to protect stored meat from flies. Cows
are needed to furnish milk, an important element in the diet of
domestic foxes. In a dairy region calves are disposed of when but
2 or 3 days old. At that age they are small, and their flesh is soft.
Sometimes there are more calves on hand than can be used immed-
iately. By having cows to suckle them a few weeks, the veal,
improved in quality and increased in quantity, will be available when
184 FUR FACTS
needed. Rabbits are the natural prey of wild foxes. They have an
important place on a fox ranch as a fox food which can be drawn
upon at any time, always fresh, and which is in such small units
that ice or other preservatives are unnecessary.
Occasionally a mother having young cubs is unable to give them
proper attention. Then a foster parent must be supplied at once or
the cubs will die. To provide for emergencies of this kind, every
ranch should include several female cats.
The products of a fox farm breeding stock and pelts are ready
for market at definite seasons. The live animals are mainly sold
during the autumn, as it is to the interest of buyers to have their
stock fully accustomed to new surroundings before the breeding sea-
son. By the middle of September young foxes are large enough and
the weather is sufficiently cool for shipping with safety. When there
is not an adequate local demand, foxes are generally disposed of by
advertising in publications devoted to furs, fur farming, or trapping.
Shipments of live stock by express are generally at the risk and ex-
pense of the purchaser. Valuable animals are usually accompanied
by a caretaker, especially if the journey lasts more than two days.
Skins of foxes killed late in December, when fox fur is in its finest
condition, are ready for market in January. Foxes are skinned by
making a cut straight from one heel along the rear edges of the
hind legs and beneath the tail to the other heel, and withdrawing
the body through this slit. The skin of the tail should be cut along
lower side, its entire length, and the bone removed in order that air
may come freely into contact with the flesh side and dry it quickly.
Unless this precaution is taken, the tip of the tail is likely to de-
compose and lose its hair. For the same reason the back skin of
the ears should be separated from the cartilage to which it is at-
tached. When the operation of skinning is over, the pelt is freed
from particles of fat and muscle. Before the skin is completely
dry it should be removed from the board, turned hair side out, and
hung by the nose where it will be free from pressure on all sides.
No preservative is required. Although raw fur buyers are to be
found in nearly every town in fur-producing regions, fox farmers
prefer to sell their peltries direct to the largest fur establishments,
where rare furs are handled extensively and where experienced
furriers are familiar with values.
Costs
It is estimated that it will cost about $50.00 per fox per year to
raise them. This of course varies and depends on general conditions.
FUR FACTS 135
This cost of course does not include interest on the investment, but
merely actual labor charges and the cost of food. On a farm where
there are cows and where grain and vegetables can be raised, it is
not necessary to buy very much fox food. Except on large ranches
devoted exclusively to fox raising and where a special keeper must
be employed, the care of a few foxes will not entail much outlay.
The fixed annual charges against a pair of silver foxes will vary
with the locality, value of equipment, etc. On some ranches it
has been estimated about as follows: Interest on cost of yards, $10;
depreciation of yards, $10; food, $20; and attendance, $50; amount-
ing to $90; added to this must be a reasonable charge for interest on
the original cost of the pair. Killing foxes at the age of 4 or 5 years,
when their pelts are good, and breeding always from young stock
may be practicable, but this point has not yet been decided. As a
rule, one may expect to keep choice animals as long as they are pro-
ductive; that is, about 10 years. Deterioration, therefore, on the live
stock will be 10 per cent; and to this should be added 10 per cent for
insurance against loss by death, escape, or theft.
The value of breeding stock has fluctuated greatly in the past. In
general, it will depend on the current demand for silver fox skins;
and, in particular, on the character of the fur of individual animals.
Prolific animals belonging to choice strains, in which a superior color
and quality of fur have been fixed, are worth for breeding purposes
as much more than ordinary stock as pure-bred horses are than
common horses.
As has been pointed out under the subject of improved strains,
crosses and reds derived from silvers throw a proportion of silver
cubs. It is feasible, therefore, if one is willing to sacrifice the time
required, to obtain a stock of silvers from these more common foxes,
which cost comparatively little.
Income
The profits from silver fox farming have generally been large.
Prior to 1910 they were derived almost wholly from pelts, but since
then they have come mainly from the sale of breeding stock. Fol-
lowing the decline of the speculative phase of the fox industry,
ranch-raised silver fox pelts reappeared in the market, and brought
encouraging prices, a few going as high as $1,000 each. January
quotations for No. 1 extra large skins during the 12 years from 1905 to
1916 average about $600 each.
The supply of silver fox pelts must always come from cold climates
beyond the more thickly settled temperate regions. They are not
136
FUR FACTS
likely, therefore, to become overabundant. Red fox skins have been
marketed for many years. Their numbers, while fluctuating con-
siderably from year to year, on the whole have remained approxi-
mately constant. Their average value, however, has increased. But
the supply from wild foxes will hardly be greater than it is now.
Already red foxes can be raised and their pelts sold profitably,
and it may be probable that before many years the rise in fur values
and the introduction of more economical methods of ranching will
result in making the raising of red foxes even more profitable. The
silvers are of superior beauty and many years must pass before they
can become common.
Red Fox
Red Fox are found throughout Canada and Alaska, and all of
our northern and central as well as the New England states, and in
the far west. There are very few, if any, found in the southern states.
CUM***
RED FOX
The red fox can be raised in captivity in exactly the same manner
as silver fox, and while the pelts are not as valuable, it does not
FUR FACTS 137
require the investment or near the risk as a red fox ranch can be
started in a very modest way. Red fox pelts are always in demand,
especially well furred and seasonable pelts.
Grey Fox
The grey fox is common throughout the central and southern
states, is found in large numbers in Texas, California, Oregon,
Washington, Kentucky and Tennessee. The grey fox fur is coarse
and for this reason is not considered very highly by the furriers.
The pelt is the cheapest of all fox furs that is, all American foxes.
The grey fox is very hardy and should be easy to raise.
Cross or Patch Fox
The cross or patch fox belongs to the red fox family and is just
another variation. It differs from the silver fox in that it is dark
red where the silver fox is black, and while it is oftentimes silver
tipped like the silver fox, it has a reddish cast instead of black. It
also has a distinct cross down the back of the neck and across the
shoulders, the fur being usually much darker here than on the rest
of the body, thus forming a distinct cross. There are some beautiful
specimens of the cross or patch fox and these rank next in value to
the silver fox.
White Fox
The white fox is found only in the arctic regions. It is snow white in
color and very beautiful. It is worn very largely in its natural color,
but it is also dyed many different shades, the most popular at the
present time being the platinum shade. White fox have never been
domesticated and no attempt has been made to successfully raise
them, except that on the government fox ranches on the Pribiloff
Islands a few white foxes are taken annually.
Blue Fox
There are numerous blue fox farms on the islands off the coast of
Alaska; in fact the trade depends almost entirely on these island
fox farms for their supply of Alaska blue fox. The United States
Government annually takes several hundred blue fox pelts from St.
George and St. Paul Islands of the Pribiloff Group. There are
independent fox ranches successfully raising blue fox on a large
scale on the Aelutian Islands and other small islands near the coast
of Alaska.
138 FUR FACTS
How to Trap Foxes
The following methods have been used by trappers long ex-
perienced in the trapping of fox and are given here as they were
written by the trappers themselves. All of these men are prize
whining trappers and have had years of experience trapping foxes.
Winner of First Prize for Best Method of Trapping Fox
"The fox is the most wily, sly and cunning of all wild animals to
trap, except the wolverine. To be successful in trapping the fox
the first thing to be done is to kill the odor of the traps. This may
be done by boiling them in hemlock-bough water, or sprinkling
them with blood, or burying them in the earth for two weeks, so
that all the odor of the iron has been absorbed, and the trap smells
like the earth. Soil is a common odor with the fox, for he is smelling
it all the time, and he will not smell the trap when this is done.
When the traps are taken from the ground, woolen gloves should
be used, well-rubbed with fresh dirt.
There are two methods of trapping the fox, the land method and
the water method.
The Land Method The natural food of the fox is mice and
rabbits. In the spring procure a glass jar that will hold one quart
(after being cleaned). Put into it the musk bag of a skunk and the
musk bag of two muskrats, and two field mice. Fill the jar half full
of skunk grease. Cork and hang by the side of a building until
Fall or the trapping season. This is one of the best scents for trap-
ping the fox, except the Funsten Animal Bait. In setting traps for
the fox, go where they are apt to travel. Nail bait to a tree, about
five feet above the ground. When setting traps, wear woolen shoes,
well-sprinkled with blood, over your leather shoes. Handle traps
with woolen gloves well-soaked in blood. Touch nothing with your
bare hands. Set traps two feet from the tree, bait with mice or small
pieces of rabbit; put a little of the above scent on the bait, cover
bait lightly. The fox in walking around the tree, trying to get the
bait from the tree, when he finds he can not, will try to get the bait
under the traps, and is very likely to be caught.
Another method is to go to a field near the woods, drive a stake
in the ground one foot, with the top five feet from the ground, sharp-
ened at the top. On the sharp end of the stake hang a large jack
rabbit. Procure a basket of leaves or chaff and put around the stakes.
Set trap three feet from the stake. Cover lightly with the leaves,
put a mouse at each trap, sprinkle a little pure fox matrix on the
FUR FACTS 139
bait. Every fox for miles will come to that bait, as the rabbit begins
to decay, and as sure as there is a rabbit on that stake the fox is
sure to get caught.
The Water Method Many a fox is caught by this method. Go
to a spring where the water does not rise and fall, and place a flat
stone fifteen inches from the shore, with the top one inch above the
water. Cover the stone with a sod, so that the stone can not be seen.
Place trap about four inches from the shore, trap all under water
except the pan. Cover the pan with a thin, dry sod. Place bait on
sod over the stone, and cover bait lightly. Put a little Funsten Fox
Scent on the bait. Be sure and place your bait so that it can not be
reached by the fox, except by stepping on the sod covering the pan
of the trap. Stand in the water while setting trap, and bait trap
with small pieces of cat or rabbit. A few hints Never go near traps
when they are not sprung. 2nd take the foot of a fox and make
a few tracks over the trap. 3rd In going around to see traps drag
a piece of meat with a little of Funsten's Trail Scent on it. 4th
When the snow is deep, set traps in a paper bag and cover with snow."
JOHN POOLEY.
Another Method
"Find a place where the fox is in the habit of traveling. Pick out
a place where there is a nice knoll or hill, and if you can not find one,
make one there. Hills should be made a month in advance, or during
the summer, so the fox will get used to it. When trapping season
opens get a couple of handfuls of chicken feathers and sprinkle
around the knoll or hill. Now this hill should be at least two feet
high. Then get a live chicken, put it in a cage and hang about ten
feet from the hill, and about eight feet high, in plain sight of the
mound. Set about three No. 2 fox traps and cover well with dirt
from the hill and fasten chain to drag, not solid. Use a few drops of
Funsten Animal Bait for Fox, and every fox that comes near smelling
distance of this bait will investigate it and will go on the mound to
survey the surroundings and look at the box. Do not forget that the
traps must be set on the mound, and do not touch the traps with
hands after you have handled the bait, or the fox will not go on the
mound, and your work will be for naught. Use clean mittens or
gloves."
R. G. BRACHVOGEL.
A Missouri Trappers Method
"Fox are very shy, and they catch the most of what they eat, and
it is hard to get them to work at any kind of bait, but if the bait is
140 FUR FACTS
fresh sometimes they will eat it; but I find that Funsten's Animal
Bait is a good helper to draw them to the meat baits. A red fox is
hard to catch, and they only den up in the spring, when they
are raising young ones, and a trapper does not care to catch them
then. The way I can catch them is to set traps in their runways.
I find where they travel up and down bluffs, and where they travel
along paths, and where they go through fences, and I take a No. 1H
or a No. 2 Newhouse steel trap, and set it in the path. If it is a
path anywhere in the woods, a fox will travel it every time. In
setting traps in the path, I always find where they step over a pole
or log, or where they go through a fence. If I set a trap in a path
by the fence, I dig out a little hole in the path where they go through
the fence, just deep enough to let trap down level with the top of
the ground and about ten or twelve inches from the fence; then take
some fine leaves and cover the trap. Then take a piece of fresh rab-
bit, bird or chicken, and lay it on the ground five or six inches to
one side of the trap, and take a stick sharpened at one end and
stick it through the bait into the ground. Then take Funsten's Fox
Bait and put a little on the meat, and sprinkle a little over the
leaves on the trap, and you will catch a fox every time they come
along, for every time they smell Funsten's Fox Bait they will go to
it. I have caught foxes by the use of Funsten's Fox Bait without
any other baits.
Traps should always be kept clean and free from all animal
scent. I have experimented with them for seven or eight years,
and I find it pays well to keep traps clean and free from animal scent,
especially if I am trapping at dens or on the ground. If I am trapping
in the water it doesn't make any difference, for when traps are under
the water no animal can smell them anyway, but I never set a trap
for a fox unless it is clean, for they are a fine-scented animal. I have
caught several foxes in my life, and I have caught more foxes by
setting traps in paths where they step over poles and go through
old rail fences than any other way. Traps set in this way will catch
more foxes if some kind of scent bait is used than any way I have
tried. It is best to use scent baits to attract their attention. Fun-
sten's Scent Baits are the best baits for that purpose I have ever
used, for when they smell it they will go to it and fool around the
traps, and, nine times out of ten, they will get a foot in the trap
while they are smelling around it.
Gray foxes are easily caught, because they den up all through the
winter season, and you can catch them at dens where they go in
FUR FACTS 141
and come out, and they can be caught by setting traps in their
runways, the same as for red fox.
J. G. BURKS
Preparing Fox Skins For Market
In preparing the fox skin for market the skin should be taken off
cased with the fur side out. Be sure to see that the fur is cleaned of
all burrs and mud or matted knots before packing it for shipment.
Remove all superfluous meat and fat from the pelt, but do not scrape
too closely as this would injure the roots of the hair. Comb the fur
out well with a coarse comb so that it will look its best. Dry the skin
in a cool shady place. Do not dry in the sun as the bright rays of the
sun will fade the color of the fur. Do not use chemicals or preserv-
atives of any kind, but allow the skin to dry in a natural manner.
The mating season of the red fox is in the early part of
March, and there are from five to as many as nine in a litter.
The mating season of the grey fox is a little later, and its young are
usually produced in May. The grey fox is not as carnivorous as the
red, and fruits, corn, and fish form a large part of its diet. The
young foxes are covered with a soft downy yellowish-grey fur. The
color of the hair does not begin to appear until they are five to six
weeks old. Foxes as a rule hunt their food at night, and in some
sections are most active just before daybreak when all animal life
is on the move and they have a better chance to secure the small
animals and birds that they depend on largely for their diet. Natural-
alists claim that the wild fox is monogamous, that is, the male has
only one consort in a season, and while the young are being reared
he dutifully forages for them. In captivity, however, one male
sometimes has been mated successfully with several females. The
young fox when born are small and weak. They grow rapidly, however
and when about six weeks old begin to play around, and occassionally
eat solid food. No doubt the raising of foxes of all kind for their
pelts will be gradually developed.
144 FUR FACTS
off, and if he does not leave in a hurry, a battle will take place im-
mediately. The female apparently remains an unconcerned spec-
tator, and to all appearances it makes little difference to her which
one of the males comes out winner. At any rate the female does not
take any part in the fight in defense of the family lodge house. It
is said that the male beaver is just as constant as he is jealous, never
taking to himself more than one female, but that on the other hand
the female is not so particular, but is rather fond of strange company.
If the lodge house of the beaver is disturbed in any way, the whole
family will leave by the lower entrance and make a break for the
holes in the bank, which they use as a haven of refuge in times of
trouble. The flesh of the beaver is often used as food, the tail es-
pecially being considered a great delicacy. The beaver attains its
full size when about three years old, although it breeds somewhat
before that. It usually mates in February, and brings forth its young
some time in May. The large beaver will weigh about sixty pounds
and will measure about three feet long and about thirty inches wide.
The skin after it is thoroughly cleaned and dried will weigh about
two pounds.
The beaver spends its life in the water and its underfur is very
dense and heavy. On account of its light weight, and beautiful
color, its richness and softness, the beaver has been one of the leading
furs for generations. In some parts of Canada in recent years, as
well as in the United States, laws have been passed protecting beaver
for a period of years. In one section of Canada where this has been
done they have become so numerous that the farmers have petitioned
the state authorities to modify the law so that they could be killed
as they have really become a pest. Beaver are protected in nearly
every province of Canada as well as all of the States and may only
be taken at certain seasons of the year. Most states have laws pro-
tecting their lodges and dams, which can not be destroyed, and the
beaver can only be taken in traps.
At one time most of the beaver pelts taken were used by hat manu-
facturers in the making of silk hats, but the pelts have become so ex-
pensive that rabbit skins are used instead, and beaver are used al-
most exclusively by the furriers, nearly all of them being used natural
for trimming on coats for both men and women. There are many
other furs that are higher priced than beaver, but all in all, the beaver
is one of the most staple as well as one of the best known of all furs. Its
wearing qualities are splendid and it usually gives good satisfaction.
FUR FACTS
145
At one time people paid their bills with beaver skins and esti-
mated the value of their possessions by the number of beavers they
represented. In trading with the Indians the Hudson's Bay Company
measured everything by the value of the beaver skin. It is stated
that one reason why the old muzzle-loading rifle had such an extra
long barrel was due to the fact that the Hudson's Bay Company sold
BEAVER
the muzzle-loading rifle to the Indians for beaver pelts, and the value
of the gun in beavers was equal to the number of beavers it would
take to reach to the top or the end of the gun. In other words one
end of the gun was placed on the floor in an upright position, and
then beavers were laid along side of it until they reached to the top
of the barrel. It is easy to see that the longer the barrel of the gun
the more beavers it would take to reach to the top. It took one
146 FUR FACTS
beaver to buy a half pound of glass beads, ten beaver for a coat, two
large beaver for a pound of tobacco, two or three beaver for a looking
glass, and one or two beaver for an iron kettle. In the early days
beaver was a medium of exchange; one beaver was worth so many
muskrat, and it took so many beaver to buy a marten skin or a fisher.
On the other hand a bag of flour was priced at so many beaver, or if
the trapper did not have beaver, its equivalent* in muskrats or what-
ever furs he might have.
Old trappers claim that the peculiar claw on the second toe of the
hind foot of the beaver is used as a tooth pick, and some scientists
agree with this theory and that the beaver uses this peculiar shaped
claw to remove the splinters of wood that get between the teeth
while cutting trees.
Beaver castorium is found in both the male and female and is
very valuable. It is a secretion resembling soft beeswax and is found
in two glands situated in the hind part of the body, and ranges in
price according to the market demand from three to four dollars.
Raising Beaver
Beaver is one of the most interesting of all furbearing animals
that we have, and Dr. Wm. T. Hornaday, one of the greatest author-
ities on wild animals in the world, says that in his opinion beaver would
lend themselves to domestication better than any of the other fur-
bearing animals. A number of zoological gardens have taken up
the raising of beaver and this has been found to be very successful.
Beaver will thrive in almost any part of the United States and need
very little care and attention, provided they are kept in a place
where there is plenty of water and enough natural food for them to
live on. They will eat nearly any kind of roots and vegetables they
are provided with, and because they are such an interesting animal
and because then* fur is so valuable, they should be given serious
consideration by every farmer who has a pond or a lake or a good-
sized stream on his place that could be utilized for the purpose.
The United States Department of Agriculture will no doubt be
only too glad to lend its valuable support and to give every assis-
tance possible to anyone that will make a serious effort to start rais-
ing beaver. If there are wild beaver in your district make an effort
to take a pair of them alive or a colony of them alive, and start a
beaver ranch, and advise Funsten Bros. & Co., what success you have
and they in turn will find you customers for live pairs, from people
FUR FACTS 147
in other parts of the country who are anxious to get started raising
this valuable furbearer.
Most golf clubs have lakes or ponds on their courses, and as
animal life is a constant source of interest both to old and young, es-
pecially children, they should stock their lakes and ponds with musk-
rat and beaver. It will be found to be a constant source of interest to
watch the beaver building their dam and watch them at their work
and play, and at the same time will be a source of profit. If every
golf club in the United States were to install a family of beaver or
muskrat the supply of furs would take a big jump in the next few
years.
How to Trap Beaver
Before you start out to trap beaver become familiar with your
game laws. The fact that there are beaver in your neighborhood and
that you know where they have their lodges and dams, is not suf-
ficient license for you to trap them. Some states have very drastic
laws relating to beaver, and they can not be trapped or killed in any
shape or form, and their pelts can not be taken and disposed of, nor
can their houses or dams be tampered with. The larger fur houses
houses will not handle beaver that have been unlawfully taken.
In those sections where beaver trapping is permitted at certain
seasons of the year, the following suggestions and methods will be
successful. These methods have been used successfully by trappers
who have long experience in the trapping of beaver, and will be
found useful both to the professional and amateur trappers.
Winner of First Prize for Best Method of Trapping Beaver
"They can be caught in various ways, as with a deadfall, with the
figure 4, and a green popple stick for spindle and calamus root for
bait to draw them, and by leak in dam, with trap set so as to catch
them when repairing leak; but this only causes them to be much
wilder or to leave altogether. My method is this: Fix places along
sides of streams where banks are steep; dig bottom level at all steep
places, so you will have flat places for traps. If bank is too steep,
dig off some. Leave very slanting, so they can not climb out here.
Do this early in the fall. Dash water on any fresh digging, so every-
thing will look natural. Two or three weeks before you want to trap
them, begin to bait them to all the places you have made. Dig some
fresh calamus or sweet-flag root. Place a few roots at each place,
just above water. Next time put bait a little higher up on bank-
Watch, and when you see them begin to store up their winter supply,
148 FUR FACTS
which they do just before it freezes up, cut the top of young popple,
stick one in bank at each place; set first time so they can cut it off
without having to reach much for it; place a little higher next time.
You will find the bait and popple pole gone every time.
To set traps, use boat. Have plenty of No. 9 wire, long enough
to reach deep water. Tie large stone to one end of wire, drive stake
full length of chain out from shore, set trap so it will be about five
inches under water; bend long loop in wire, out several feet from shore,
so game will be under water when trap ring reaches loop; set small
prop under wire to hold wire out of mud, so trap ring will run down
wire easily; set up fresh popple pole high enough now so he will have to
stand on his hind feet to reach it. In this way you are sure to catch
him by the hind foot. Place calamus root (I also recommend the
Funsten Animal Bait for Beaver) just above popple pole; set at all
places you have made, also at all places where you see they go out
of water. Bait and stake all the same. With these sets you are sure
of your game, as they are not hard to catch, but hard to hold. Use
nothing but the old reliable Newhouse trap. When game is caught
they go for deep water, the trap ring runs down wire to loop, and they
are under to rise no more.
To trap them in winter, use similar places to set, having wire laid
beforehand. After it has frozen up solid, and the water has settled
away from ice at shore, they are searching all along shore for fresh
food. Make small hole at the edge of ice, where wire is laid, put end
of popple pole through hole into water at side of bank. In passing,
they stop to work at bait. To set trap, cut hole in ice length of chain
from shore, reach in and set trap near bait, stake through hole in ice,
slip trap ring over wire and fasten to stake. Cover hole with ice and
snow.
For spring trapping, use same set and bait as for fall.'*
C. S. BREWER.
Winner of Second Prize
"I use No. 3 Newhouse traps. Set trap as near deep water as
possible, with seven-foot chain well staked. Set trap near the bank
of the stream, put it four inches under the water; set it endwise, as I
call it, so the animal will come over one spring to get the bait, which
is on a stick six inches long, sticking in the bank four inches from the
end of the other spring. Cover trap well with some soft substance,
cotton, leaves, mud or moss ; then get two sticks, about two feet long
and the size of a lead pencil, and stick one on each side of the trap,
placing the far end from you, one up the stream and the other one
FUR FACTS 149
down stream, so the Beaver will swim in between them when he
starts to the bait. These are what I call guide sticks. I can guide a
Beaver with these sticks to the very spot where I want him, and have
him to stick either foot in the trap. I catch him by the left foot, as
they can not handle the trap as well as they can with the right foot.
Now all these things being finished about the trap, go below or above
the trap as far as you can throw water with the hand, and wet all the
ground which you have been working over to set the trap. Water
will kill all human scent. I want to say that I have used Funsten
Animal Baits for Beaver, Coon, Mink, etc., and don't think they
can be beaten.
J. H. TATE.
Winner of Third Prize
"I write, sending in my entry to the Trapping Contest. I have
been trapping about twenty years, and have caught fur-bearing
animals of nearly every kind successfully since I have used Funsten
Baits and Trail Scent. They are two of the Wonders of the trap-
ping World, and I wouldn't be without them. I will gladly answer
any inquiries as to the merits of Funsten 's Animal Baits. Here is
my way of trapping Beaver :
For Beaver, I take a No. 4 Newhouse steel- trap and set it where
the Beaver works or at a slide. I set the trap in water from one to
six inches deep. Fasten the chain to a stake, so when the Beaver
is caught he can not get to the bank to gnaw his leg off. Tie an old
ax to the trap, so when he makes for deep water he will drown. An
old ax is very easily hidden and is very effective. Cover your trap
with leaves or anything to make it look natural, like the surround-
ings. When you set your trap, leave everything looking natural, like
it was when you came there. Drop several drops of Funsten Beaver
Bait in the water over the trap, and stick a little stick up over the
trap that has been dipped in the bait, and your success is assured."
CLAUDE W. WILLIAMS.
How to Prepare Beaver for Market
In preparing beaver for market take the skin off open by cutting
down the belly and the back of the legs, and stretch the skin as nearly
round as possible. Remove the feet and tail and cut around the edges
of the skin so that no ends or pieces will be left on, leaving the skin
with an even edge all around. Do not dry near the fire or sun, but
150 FUR FACTS
hang the skin in a cool dry place and allow it to dry out naturally.
Scrape off all superfluous meat and fat, but do not scrape the pelt
too closely. In packing for shipment, do not roll or fold the skins,
but pack them as nearly flat as possible.
CHAPTER XVII
THE BLACK BEAR
The bear is the largest of all the fur bearing animals of North
America, and with the exception of the larger members of the cat
family, no creatures have longer held a place in human interest than
the bears. Their size and formidable equipment of teeth and claws
give a touch of fear which goes with admiration.
"The American black bear has without doubt the widest dis-
tribution of any North American bear, being found from Mexico
up to the Arctic Circle. The Grizzly Bear is found in a large part
of the territory in which the black bear lives although the habits of
these two creatures are different. Another group is the brown bear,
the largest of all the bears, and these inhabit the territory between the
Northern border of the United States and the Arctic Circle. The
Polar Bear is found in the everlasting ice fields of the polar regions.
This species is different from all of the other bears in its color, as
well as greater length of body. The inland white bear is principally
found in Southwestern British Columbia and according to some
authorities, belongs to the black bear group.
The Polar Bear stays well inside of the Arctic Circle; the big
brown Alaska bears are only found in certain localities on or near
the Northwest coast of the Continent; the Grizzly bears inhabit the
mountainous regions in the extreme west from Alaska south. The
black bear is found in the central and northern parts of the United
States and in the central and southern parts of Canada from the
Atlantic Coast to the shores of the Pacific, and his half brothers
and first cousins are found in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Mexico
and are so much alike that it takes a specialist and sometimes a
post mortem examination to tell them apart.
A mistaken idea, that is very old, and very generally enter-
tained about these animals, is that there is a difference in
species between the black and brown or cinnamon colored in-
dividuals of the tribe. This idea is so wide spread that one
often hears it said that there are three varieties of bears in the
United States the black bear, the cinnamon bear, and the grizzly
bear. This is not correct. There are many cinnamon colored bears
152 FUR FACTS
but there is no such species as the cinnamon bear. The difference
between the cinnamon colored black bear and the black colored one
is the same as the difference between a blond and brunette; while the
difference between the cinnamon colored black bear and the cinnamon
colored grizzly bear is like the difference between a spaniel and a
setter; they are of different breeds.
The black bear has a head broader between the ears in pro-
portion to its length and a muzzle much shorter and sharper than
the grizzly. This muzzle is also almost invariably of a grayish or a
buff color. The animal shows a rather noticable hump over the
small of the back, just in front of the hind legs, and these legs are
less straight than those of the grizzly and more sloping at the haunches.
Its ears are larger, its eyes are small and pig-like. Its claws are
short, much curved, very stocky at the base, and taper rapidly to a
sharp point. They are far less formidable as weapons and far less
servicable as digging implements than the long, slightly curved,
blunt claws of the grizzly; but they are perfectly adapted to the
uses to which their owner puts them. And the chief of these uses is
climbing.
The black bear climbs like a squirrel and from cub-hood to old
age spends a considerable portion of his time in trees. He can climb
as soon as he can walk and his mother takes clever advantage of this
fact. She sends her cubs up a tree whenever she wants them off
her hands for a time or when any danger threatens. In the latter
case, she will try to induce the enemy to follow her, and, when she
has eluded him, will return for the cubs. In parts of the country
where there are wolves, she will usually dispose of the cubs in this
manner before herself going off to feed on berries, etc., and though
it may be hours before her return, nothing will induce the cubs
to set foot on the ground until then. Later in life the black
bear continues to regard trees as its natural refuge from all
danger. A naturalist, some years ago, while visiting Yellowstone
Park, went one evening to watch the bears back of the Lake Hotel
where the refuse pile serves as their dining table. Conceal-
ing himself in shrubbery, he saw an old black bear and two
cubs contentedly feeding when a grizzly bear came upon the
scene from another direction. Immediately, the old black bear
gave a warning signal which the cubs apparently well under-
stood for they scampered off and up a near-by tree without any delay.
I have been told by experienced hunters that the cubs will not come
down out of the tree unless called by the mother and that they
FUR FACTS 153
spend much of their leisure time in the trees, often having special
ones which are used as sleeping quarters.
One sometimes hears it claimed that a black bear can only climb
a tree around which he can conveniently clasp his front legs, man-
fashion. They can climb and that with almost equal ease, any tree
that will hold their weight; from a sapling so small that there is just
room for them to sink one set of hind claws above the other in a
straight line, to an old giant so big that they can only cling to its
face, squirrel-fashion, and behind the trunk of which (also squirrel-
fashion) they can hide, circling as you walk around it.
Another curious fact about the black bear's sharp claws is that
they invariably match the owner's hide in color. A black animal always
has black claws, while a brown one has brown claws; and a
cinnamon-colored one has cinnamon-colored claws. This is not
true of the grizzly.
The black bear received its name informally, as it were, from the
early settlers of New England, where the overwhelming majority of
the species happened to be black and where, by dint of saying, "I
saw a black bear in the woods this afternoon", people came to refer
to the animal as the black bear. Later on the name was sanctioned
by scientific baptism and the animal became officially known as the
American Black Bear. The designation, however, as we have seen,
is by no means universally descriptive. In the east, and in the middle
west, an occasional brown specimen is met with, but when the Rocky
Mountain region is reached there is a bewildering variation in the
coloring of the species. The majority of the breed are still black, but
at least a quarter and perhaps a third of the specimens show a dif-
ferent coloration. Of these probably the seal-brown are the most
numerous; but there are black bears of every conceivable shade, from
a light cream color, through the yellow browns, to a jet glossy black
never seen in the east. Occasionally albino black bears have been
killed and it is believed that the Inland White Bear may have origin-
ated from such albino or partly albino black bears.
What may be the life span of the black bear in their free state it
is hard to say. They do not arrive at full maturity or growth until
their sixth or seventh year, and they probably live well beyond the
twenty-five year mark. They are hibernating animals which means
that in most, if not in all parts of their widely distributed range, they
pass a portion of the year asleep and without food or drink, in a den
or some sort of make-shift shelter.
154 FUR FACTS
Black bear cubs are born in the winter den of the mother some
time between the latter half of January and the middle of March,
depending upon the latitude as well as the altitude of the den. The
farther north a bear happens to live, the later the spring sets in and
so the later the animal comes out of its retirement. And the cubs
are born from six to eight weeks before the mother comes out.
The little bears, when first born, are absurdly small and helpless;
their eyes are shut and do not open for some time. They have no
teeth and are almost naked, and although the mother may weigh as
much as four hundred pounds or more, the whole litter of cubs does
not weigh over a couple of pounds and single cubs vary from eight to
eighteen ounces each according to the number in the litter. A black
bear will have all the way from one to four cubs at a time, and four
is not at all uncommon; three seems to be the common number
throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Of course, meeting a black
bear in the woods with only one cub, even in the early spring, does
not definitely prove that she only gave birth to one; because the
others might have died or have been killed. But, records of black
bears in captivity show that single cubs are not unknown. For some
time after the young are born, the family continues shut up in the
winter den and the young are nursed for six to seven months.
Another point on which there is much popular misconception and
disbelief is the extreme smallness of bear cubs at birth. This, at
first glance, is not only astonishing, but to many people seems almost
incredible. "How is it possible" they ask, * 'and why is it advantageous
for an animal as large as a bear to have young so small? Why the
puppies of a forty-pound dog are as large as the cubs of the four
hundred pound bear!" Yet the fact remains, and in the case of the
grizzly, where the mother sometimes weighs twice as much as the
black bear mother, the cubs are, if anything, a trifle smaller at birth
on the average. I have never heard the matter explained, but it
seems to me that when we consider the yearly habits of the bear they
tend to suggest how this peculiar race-habit has developed. A
dog mother with three or four puppies, weighing six or eight ounces
at birth, will eat three huge meals a day and grow thin as a rail nurs-
ing her hungry youngsters. What, then, would become of a bear
mother who had to nurse three or four cubs for six weeks or two
months, with never a meal at all, if the cubs were born weighing five
or six pounds? It looks very much as though nature, with her usual
skill at making both ends meet, had so arranged matters in the bear
family that, as these animals developed the hibernating habit, the
FUR FACTS 155
size of the cubs was reduced in proportion to the reduced ability of
the mother to nourish them. And that three or four eight-ounce
cubs do not make any undue demands on the resources of a three-
hundred or four-hundred pound mother is proved by the fact that
both she and they are normally in excellent condition when they
first come out in the spring.
There is a widespread notion that bears are given to traveling in
company; that they are sociable animals, and that bear families,
father, mother, and children, are not only to be met with in the
woods, but den up together for the winter. This is not true. Only
mother and cubs or occasionally half -grown cubs of one litter ever
travel together. I have never heard from any reliable source, that
grown bears, male and female, ever travel in couples, even in the
mating season; nor where full grown bears denned up together.
While not much of a traveler, the black bear will wander over a
fairly wide range in search of various foods in their season; yet,
broadly speaking, is pretty apt to live and die in the general neighbor-
hood of its birth. They wander both day and night, although when
they are in a region where grizzlies are also found they are careful
to disappear about the time that the latter, which are much more
nocturnal in their habits, may be expected to come out. When a
black bear has young cubs, she will stay for a week or two at a time
in one place, and will scratch a bed or nest among the leaves or hi a
thicket and lie up there between feeds with the youngsters.
As the cubs grow larger and stronger the mother wanders farther
afield with them, and, from sacrificing all her time and desires to
their needs and safety, comes gradually first to tolerate, and toward
the end of the season rather to resent, their persistent demands
upon her. For, like other animals, a bear, while showing the most de-
voted and courageous love for her children while they are helpless
has a very short-lived affection for them once they cease to need
her protection.
An old bear hunter and naturalist writes that "Neither the black
bear nor the grizzly is really a sociable animal, but black bear oc-
casionally play together, which grizzlies never seem to do. Under
ordinary circumstances, however, black bears have a funny trick of
pretending not to see each other when they meet. If one of them
comes into a marshy meadow or a small open glade in the woods
where one or two others are already feeding, he will make the most
laughable pretense of not seeing them. He will stop at the edge of
the opening and go through all the motions of examining the country,
156 FUR FACTS
carefully looking, however, everywhere but in the direction of the
other bears; all of which is vastly amusing to one familiar with the
keenness of his senses and the alertness of his attention, and the
practical impossibility of getting within seeing or hearing distance
of him without his knowing it. Meanwhile the bears already on the
ground play their part in the comedy with all the good will in the
world. They have undoubtedly been aware of the approach of the
newcomer long before any human watcher of the scene could have
suspected it, but they give no outward sign of being aware of the
new arrival. If, however, the intruder had happened to be a grizzly,
they would undoubtedly have taken to their heels or taken refuge in
the nearest tree with loud puffings and snortings some minutes be-
fore he reached the scene. Yet these same bears, once they have fed
their fill, will frequently go to playing together as one never sees
the grizzlies do. Two of them will stand up and wrestle, roll each
other over and over, chase each other about, and generally have a
fine romp. As a rule, however, this sort of play takes place between
bears of different sizes, and the smaller one sometimes gets well
thrown about and mauled.
The black bear's habits of hibernation are less rigid and ap-
parently less developed than the grizzly's. To begin with, they are
far less industrious in providing themselves with a den, and less
particular in having it weather-proof and well concealed. The grizzly
habitually finds some natural cave or shelter in the rocks, high up in
the mountains, often above the snow line. This he prepares for
occupancy by raking into it whatever he can find in the way of
leaves or dried grasses, and sometimes stops up with earth and stones
such holes or openings as would expose the interior to the weather.
The black bear is far less particular. Any old place that offers him
some fair promise of protection and privacy seems good enough for
him. He dens up at much lower altitudes, goes into winter quarters
later and comes out much earlier. One of his favorite stunts is to
dig a hole under the butt end of a fallen tree, rake a few leaves into
the opening and then crawl in himself. Sometimes when the tree is
a good-sized one and the roots hold the butt a little clear of the ground
he is saved the entire trouble of digging and makes a sort of nest in
the space beneath the trunk. At other times, he will dig a hole in
the soft ground and, of course, occasionally uses caves or other
natural retreats if he happens to find them handy. The time for den-
ning up varies with the locality and weather and throughout the
northwest is anywhere from November 1st to January 1st.
FUR FACTS 157
There has been much scientific discussion as to the nature of this
long sleep, and also much popular misconception in regard to its
outward manifestations.
Perhaps most people seem to think that a bear that has denned
up for the winter is in some mysterious, and more or less complete
state of coma; that its breathing is all but suspended, and that it
would be difficult, even by violence, to rouse it. They are very far
from the truth. Bears sleep, but are easily roused, quick to scent
danger, and ready to abandon their retreat and look up a new one
if they think it necessary.
Since they lay up no store of provisions, it is known that the
bear does not eat during its long retirement, and although, in the
north, it would be possible for it to provide itself with water by eating
the snow that shuts it in, it is known that bears hibernating in
captivity (a thing that seldom occurs) neither eat nor drink. An
odd fact about the whole proceeding is that all bears of the same
class in the same locality go into winter quarters and emerge from
them within a few days of each other.
During this hibernation the cubs are born. Some authorities
believe that the grizzly bear breeds every year; this is true of the
black bear but, one authority says, "I am inclined to believe that the
grizzly bear breeds every two years. The black bear takes care of the
young for the first season only and will wean them before going into
winter quarters while the grizzly mother will den up and hibernate
with her cubs."
Probably the explanation of this very striking difference of
habit between the black and grizzly bears in the matter of breeding
annually or biennially, is to be found in their different degrees of
fierceness, and in the resulting fact that the black bear cubs are not
so long in danger from the evil tempers and blood-thirsty dispositions
of the grown males of their kind.
A new born cub of either species would be instantly killed, and
probably eaten, by any old male that got the opportunity; and, un-
natural as this seems to us, it is true of any or most carnivorous, or
partly carnivorous, animal.
While the black bear mother shows no great concern for the
safety of her cubs after they have reached the age of five or six months,
the grizzly mother continues, with good reason, to evade or resent
the approach of other members of her tribe till well into the second
year. A famous hunter and naturalist, says regarding this: "I
have on two different occasions known of a male grizzly killing and
158 FUR FACTS
eating a cub that had been left fastened by a chain near a camp; and
in one instance I came upon a grizzly that had just killed a female
and had eaten her two cubs. She had been caught in a steel trap
set by a trapper, and her two cubs were with her. The male, finding
her in this predicament, had doubtless attacked the cubs, and when,
hampered as she was by the trap and clog, she had attempted to
defend them, he had killed her too."
A female grizzly with young is one of the most dangerous animals
in the world. She will allow no other bear of either sex to approach
either her or them, and this invariable attitude of her fully accounts,
to my mind, for her failure to breed while the young are still with her.
But the black bear mother is not only a comparatively inoffensive
animal at all times, but she seems to have no such lasting distrust
of other members of her own species.
The black bear is described as omniverous. Literally, that means
that he eats everything ; and this comes pretty near to being literally
true for he has democratic tastes, a magnificent appetite, and nothing
much to do between meals. Technically, however, the term means
that the black bear is both carnivorous and herbivorous; that he
eats flesh like a wolf, grass like an ox, fish like an otter, bugs like a
hen, and berries like a bird. In short he eats pretty much every-
thing he can get, and pretty generally all he can get of it.
One would naturally imagine that so thorough-going a feeder
would emerge from his long and complete winter fast terribly hungry
and ready for a hearty breakfast. But this is not so. Indeed, when
we stop to think of it, we can see that even a bear's cast-iron con-
stitution and digestive apparatus would hardly stand such treatment.
Examination of the stomach and intestines of a bear killed just as
it came out in the spring, not only found them entirely empty but
also flattened from disuse. These organs, have, therefore, to be
treated with some consideration and coaxed back gradually to the
performance of their accustomed functions. Shipwrecked sailors,
rescued at the point of starvation, have to be forced by their friends
to go slowly until their stomachs again get the habit of digestion;
and while bears have no friends to do them a like service, they have
practiced long fasting for so many generations that they have de-
veloped instincts that serve the purpose.
When they first come out of the winter's den they wander around
for a day or so showing little or no inclination for food. Then they
make their way down to where the snow is gone and the early vege-
tation has begun to sprout, and eat sparingly of the tender grass
FUR FACTS 159
shoots. But their appetites are not long in returning. By the end
of a week the old saying, "hungry as a bear", is more than justified
and they begin in earnest to make up for lost time. At this season
they are especially fond of the parsnip-like roots of the skunk cab-
bage. The grizzlies work for their food like industrious men. The
black bear will work hard at any kind of mischief, but seems to hate to
work steadily for business purposes. The grizzly will dig for hours and
heap out cart-loads of earth and rock to get at a nest of marmots
or ground-squirrels. The black bear may show an interest in a
marmot burrow and do a little half-hearted scratching near the en-
trance, but never digs deep or long for them. They kill nothing larger,
in the way of small game, than field mice, gophers, etc., and are very
fond of young pigs. They will turn over stumps and roll logs aside
to catch an escaping mouse and will capture it before it goes a yard.
Frogs and toads are a favorite delicacy of theirs and they spend
much time in looking for them. They will walk along the edge of
small streams and pin down a jumping frog with their lightning-
quick paws.
Practically nothing in the insect line is over-looked by them.
They are everlastingly poking and pulling at rotten logs, old stumps,
loose stones, and decayed trees, looking for caterpillars, squash
bugs, grubs, centipedes, and larvae. Their sense of smell is wonder-
fully acute and one can hear them sniffing and snuffing over the
punky mass of an old tree trunk they have ripped open, searching
with their noses for crawling goodies.
Like all bears they are extravagantly fond of ants, and they are
not only experts in finding them, but know how to take advantage
of the habits of the various kinds in order to catch them. Their
greatest feasts in this line are obtained when they discover the huge
low hills of what, in the west, are called vinegar ants. These are
only moderate in size but are extremely vicious. They get their name
from a strong odor, resembling that of vinegar, that they exhale
when aroused. They build large hills, sometimes several feet in
diameter, made up for the most part of pine needles, bits of wood,
pellets of earth, and such like stuff. They are red and black in color,
have powerful jaws, and rush by the thousands to give battle to any
intruder that disturbs their home. It is this latter trait that makes
them an easy prey to the black bear. When he discovers an ant
hill belonging to this species he runs up to it, puts one of his fore-
legs deep down into the inside of it, gives a turn to his paw that
160 FUR FACTS
effectually stirs things up below and then stretches himself out at
ease to await results, with his front legs extended at the base of the
hill.
Out rush the ants by companies, regiments and brigades;
mad as hornets, brave as lions, smelling like a spoiled vinegar mill,
and looking for trouble. They get it, almost immediately. They
discover the bear's furry paws and, struggling and tumbling through
the hair like angry and hurrying warriors in a jungle, they begin to
swarm over them. And as fast as they come the bear licks them up.
When the excitement dies down, he gives the inside of the hill another
poke. This results in another sortie of defenders, and when these
have stormed the hairy heights and been eaten for their pains, he
repeats the operation. A bear would eat a solid bushel of these in-
sects at a sitting. On the other hand, a bear will by no means despise
a single ant.
Bugs, bees, ants and mice are the luxuries and desserts of the
black bear's diet. He is, for the most part a vegetarian, does far
more grazing than is ordinarily supposed, and has his real season of
plenty and stuffing when the berry season arrives. He is also very
fond of fish but here again shows himself less clever and less in-
dustrious than the grizzly, who is an expert fisherman.
There is one feeding habit of the black bear that is said to be
universally typical. They never store up their food. The grizzlies
will bury the food they cannot eat for future use. They will also drag
away and bury or hide the carcass of any animal they have found
and will return to feed on it until it is all consumed. Or they will
carefully cover it where it lies with earth, leaves and branches to
prevent other animals from finding it in their absence. The black
bear does not look so far ahead. He will carry away a few pounds
of meat or bones in his mouth, but beyond that appears to take no
thought for the morrow. When he has satisfied his appetite on a
carcass he will leave it there and as he found it."
The Importance of the Bear in the Fur Trade
The raising of bears for profit will probably never become a pop-
ular industry, but there is no doubt but that it could be made profit-
able to anyone located in the western country with an ideal stretch
of ground for the purpose. Bears will become very tame as is evi-
denced by the fact that Yellowstone Park is full of them, and where
they are protected will increase very rapidly. There is a constant de-
mand for them by Zoological gardens, circuses, etc., and in addition to
FUR^FACTS 161
this the fur of the yearling bear is in demand for furriers' purposes and
the larger pelts are made into rugs and robes. The bear also has a
food value and bear steaks are considered a great delicacy by many.
The writer does not know of any black bear ranch but is inclined to
believe that one could be started and maintained probably easier
than a fox ranch and could be made profitable. If any of the blue
fox farmers of Alaska should decide to set aside one of their small
islands for the raising of bear, the writer would be very glad to hear
of it, or if any ranchers of the northwest should set aside a piece of
ground and undertake the raising of them the writer would like to
get the results of their experience for the benefit of others who might
be interested. There is no doubt but that it would prove a profit-
able venture. There are many pieces of ground in the northwest-
ern United States and Canada that would be ideally adapted for this
purpose.
The writer on one of his trips down the Yukon River was told by
an Esquimeaux chief who was a great hunter that he had known of
cases where mosquitoes would kill a bear. The mosquitoes along
the Yukon River are very vicious and as soon as the ice goes out of
the river they will attack any living creature along the bank with
vim and vigor. It seems that when the black bear comes out of his
winter home he is weak and hungry and when prowling along the
river bank in search of dainty morsels will be attacked by the mos-
quitoes. They cannot of course hurt him through his heavy coat of
fur and his hide is too thick for the mosquitoes to have any terror
for him. But the mosquitoes are also hungry and are just as anxi-
ous for food as the bear and they finally light on his eyelids. They
attack the bear in swarms and he will fight them off with his paws
but after a while he is worn out with the struggle and weak with
the constant effort of fighting them off and will fall down from ex-
haustion, and oftentimes dies. As soon as he gives up the mosquitoes
sting his eyes out.
The bear skin is of comparatively little importance in the fur
trade, and most of the black bear skins find their way to the London
market where they are largely used for the tall hats worn by the
soldiers of the royal regiments. Bears are usually hunted by sports-
men and shot with the rifle, and a number are also taken by the
trapper; but the trapper much prefers to devote his time and energy
to more profitable pelts, as the pelts of the black bear will not justify
the labor and trouble of taking them. A fine marten skin is much
more valuable than a large bear skin, and even a fine mink will bring
162
FUR FACTS
more than a poor bear, so that the professional trapper who makes
his living on the trap line as a rule does not bother with bear. The
pelts of the bear found in the cane breaks are of little or no value for
furriers' purposes, and are only suitable for mounting. As this is
rather expensive the bear of the southern states is not hunted for its
fur and it is rarely that a bear skin from this section is sent to market.
euu.
BLACK BEAR
How to Trap Bear
The following methods have been used by prize winning trappers
who have had long experience and successful catches for a number of
years on the trap line and will be of much value to both pro-
fessionals and amateurs.
"I go in a rough canyon at a place where a side gulch comes in
where bear travel, then hang half a sackful of partly-damaged apples
on a tree or large rock, then build a V-shaped pen in front of the
tree, build it higher than the bait hangs and right next to the bait.
This I hang four feet high. I smear some honey on the outside of
sack, and set my trap, well covered, about three and one-half feet
from the tree, in the entrance of the pen. I clean the trap and rub
it with sage brush, also sprinkle sage brush leaves over it before cov-
FUR FACTS 163
ering. Sometimes I use a large chunk of meat for bait, but prefer
the apples, as Mr. Bruin is very fond of fruit and honey, and he can
smell the apples a long ways oft 7 ; then he will pay them a visit and be
caught. I have caught many that way. Try it."
W. M. HAMMER.
"Find a hollow log with a hole in it of about eight inches. Cut
a piece of it about eight feet long, take it to where you know bears
travel, or where they come to drink. Place the log on a clear place.
If you have lots of traps put a No. 5 at each end of the log; make a
hole the depth of trap in ground, cover well with old leaves, grass or
loose black earth. Never make trap fast. Clog it with a short pole
that will weigh sixty or eighty pounds. For bait, get a sheep's head
or some other meat such as you can procure, put it in a pan and roast
it briskly for five or eight minutes over a hot fire or in a hot oven.
Take it out, put the size of a large hen's egg of bee's comb, honey
and all, and a half can of salmon over the bait, and put it back to roast
for five minutes more, then take the bait and put on some Funsten
Animal Bait for Bear over it, put cord on bait, trail it in circles 100
yards in every direction around trap, put the bait in the center of
the hollow log, go away, and if two bears come along you will have
them both, as bears can not leave an attraction like that."
JOHN BROWN.
"The following methods are the ones I used in trapping bear in
the eastern provinces, by setting your traps in the water and on the
hills in the spring of the year, and in setting on the beech ridges in
the fall season.
To Set in the Water in the Spring In the spring, when the bear
comes out of his den he has a habit of traveling along the shores of
streams, especially those streams that have fish in them. Locate a
place where the water is smooth and where the bear, in traveling
along the stream, is likely to pass. Set your trap in the edge of the
water, so it is covered by about three or four inches of water. Cover
it well with moss. Turn the springs of the trap well around.
Fasten the bait well to a stake and drive it out into the water
about three feet beyond the trap, so that the bait will be above the
water. For bait use bacon rind, fish (fresh or dried), dried or fresh
fruit. Also use some scent. Beaver castor I have found very suc-
cessful. I have known bear to be trapped where nothing was used
for bait but a small piece of beaver castor. Before ydu have set
your trap, as described, build an enclosure around your bait, ex-
164 FUR FACTS
cepting the side facing your trap. Also build the same around or on
each side of your trap. For this use dry bush, such as balsam, hem-
lock or spruce tops. Don't put any old logs around, as the bear will
be sure to climb upon them to get the bait. The bear seems to have
a horror of dry brush. It is because it becomes entangled in his long
fur. Cover the trap with a thick coat of moss, stick a few ferns in
on top of the moss, so it will appear like a stone. Fasten the trap
to a pole about twelve or fifteen feet long and large enough so the ring
of the chain fits over it at the butt end. Fasten the ring of the chain
to the pole by driving a wedge in the pole after you have slipped
the ring over it.
Bear have what trappers call a "biting tree" at some particular
point beside a stream or on the bank of a lake. They will have a small
tree, balsam, spruce or tamarack, and every bear that passes it in
the spring of the year will stop, get up on their hind legs and bite
the tree up as far as they can reach. Close to such trees is a good
place to set for bear, as they are generally looking around for some-
thing at such places. At these places it is best to set your traps be-
side a tree. Select a tree that has a hog's back running up to the
foot of the tree; sink your trap in the ground so that it is level with the
surface and when set, cover it well with moss and leaves; pile up old
dry brush, on the back side of the tree and on each side of the trap.
Fasten your trap as described for setting in the water. Use a No. 5
Newhouse Trap. Look at your bear traps about once a week. Don't
allow your bait to get old or foul-smelling, as a bear likes his feed
fresh. In the spring the green feed will commence to grow on the
hills before it does in the valleys, and the bear will go to hills for
this green feed. Locate a place where the hill is narrow, and set
your trap as described in setting beside a tree.
The most successful method that I have used in trapping bear, is
setting on the beech ridges in the fall of the year. The bear is very
fond of beech nuts, and in a country where there are plenty of beech
nuts on the beech ridges is where you will find the bear as soon as the
nuts are ripe. Set your trap the same as described in the two previous
methods, only use fresh fruit for bait, such as crab apples, or most
any sort of fresh fruit; also use scent."
P. B. AUSTIN.
How to Prepare Bear for Market
Bear skins should always be taken off open and the head, feet,
and legs should be left on. In taking off skins that are to be used
FUR FACTS 165
for mounting purposes do not leave the bones in the feet, or the bone
in the skull. Take the skin off from around the feet very carefully
and cut away all of the superfluous meat and fat from around the
head. Then see that the skin is thoroughly and carefully dried
before packing it for shipment. Do not use any preservatives in
drying the pelt or chemicals of any kind, as they are liable to inter-
fere with the dressing of the skin and spoil it for the taxidermist.
CHAPTER XVIII
i
WOLF
The wolf is found throughout the United States and Canada.
In the West and Southwest they are commonly called coyotes.
The coyote is smaller than the Northern wolf in size and its fur is
not so valuable.
In recent years the pelt of the wolf has been taken up by the
furriers; the soft silky skins are much sought after and are dyed and
used as trimming on coats and dresses. As the fur is a natural light
graty in color it lends itself very nicely to the different shades of dye.
The flat coarse kind are not suitable for furriers' use but are made up
into automobile robes, etc. The largest wolf are found in Alaska
and the northern part of Canada. The finest wolf in quality of fur
cotoe from northwestern Canada and northwestern United States.
Constant warfare is made on the wolf and there is no game law
to protect him. The wolf is a constant source of trouble to the western
ranchmen and especially the sheep herders, and for this reason they
are hunted at all times of the year and by every known method.
One of the most common methods is to spread strychnine pills,
which does little harm to the wolf, but immeasurable harm to other
furbearing animals and live stock as well. The wolf is very cunning
and one of the most intelligent of the wild animals. He is suspicious
of all artificial foods, that is to say food that he does not catch and
kill himself. It is only when he is desperately hungry that he will
eat nicely prepared morsels which he seems to know are loaded.
The policy of using strychnine and other poisons should
be discontinued because it is evident that few wolf are taken by
this method, and great harm is done by setting out these poisoned
baits. The writer holds no brief for the wolf. As a general rule it
deserves to be killed on sight, because the wolf himself is a killer.
For this reason most states have offered bounties for every wolf
killed and in some sections where wolf are notoriously bad these
bounties run very high. On account of the bounty and the high
price of the wolf pelts, professional trappers as well as amateurs de-
vote a great deal of time and attention to trapping wolf, and the
FUR FACTS 167
large number of pelts taken annually would indicate that they have
been very successful.
The lobo wolf is usually the leader of the pack, grows to a great
size, is a terrible killer, is crafty, smart, and very hard to trap. Forest
Rangers are employed by the United States Government to trap
wolf, especially to take the big lobo wolf in sections where they do
great damage to live stock. Mr. Wm. M. Anderson, Forest Super-
visor of the Ashley National Park, has been very successful in the
catching of these big wolves, as well as Mr. Walter Fry, Ranger in
charge of Sequoia and General Grant National Parks. Both of these
men use and recommend Funsten Wolf Bait.
In the stock country food baits do not appeal to the wolf very
strongly, and he is more or less suspicious of animals that are killed
and prepared for him. He much prefers to do his own killing, and
for this reason the big lobo wolf is very hard to coax into a steel
trap. About the only way they are brought to the trap is with the
use of prepared scent baits.
As a rule the wolf is a coward, but if he is forced into it he will
put up a hard fight and is a dangerous opponent. Much has been
written about packs of wolves attacking a man or a lone wanderer,
but there are few, if any, authentic cases of this on record. The
wolf is deadly afraid of man and will only attack a man when he has
fallen down, weak, helpless, and exhausted, and even then the wolf
would have to be starving and pressed pretty hard before he would
do so. However, they will attack most any sort of an animal, and
as they usually hunt in packs they can do great damage.
The Forest Service has waged war on the western wolf and large
numbers of them have been captured in and around the forest re-
serves. In addition to the Forest Rangers the Government has em-
ployed professional trappers for this work and some of the wiliest,
craftiest old wolves have been taken by these experienced men.
The wolf that roam the plains of Texas and parts of New Mexico
are smaller in size than the Western wolf and the fur is coarser, in
fact on some of them the fur is almost hair and is very brittle. So
far as the value of the wolf pelt is concerned for furriers' purposes,
the color of the wolf does not make any material difference. Prac-
tically all wolf that are used for furriers' purposes are dyed; there-
fore the natural color, whether it be a light gray or a silvery gray
is not considered in valuing the pelt. The Southwestern coyote
is even more greedy and bloodthirsty than his brother of the farther
North, and if anything they are more sneaking and cowardly. They
168 FUR FACTS
will run down deer and hamstring the victims, and take especial
delight in killing the young fawn. Their howl has a shrill piercing
note, and all together the southwestern coyote is rather a mean low
down creature.
In some sections of the west the cattlemen and sheepmen pay
trappers salaries to trap the coyote, and to especially direct their
attention against some one bad offender. Often a lone wolf will
terrorize an entire county, and show wonderful intelligence in avoid-
ing every trap and snare that can be set for him. These renegade
wolf do great harm, and often stockmen become desperate and offer
big prices for their capture.
Wolf are rather prolific and have from five to twelve in a litter.
They are hardy, tough creatures, and soon grow up and are able to
take care of themselves after they are several months old. The
Department of Agriculture says that the actual number of cattle
killed by wolves can not be determined. Comparatively few animals
are found by cattle men and hunters when freshly killed, with wolf
tracks around them and wolf marks on them. Not all of the adult
cattle missing from the herd can with certainty be charged to the
depredations of wolves, for missing calves may have been taken by
dogs, wolves, mountain lions, or by cattle rustlers. But enough data
has been secured to convince the men who have investigated the
matter thoroughly that considerable live stock is killed by wolves.
In a great many sections of the West bounties are paid for wolf
scalps, and oftentimes the state, county, and local cattle organiza-
tions will pay a separate bounty. It is stated that in one state alone
$160,000.00 was paid out over a period of ten years in bounties, but
even with excessive bounty there is some question as to whether any
headway has been made against the wolf.
Wolf skins are often badly damaged by cutting the heads off
almost down to the shoulders in order to collect the bounty. This
is a wasteful and absurd practice and should be discontinued. Other
states require that both ears and a small piece of the scalp be turned in
to collect the bounty, and this is a much more sensible plan as the
cutting of the ears and a part of the scalp does not injure the fur
itself, in fact there is not much damage, unless the wolf was an un-
usually fine specimen that could be used for mounting for museum
work.
Often there is so much red tape in connection with the collection
of the bounty that trappers do not bother about it, but trap merely
to cash in the valuable pelts. In some states it is necessary to pre-
FUR FACTS 169
sent the entire skin to the county clerk and make an affidavit stating
as to where, how, and when the wolf was killed and everything about
it. Some of the bounties range up as high as twenty dollars on each
wolf.
WOLF
There is no doubt but that some advantage has been taken of the
bounty system, and probably the only safe way is to require the per-
son collecting the bounty to present the whole skin and then have
the county official remove the ears and a part of the scalp, in order
that the same skin can not be presented the second time. A satis-
factory way of marking the skin on which the bounty has been paid
is to cut a slit four to six inches long between the ears. This does
not injure the skin in any way, and prevents the possibility of col-
lecting more than one bounty on the same skin. The Bureau of
Biological Survey has prepared the following directions as an aid
to the county and state officials in identifying the scalps, and skins
of wolves, coyotes, the puppies of wolf, red, gray, and kit foxes,
young bob cats, coons, and badgers. The variation in dogs is so great,
no two being exactly alike in character, that there is no sure way
that they can be distinguished from wolf and coyote, but when there
is reason to suspect that dogs are being presented for bounty, their
skins and skulls can be sent to the Bureau of Biological Survey for
positive identification. The Department furnishes the following key
to adult wolves and coyotes.
170 FUR FACTS
Wolf Coyote
Width of nose pad lj to 1J^ inches % to I inch
Width of heel pad of front foot . . . 1 J^ to 2 inches 1 inch
Upper canine tooth greatest di-
ameter at base 5/10 to 6/10 inches 3/10to4/10in.
The Biological Survey furnishes the following key to Wolf, Coy-
ote and Fox Pups.
Wolf Pups
Muzzle blackish at birth, fading in a month or six weeks to greyish.
Head greyish in decided contrast to black of back, nose and ears.
Ears black at tips, fading to greyish in a month or six weeks.
Tail black, fading to grey with black tip.
Coyote Pups
Muzzle tawny, or yellowish brown, becoming more yellowish
with age.
Head yellowish grey, not strongly contrasted with rest of body.
Ears dark brown at tips and back, soon fading to yellowish brown.
Tail black, fading to grey with black tip.
Red Fox Pups
Muzzle blackish.
Head dusky with side of face light yellowish.
Ears large, nearly the whole back of ears bright black at all ages.
Eyes and ears relatively larger and nose pad smaller than in
coyote or wolf.
Tail dusky, tip white at all ages.
Grey Fox Pups
Muzzle blackish.
Head greyish, face back of eyes sharply pepper and salt grey.
Ears large, back of ears dusky at tip, fulvous at base.
Eyes and nose pad small.
Tail with tip black at all ages.
Kit Fox Pups
Muzzle with blackish patch on each side.
Head and face tawny or yellowish brown.
Ears tawny without black backs or tips.
Eyes larger and nose pad smaller than in young coyote.
Tail with tip black at all ages.
FUR FACTS 171
Key to Young Cats, Coons and Badgers
Young bobcats are much striped and spotted. Young cats of
any kind can be distinguished by the short nose and round head.
Young coons have a broad black band across the face and eyes
bordered above by a light band.
Young badgers have a white stripe between the eyes.
The big bounties offered by some states have no doubt added
incentive to trappers, but is doubtful whether it has done any real
good, considering the amount of money expended for this purpose.
It results in inexperienced and amateur hunters setting out all sorts
of poisoned baits to get the wolf scalp, and according to well informed
experienced ranchmen does more harm than good.
Wolf is one of the few furbearing animals that no one has at-
tempted to conserve and there are no fur farms devoted exclusively
to the raising of wolf for fur purposes. The wolf pelt is one of the
most valuable fur pelts that we have and thousands of them are
used annually and thousands are wasted because of the poisoning
method of killing. The fur is very popular for trimming both in this
country and abroad; but because the wolf is such a destructive animal
it seems to be the general policy of every one to kill and exterminate
him . Wolf are hunted constantly year in and year out.
Some states have even gone so far as to pass laws against the
raising of wolf and have declared war to the death against them.
The time will come no doubt when wolf will be a scarce article
and something else will have to be found to take the place of wolf
fur in the markets of the world. This is another reason why the
farmer boy and the lad in the country should be taught early to
become interested in the smaller furbearing animals and to con-
serve them and raise them, because the coon, the mink, the skunk,
the opossum, and the muskrat, will always be wanted and will
become more valuable as time goes on.
For years dogs have been used to run down wolves, and wolf
chasing is a very exciting sport. The Russian wolf hound is a past
master of this art. The Irish wolf hound and the ground hound,
and many other classes of dogs have been trained for generations to
run down and kill the wolf. The wolf is a fast runner and it takes a
speedy dog to catch and hold him. A well balanced pack usually
has several grey hounds in it, which can outrun the other dogs.
The grey hound and the wolf hound are about the only dogs that can
outrun the wolf on a dead straight away, and even then they have
to be mighty good dogs to do it. The balance of the pack are usually
172 FUR FACTS
sturdy game fighters, and the airedale makes a wonderful dog for
this purpose. They are never far behind the grey hounds and usually
arrive in time to put the finishing touches to the wolf.
For a while setting out poisoned baits to kill the wolf was a very
common practice, but the results have been such that it is now being
discontinued and should be discontinued entirely. It simply serves
to pollute the country, and as strychnine is the poison used it is
very dangerous. Pelts that are taken by the poison method are not
desirable. The wolf that is poisoned will often be able to travel far
enough from the place where it took the bait to get into some out
of the way place and die. Very often it is some fine dog that gets the
bait instead of the wolf. Often the bait containing the strychnine
will get kicked around and cattle and sheep will graze over the spot
and die from the effects of the poison. Birds will eat the poison bait
and fly off and die. Fine furbearers such as skunk, marten, mink, etc.,
will get killed by nibbling at the poisoned bait that is set out for
wolf and the wolf goes merrily on. Trappers should absolutely make
it a hard and fast rule never to use poison in any shape or form.
As stated before, the wolf of the Western United States has plenty
of food available and experience has taught him to fight shy of food
baits that have been prepared for him, and for this reason it is very
difficult to trap the wolf and depend on food baits alone to attract
him to the trap. Experienced trappers such as the United States
Forest Rangers depend on scent baits, such as Funsten Animal Bait,
which is highly recommended for this work. This bait has been
on the market for more than twenty years, was awarded the grand
prize, highest award, at the World's Fair in St. Louis, 1904, and has
been used by wolf trappers throughout the United States, Canada,
Alaska, and Siberia. It will attract the wolf where you want him
no matter how old and crafty he may be.
The No. 4J^ Newhouse Trap is recommended for wolf trappers.
It has large powerful jaws with a spread of about eight inches and
is furnished with a strong two pronged drag and a heavy steel chain.
Once the wolf is caught in this trap he is there to stay, and there is
no chance for him to pull out and get away.
The No. 4j/ is used where the wolf are very large and powerful.
The most popular sizes for wolf trapping are the No. 4 and the No.
3. These are lighter traps, but will hold equally as well as the No.
4J^. The nature of the drag depends a good deal of course on the
character of the trapping ground. A heavy stone or a chunk of
wood will make a very satisfactory drag, and it should be remembered
FUR FACTS 173
that the idea of the drag is to delay the progress of the wolf, and should
be arranged so that he will not get hung up and get a dead pull and
be able to break off and get away.
It is advisable in trapping for wolf to cover the trap and chain
as well as the drag. This can be done by placing a thin sheet of clean
paper over the jaws and pan of the trap, so that the dirt you use
for covering will not get under the pan of the trap and prevent it
from springing. See that the hole containing the trap is covered
over and that the surroundings look as natural as before the digging
was done. A little cotton under the pan of the trap will prevent it
from freezing ever so slightly, because to trap the wolf the spring
must work fast or he will step out and get away. Some traps have
a small hole in the pan, or a small hole is drilled through the pan,
and a sliver of wood about the size of a toothpick is forced through
it so as to hold the pan stiff enough to prevent a small mouse or
some other small animal from running over it and tripping the pan.
Some trappers recommend wearing gloves in the setting of traps
to prevent the human odor from being around the trap, but we do
not believe that this is advisable since the gloves will carry the human
odor as well as the hands. It is advisable to handle traps as little
as possible, and for this reason we recommend the Wonder Trap
Setter, for with this device the trapper can set the trap without
touching it with the bare hands at all.
United States Rangers after exhaustive tests say this about wolf
trapping, "Success in trapping wolves depends largely on the use of
scents that will attract the wolf to the neighborhood of the trap and
keep them tramping and pawing around until caught. Meat bait
alone is of little use, for as a rule the wolf kills ample food for himself."
If you succeed in catching a wolf you can reasonably expect to
catch others at the same spot, as they will be attracted to the spot
by the odor of the other wolf, and they can not resist prowling around
it to find out what happened. One trapper reports having caught
nine wolves at the same spot, due to the fact that the other wolves
were attracted there by the odors left by the previous captives.
After you have used scent to attract wolf to a certain spot, it is not
advisable to use more scent, but depend on the natural odor left by
the first wolf to attract others.
If you can find a runway or travelled trail of a pack of wolves,
you can set your traps in this trail and have reasonable assurance that
they will come that way again. The wolf is pretty much a creature
of habit and will go back and forth over the same trail even at long
174 FUR FACTS
intervals. The methods for setting traps and placing the Funsten
Animal Bait differ according to the locality, the seasons of the year,
conditions of snows, etc. The following methods have been found
successful, and are written by men who have had long experience
in trapping wolves. All of these men are prize winning trappers.
Winner of First Prize for Trapping Wolf
"Any method used in trapping must be governed by surrounding
conditions, to be successful; if using a bait to attract the animal, it
should be placed where traps can be covered with some substance
that Nature has provided, as sand, decayed wood, leaves, manure or
snow.
Before setting traps, special care should be taken to destroy all
human scent, and the scent of steel as much as possible, dipping
traps in melted beeswax being a very good method, or burrowing in
manure or sage leaves. Boiling in strong sage tea will kill the scent,
but each different method should be used when traps are to be covered
with something of corresponding odor. I sometimes kill and use an
old horse or cow for bait.
In using a horse or cow for a bait, it will be found best to let the
wolves start to eating before placing traps around, and when possible
set traps during a snowstorm, so that traps may be snowed over
evenly, and if it is still storming when wolves call around, they will
very seldom suspicion any danger. Do not be in a hurry: "Haste
makes waste," but choose proper weather for setting traps. If trap-
ping on snow ,use cold, stormy weather. If in summer, the weather
does not cut so much figure. In setting traps, place sheep's wool or
cotton under pan of trap, to prevent anything from getting under.
If snow is not to be had, use manure from stomach of animal, if
possible. Do not try to trap the wolf in soft winter weather, but
take your traps away from the bait. Do not place too many traps
around one bait. Three, usually, is sufficient; two close to spot
that wolf has been working on, and one six or seven feet away. A
clog may be used on traps to advantage, in place of staking trap
tight, on account of the animal taking the trap away from the bait
without disturbing the ground, as it would do if staked solid. Yet
there is considerable danger of losing game and traps in storms, as
the foot of the animal will come off in two or three days, if in a trap,
whether the trap is staked solid or simply hanging to the foot. A
very heavy weight may be used, so that the animal will not be able
to^drag it but a short distance, a rock being an ideal weight, as it
FUR FACTS 175
is small and heavy; or else a piece of wood may be substituted, in
place of rock. Never use iron weight, as wolves are very skeptical
of the scent of iron, but not of rocks. A good and neat way of at-
taching trap to the rock is to drill a hole in a rock of proper size,
placing iron eye in hole and pour hot babbit metal around it. When
trap is set, turn eye under, and no suspicion will be aroused at the
presence of the rock.
If traps are to be covered with snow, use a piece of hardcrusted
snow to level fine snow over traps, as there will be no scent left, as
if some other article were used, and if sand is used to cover traps, use
a flat rock. At all times handle traps with gloves that are used for
nothing else but that purpose, keeping them well-rubbed in palms
with beeswax.
If using a small bait of any kind, it should be securely fastened,
so that it can not be dragged away from traps.
The wolf may be readily trapped from badger mounds by placing
traps on mound and bait in hole, a badger or skunk being preferable
to almost any other kind of bait; but if that can not be had, use some
other in connection with a good decoy, such as Funsten Animal Bait,
which will be found very useful in attracting the game to the hole.
Traps should be placed with deep enough cover to prevent ground
squirrels from springing traps, sage brush being a very desirable place
to place bait, as the strong odor of the sage will kill all human scent,
and scent of the steel; besides, the leaves may be used to cover the
traps, which is the best covering that can be had.
If a tame Wolf can be had, it can be used with great success by
chaining it near your bait, after setting traps and covering properly,
first placing blocks under pan of trap, so that tame wolf may not
spring them. After wolf has been left to walk and roll over traps all
day, it may be removed in the evening and blocks taken from under
pans of traps, which will require but little disturbance to be made to
traps, if traps have been sunken below the surface of the ground;
yet if trap should be exposed in any way, it should be recovered.
Manure should be used for covering traps, as it will remain less
compact than dirt."
O. S. McKEE.
Another Method for Trapping Wolf
"For fall trapping, locate all the long, narrow ridges along all
streams; the higher and sharper the ridge the better. If too much
brush, clear narrow path where necessary, and plow furrow along
176 FUR FACTS
ridge in summer. Cut and make brush fence up to path on each
side in several places along ridge. Early in the fall scatter fine
buckwheat chaff in path at each place where brush conies up to the
path; also, when leaves fall, scatter them along the path. In this
way the wolf gets used to the surroundings before you are ready to
trap. He travels along these ridges looking for game. Have brush
in place to fasten trap to, so there will be no new object to cause him
to shy. Set traps in the path at all places desired. Set down level
with surface, cover smoothly with fine chaff, having first rubbed
your hands and trap well with green popple bark or willow buds.
Look up all old paths or roads running through timber; fix and set
here as on ridges.
The best time to trap them is in winter, with plenty of snow, and
in snow paths made by riding horseback. Put a stone in sack and
ride out to where you intend trapping, have rope to sack and drop
down and let horse drag it. In this way you can make a fine path.
Go along all ridges and through brush which rabbits use, stop where
you want to make a set, pull drag up close to horse, and make sharp
turn. This will cause the game to come to a walk, and he will not
step over your trap. Extend your snow path across prairie from
stream to stream. Now you have a path for them to follow, as well
as the rabbits.
To set trap, pick out your place and dig out snow so trap will set
level with surface. Lay a piece of white paper in bed to keep trap
from freezing down. Use bark or willow buds, as before; cover over
carefully with thin cotton, putting it in around pan and spring of
trap. Set trap stiff enough so rabbit will not spring it. Pick up
plenty of rabbit-dropping and place around trap. Set at all places
where rabbits make road into patch. Now you are ready for every
wolf that comes this way, as they will use your path in search of rab-
bits. I also recommend Funsten Animal Baits in setting traps for
wolf. Rub a little under the pan of trap."
C. S. BREWER.
Wolf Trapping
"My way of trapping the wolf: Dig a hole in the ground to fit the
trap along a cow patch, near a fence or stream, sprinkle a little dry
dirt over trap, then burn a small bunch of hay over trap. Wolf will
always dig into camp fire.
In the winter, dig hole in ground or snow, and cover trap with
dry cow chips pulverized fine. Throw a little Funsten Bait up and
FUR FACTS 177
down the trail, and put a little fish oil, rendered, in a bottle in the
sun over trap and campfire. Make everything look as natural as
possible, clean up loose dirt or snow and carry it away."
L. F. WHITNEY.
CHAPTER XIX
ERMINE OR WHITE WEASEL
Ermine, or white weasel, is the smallest of all the North American
furbearers, and is a vicious and blood-thirsty killer. It preys on
rabbits and all kinds of small quadrupeds, birds, and reptiles. It
is especially fond of young rabbits and is said to kill large quantities
for the pure love of killing. It pursues its game with great deter-
mination and rarely allows it to escape. It is a great plunderer of
birds' nests and its favorite method of attack is to catch the bird
by the throat and suck its blood. On account of its small size
and lightning-like quickness it is able to escape most of its enemies
and it will fight a larger animal without any provocation.
Nature has been very kind to the weasel in giving it a beautiful
white coat in the winter and a brown coat in the summer. The white
weasel running along the snow in the winter time is almost invisible
except for the black speck at the end of the tail. This really is an
added advantage to the weasel for the reason that if it is pursued by a
hawk, the bird will make a swoop for the black tip and usually miss
the weasel's body in doing so. The tail of the weasel is fully one
half as long as the body and the black tip is all that is visible when it
is flying over the snow.
The fur of the ermine is snow white and very beautiful, and has
long been prized by royalty for use on the royal robes. The Siberian
weasel is a little larger and a bit heavier in fur than the American
weasel. Some of our American weasel are just as large as the Russian
ermine, and just as fine in quality, although on the average this is
not true, the Russian ermine being the better so far as size and quality
is concerned.
While the ermine is snow white in the Winter with the exception
of the black tip at the end of the tail, it turns brown in the Summer,
nature thus again aiding the animal in that it is very hard to dis-
tinguish it from its surroundings in its brown coat, where it would
stand out very prominently if it were snow white. The fur of the
brown coat is not as thick or as long as that of the white coat, and
up until a few years ago the summer coat of the white weasel was
considered of no value; but in recent years it has been made up into
FUR FACTS 179
beautiful garments and is known as "Summer Ermine". It is a
light tan in shade and is very light in weight and matches beautifully
with almost any other color.
It is said that at one time ermine fur was monopolized by the
royal families and nobility, and that it was never used or worn by
others. Today, however, it is very popular with Her Royal High-
ness, The American Woman, who uses it principally for evening
wraps and opera capes. It is not much given to street wear, for one
reason, on account of its white color; the principal reason probably
being that ermine rather calls for diamonds and low-cut gowns.
The ermine, or white weasel, is found only in the Northern fringe
of states along the Canadian border, in Canada, and Alaska, the
finest native skins coming from Alaska. The Alaska white weasel
compares very favorably with the Russian ermine in size and quality.
However, the weasel is found in the central and southern states
but it is brown and does not change its color like its northern brother.
It evidently takes real bitter cold winter weather to cause the animal's
coat to change color.
The weasel in some sections have sulphury-yellow spots on the
fur, and some people believe that this is characteristic only of the
genuine ermine and the finest skins, but this is not true. The skins
that command the highest prices and are the most sought after are
the pure snow white skins. In addition to this yellow tinge, white
weasel are also found sprinkled with gray or brown hairs, where the
transition from one color to another is not entirely complete. The
skins which have grey or brown hairs sprinkled through them are not
as valuable as the clear white skins. Weasel are also taken that are
about one half brown and one half white, and present a very spotted
appearance. These have little or no value for fur purposes.
In the olden days the kings and queens monopolized the fur of
the ermine, and they still are used to adorn the state robes, the
black spot of the tail being used as well as the white fur.
As stated before the finest ermine come from Russia, from the
Tomsky, Yakutsky, and Janiseisky sections of Siberia, the ermine
from the Barbizin section probably being the largest. At the
Russian fairs the ermine was usually offered in what were known
as timbres, a timbre consisting of a bundle of forty ermine skins.
The weasel has a sharp eye and a keen sense of smell, and for this
reason is rather difficult to trap. Most trappers depend on artificial
scent such as Funsten Animal Bait to assist them in trapping this
blood-thirsty little furbearer.
180
FUR FACTS
The female will bring forth a litter of from four to eight young
at a time and generally chooses a hollow tree, or a hollow log, or a
hole in the rocks as a breeding place. It is said that if the young are
in danger, the mother will carry them off cat fashion to a place of
safety, is not afraid of any animal, and shows remarkable courage,
and will defend her young with her life if necessary. The female
weasel is devoted to her kittens. The parallel of the weasel can
ERMINE OR WHITE WEASEL
hardly be fbund among any of^the larger animals. Most animals that
secure a sufficient amount of food are satisfied to wait until their
hunger again prompts them to go forth in search of food, but not so
with the weasel or ermine. It will assail any of the smaller animals at
any time and almost any place, on the ground, in the tree tops, and
it is even said that it will attack a muskrat in the water. Its main de-
sire is evidently to deliberately kill, and it is probably rightfully
called the most blood-thirsty of any of the smaller carnivora.
FUR FACTS 181
How to Trap Weasel
For trapping weasel most trappers recommend the smallest size
steel trap, the No. or No. 1. The pan of the trap should be set
very lightly as the weasel is lightning fast and its light weight will
not spring the trap unless it is set very fine. Some trappers recommend
the larger size or No. lj^ trap, as this usually kills instantly and does
not damage the fur in any way.
The habits of the weasel are very similar to those of the mink and
the same general rules for trapping mink will apply for the weasel.
One should be familiar with their signs and tracks and wherever
there is evidence of weasel playing around several traps should be
set in a circle in order to make sure of catching them. Some trappers
recommend killing a rabbit and making a trail of the blood to the
trap and hanging the rabbit up over the point where traps are set around
in a circle and sprinkling a few drops of Funsten Animal Bait for ermine
over the ground. Hang the rabbit up high enough so that the weasel
will have to leap to get to it and drag it down. This together with
the suggestions on trapping mink will help the beginner, and the
professional trapper will study the lay of the land in his section for
weasel and set his traps accordingly.
How to Prepare for Market
In skinning ermine for market the pelt should be taken off cased
with either the fur or the pelt side out, although it is best to have it
with the pelt side out as this prevents the fur from becoming soiled
in handling. As the pelt is light great care must be taken not to tear
the skin. Stains of blood or other stains on the fur take away from
its value and the fur should therefore be kept as white and clean as
possible in the process of skinning. Stretch on a board of the correct
size and shape, but be careful not to overstretch the skin. The skin
dries very quickly and if hung in a cool dry place will be ready for
shipment within two or three days.
CHAPTER XX
FISHER
The fisher is found principally in Canada, the finest specimens
coming from Eastern Canada. Oregon, Washington, California,
Montana, Idaho, and the fringe of states along the Canadian border
is also the home of the fisher. The fisher is a beautiful fur, especially
the smaller silkier skins. In addition to its beauty it is a splendid wear-
l ng fur, being much stronger in texture than the fox and the long
guard hairs resemble the coon in thickness and strength. The fisher
does not like civilization and is usually found in rather dense forests.
It is very clever and on this account it is difficult for trappers to
successfully catch them. The fisher skin when stretched and cased
is about thirty inches long and from six and one half to seven inches
wide. Its underfur is about one inch in depth, the long guard fur
being about one and one half to two inches in length at the lower end
of the body, the fur around the neck and shoulders, being shorter
but growing longer down to the root of the tail. The tail is about
two thirds of the length of the body and is about one and one half
inches in diameter, and slopes gradually down to a point, being larger
where it joins the body.
Boys, especially those living in the South, often catch large black
house cats that have run wild and that have developed a rather heavy
coat of fur, and invariably think they have caught a fisher; but there
are no fisher found in the central and southern states, their home, as
stated, being in Canada and the northernmost states of the Union.
The color of the fur varies, the finest specimens being a very dark
deep rich brown on the lower half of the body and a little lighter in
shade around the neck and shoulders. The very large fishers are often-
times coarse and these skins are not as valuable as the smaller soft
silky-furred ones. The fisher is one of the most powerful animals for
its size that exists and is a game fighter and never gives up. It preys
on rabbits and other small animals as well as birds, and will destroy
any animal that it finds caught in a trap and like the weasel, is a
killer.
There are a few fishers in captivity in zoological gardens, but
they do not thrive very well where too closely penned up. Some
FUR FACTS
183
fox farmers in Canada have been very successful in the raising of
fisher, and as the pelt of the fisher is very valuable, fine specimens
being worth up to one hundred dollars, it should prove very profit-
able to raise them if one has an ideal location. Fishers are scarce
in most sections and anyone undertaking to raise them will find a
tremendous demand for live stock as well as a ready market at high
prices for the pelts.
FISHER
How to Trap Fisher
In trapping for fisher it is necessary to^use the very strongest
steel traps, and the No. 1% Newhouse Trap equipped with the Fun-
sten Triple Grip Jaws is highly recommended|as the most^efficiently
184 FUR FACTS
rigged trap for the purpose. The high grip of the Triple Grip Jaw
will hold him fast and prevent him from jerking or pulling out.
The fisher is very powerful and unless securely caught will surely
get away. Oldtimers use the deadfall for the purpose, building a pen
and a runway of boughs leading up to it and placing a few drops of
animal bait back under the deadfall which Mr. Fisher will try to get.
The deadfall is very effective for the experienced man who can care-
fully plan and build it, as it usually kills the animal instantly and
he is there when you come to look for him. The fisher is very difficult
for the amateur to trap and as a matter of fact it is not usually trapped
for by amateurs; and it is safe to say that the majority of fisher
taken are taken by oldtime professional trappers who have studied
its habits and know its runways. The methods of setting traps for
the fisher will be covered by the same general rules and suggestions
given for the trapping of marten. A little animal bait placed on a
brush or twig above the place where the traps are set will draw the
animal to the spot, and to make doubly sure of getting him it is ad-
visable to set more than one trap at each place. The pelt of the fisher
is very valuable and for this reason it will pay the trapper to exhaust
every resource at his command in order to catch him, so that a circle
of half dozen or more traps is the best method in order to be sure and
catch the animal when the animal bait has brought him to the vicinity
of your traps. Where there are a number of traps in a circle the
fisher is more apt to be caught by more than one trap and thus it
will not be easy for him to escape.
CHAPTER XXI
WOLVERINE
The wolverine is principally found in Canada and Alaska, with a few
in the northern part of the United States, especially in the Rocky
Mountain region. He is a night prowler and preys on the smaller
animals, and is known as "The Glutton". Trappers say that it will
follow a line of steel traps and will steal the bait and|kiirany other
animal that it might find caught in the traps and very seldom get
WOLVERINE
caught itself. One of its principal delights is to raid the caches of
the hunter or trapper or raid the cabin and take everything away
that it has time to move. It will even carry away pans and kettles
and bury them. However, there is no doubt but that many of the
stories told about the wolverine are exaggerated, but it is probably
the most detested of any of the furbearers on account of its mean
tricks.
When pressed by hunger the wolverine will tackle most anything.
It is greater in length of body, but has not the wonderful lightning-
186 FUR FACTS
like quickness of the fisher. The skin of the wolverine is prized very
highly by the Esquimaux of Alaska, who use the fur as a trimming
around the face of their parkas. They claim that it is the only fur
on which the breath will not congeal and form icicles. This is probably
not entirely true, but at any rate for this reason very few of the
wolverine that are trapped in Alaska are sent out, being kept by the
natives for their own use. As a matter of fact wolverine are often
sent into Alaska by fur traders to be sold to the Indians, where the
Indian is prosperous enough to buy fur.
The wolverine has a very strong coarse fur, and has a peculiar
light stripe or patch running down the sides of the back of a lighter
shade than the fur on the rest of the body. Its marking in a way
is like the skunk, except that the color of the wolverine is a dark
rich brown and the stripes are of a lighter shade. The tail is short
and brushy. It is seldom used in the manufacture of fine furs, but
is made principally into rugs and mats.
There are very few wolverine in captivity and as far as the writer
knows no attempt has ever been made to domesticate the wolverine
and raise them for their fur, and it will probably not be a profitable
venture to attempt it, as they are very destructive and would be
hard to keep penned up.
The wolverine is very hard to trap, and as a rule they are only
taken by the Indians who are familiar with their haunts, or by pro-
fessional trappers who become exasperated at the tricks of some
particularly devilish member of the wolverine tribe and set out with
the determination to rid their trap line of the pest and continual
trouble and loss of having their baits stolen and furs taken and
mutilated. However, the general rules for trapping fox would apply
to wolverine.
CHAPTER XXII
LYNX
Lynx is found in Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States.
It has a very soft, thick, luxurious fur, that is about one inch to one
and one half inches deep. It is about an even thickness over the
entire pelt and is a brownish grey in color. It is about two feet in
LYNX
height at the shoulders, and three to four feet long, including the tail
about five inches long. The tip of the tail of the genuine lynx is solid
black. The hind legs are longer than the front legs, and the claws
are very sharp and are concealed in thick foot pads. The fur on the
under side is finer and longer than that on the back, and when dyed
black has a beautiful rich sheen. Most lynx for commercial fur-
riers' purposes are died a rich glossy black. Trappers say that the
lynx is a good swimmer. It preys on rabbits, which is its principal
food. However, it will attack other small animals and will kill
young fawn. It has a small tuft of hair on the ear and a fringe of fur
around the jaw which gives it the appearance of having side whiskers.
188
FUR FACTS
The Lynx Cat or Bay Lynx
This is a species of the lynx, but is not as large nor is its fur as
valuable. The color and the depth of the fur varies depending on the
locality in which it is found. The lynx cat of California is dark red-
dish in cast and is marked with dark spots. The lynx cat of Idaho
and Montana is a light creamy tan, and the fur is thicker than that
LYNX CAT
of the California lynx, but is not as long or as fine in quality as the
Alaska or Canada lynx. Its habits are very similar to those of the
true lynx. It is rather destructive in the farm yard, and will kill
young pigs and lambs, and is very fon^ of poultry.
Wild Cat
The wild cat is another type of the lynx and is found in the central
and southern states. The lynx, lynx cat, and wild cat are very often
taken with deadfalls, especially in districts where the snows are
heavy and where steel traps would be easily covered up. The lynx
is found principally in timbered country. Where the lynx is taken
with steel traps, trappers set in runways, along the banks of lakes
and rivers. The lynx cat, lynx, and wild cat are more successfully
trapped with the use of scent than they are with food baits. Some
trappers recommend setting traps where there are signs that the
animal has made a killing, as the lynx is almost sure to return to
that place several times. The wild cat in the central and southern
states is often tracked down and shot in preference to being trapped.
There are various methods of trapping lynx, and the most successful
methods will depend largely on local conditions. Some trappers
recommend building an enclosure with a runway big enough for
FUR FACTS 189
the lynx to easily enter and about six to eight feet long. Inside of
this runway set several No. 3 traps, either Newhouse, Victor, or
Triumph Traps, equipped with the Funsten Triple Grip Jaws. At
the far end of the enclosure sprinkle a few drops of Funsten Lynx
Bait. In sections where the snows are heavy, this is a very good plan
as it keeps the traps from being covered up. A freshly killed rabbit
is also a good bait, and this may be suspended from the branch of a
tree, and two or three drops of animal bait placed near the rabbit,
traps being set around in a circle directly under the rabbit, so that
the lynx in jumping up for the rabbit will be apt to catch his hind
foot in one of the traps. There are usually numerous rabbits where
lynx are found, and as the rabbit is sometimes attracted to the trap
by the same attraction that draws the lynx, some trappers recommend
placing a piece of brush in front of the pen so that the rabbit will
have to jump over it in order to get inside. As the rabbit very much
dislikes to jump over or go into brush this effectually keeps him
out of the pen. Some trappers also recommend the placing of a
small bent springy twig under the pan of the trap, strong enough to
support the weight of the rabbit, so that if he should step on the
trap he will not spring it. However, great care should be exercised in
doing this, for if the twig is too strong the lynx will not spring the
trap, and then you have missed out on a good catch. It sometimes is
advisable to set traps for lynx on a log that has fallen in such a manner
that it is high enough from the ground so that the traps will not be
sprung by rabbits or other small animals. Arrange the traps in such
a manner that the lynx will have to pass over them in order to get
to the bait.
The following methods have been successfully used by men who
have had much experience in the trapping of lynx.
Winning Method
Take the entrails of a deer, beef or sheep, take a part of them
and hang on the side of a tree where two trees grow up together,
so they will be about four feet from the ground. Then set one or
two No. 4 traps about one foot from the tree, cover well with leaves,
put a few drops of Funsten's Animal Bait on the tree, so as to attract
attention. They will smell the bait a mile away when the wind is
blowing a little, and as soon as they get a scent of it they usually
come to find out what it is. They will try to get the bait, and they
usually will get their foot in it. When you get a Bob Cat
or Lynx, take and skin it and put the carcass in the end
100 FUR FACTS
of a hollow log, or in a fence corner; then, set one or two
No. 3 or No. 4 traps in front of the carcass about fifteen
inches, and cover well with leaves. Stake the carcass down
so they can not get it away, for every one of them that smells
the carcass will try to take it away. Put a rope around the neck and
drag the carcass through the woods a mile or so, and as soon as they
come to the trail they will follow it up. Leave part of the carcass
where you start from. This gives you a chance both ways, as the
animal is liable to go both ways on the trail.
I now use Funsten Animal Baits in all my trapping. A friend
of mine gave me my first bottle of Funsten Animal Bait. I put a
rabbit in a drift pile with five drops of Funsten Animal Bait on it
and caught thirteen Mink and one Coon in eight days, when I was
trapping on the creek. This was the best at one single set, and
only used five drops of the Bait.
I am located in Iowa just now, but I got my knowledge and ex-
perience in Lynx trapping in Washington, British Columbia and
the Northwest, where Lynx abound most."
S. A. DAVIS.
Winning Method
In the days when a good-sized, prime Lynx was worth, say, from
$1.25 to $1.75, very little attention was paid to this particular member
of the cat tribe, and little or no interest taken in his capture, unless,
perchance, he had been unusually active and aggressive in raiding
some settler's chicken-coop, in which case it behooved said settler to
take prompt and effective measures in his immediate capture or
destruction, else his flock of poultry was but a dream of the past.
More than this, the family cat was apt to suddenly and mysteriously
disappear.
Now, while I do not mean to say that the trapping fraternity
ever ignored the Lynx as a fur-bearer, the size of the animal, as com-
pared with a Marten or Mink, gave the trapper the impression that
he was handling a very large pelt for a very little money. All this
has been changed, however, within the last few years, this article of
fur having come into prominence as one of Dame Fashion's favorites,
and has now taken its place in the list of fine, long-haired furs. In
like proportion has the trapper's interest increased, and, as a matter
of fact, when he strings out his line of traps wants everything of fur-
bearing value there is.
Now, in my own experience, which has covered some ten or
twelve years, I may say I have been fairly successful in trapping
FUR FACTS 191
Lynx, as well as other kinds of fur, having captured over four hundred
of the big cats alone.
Right here a few words in regard to the habits and characteristics
of this animal will be in order. He is a great traveler, and covers a
lot of territory, but he usually goes over the same route a number of
times. Along late in December or January, when the snow falls thick
and fast, very little of him will be seen, for, like all other of the cat
family, he has little liking for deep, soft snow. It is then he betakes
himself to some sheltered clump of timber where rabbits abound.
However, a little after midwinter, when the snow begins to pack and
harden, he is on the move again. Should there be any beaver dams
or marshes anywhere in the vicinity of his circuit, there his tracks
will be much in evidence. Although the lynx will eat most any
kind of meat when hungry, beaver is his chief piece de resistance.
Knowing, then, this particular weakness of the lynx, the trapper will
provide himself with some beaver castors when starting on a trapping
campaign; also have a lot of fish (trout are the best) chopped up fine-
Have enough to make a gallon. Don't be afraid you will have too
much. Hang up in large bottles, say, along in July and August;
cork bottles loosely, put something over top to keep rain out. Be
sure and hang in a place where sun will shine on them, and by the
time you are ready for it you will have a mixture of fish oil which
will make a bait for lynx second to nothing but beaver castors.
As a rule, the lynx is not a difficult animal to trap. When he
is hungry he will eat most anything in the meat line. He is not in
the least afraid of a steel trap, no matter whether covered or exposed,
and will step squarely on the pan of trap, with as much indifference as
if he were merely stepping upon a log to view his surroundings. Now,
it is up to the trapper to see that he does this very thing. To bring
about this result, I will explain as fully as possible. Build up a pen
or enclosure in a sheltered place, if possible. Use dry spruce, fir or
hemlock branches. I say dry, because if you use green branches the
rabbits will be an unending source of trouble to you. Stick the branches
upright in the ground or snow, as the case may be, so as to form an
enclosure about two feet wide at the mouth, where trap is to be placed,
and tapering to seven or eight inches at the back end, where bait is
to be securely fastened. The branches should be cut or broken long
enough so that the pen will be about three feet high. You now have an
A-shaped enclosure two feet wide, three feet high, and about three
feet in length. Do not put any covering over the top, except at back
end, and then only a foot or nearly so, just enough to cover bait-
192 FUR FACTS
Mr. Lynx strongly objects to having anything touch his back. Now,
set your No. 3 Newhouse, and place evenly and solidly down about
one inch to the right of center of mouth of pen. On each side of trap
place a small, dry branch and let lean against side of pen. This will
guide him squarely over the trap. As to question of bait, most any-
thing in the way of flesh or fowl will do, but sometimes our friend,
the lynx, is not hungry, and may pass indifferently by, no matter
how temptingly the bait be displayed. Very well then, if we can not
appeal to his stomach we will excite his curiosity. Now, if you take
a piece of deer or rabbit skin, say, about half the size of your hand,
well and vigorously rubbed with some beaver castor, the chance
would be only one in a hundred that he would pass your trap with-
out going over it to investigate matters. Simply place the doctored
piece of skin back in pen, behind the bait, which should be about
twenty inches from the trap. If you do not have, or can not get the
castor, you still have recourse to fish oil. Take a handful of rotten
wood, saturate it thoroughly with the fish oil, and place it well back
in pen, and, as I stated before, about twenty inches from trap. It
is important that the bait be back that distance, so that if his foot
should happen to miss the pan of the trap in entering it will not be
likely to miss it in backing out.
Once caught, the lynx is easily held. I have frequently caught
them in a No. trap by one toe, but I recommend a No. 3, as the
lynx foot is very large, and a trap needs to have considerable spread
of jaws to make sure of him.
Now the trapper will note that there is nothing at all difficult in
the modus operandi of taking the big cats, and if instructions be
carried out as stated in the above, there will be little need for the
lynx trapper, at the end of the season, to complain of a poor catch."
W. B. ROBINSON.
Winning Method
The following method is the one used by me last season for catching
lynx.
"The lynx, like a mink, establishes a runway, or a course over
which he travels, making return trips in about five days, and seldom
ever leaving his back track more than few yards, his course always
being chosen through heavy undergrowths, in swamps, along lake
sides or streams, or, in short, where rabbits and pheasants are most
likely to inhabit, as these are the main food of the lynx. In such
places I go to look for tracks. After finding one I follow it until it
goes into a narrow strip of land between water, or a narrow strip of
FUR FACTS 193
timber, brush or swamp between open land, my idea being that in
such a place the animal is most apt to travel closer to his back track
when he makes his return trip; then I pick out a tree or stub within a
few feet of his track, and as near the center of the strip of timber as
possible, the idea of this being to have my bait or scent placed in a
position most likely to be smelled by the lynx while passing. I
prefer the size of the tree to be not over ten inches, for if it is too
large the body of the tree will shelter the bait from the wind, and it
is not likely to be smelled at so great a distance. Next, I choose the
south side of the tree, so that the sun will shine on the bait, which will
help it to throw off a stronger scent. Next, if the spot chosen looks
as though the snow would drift in, on or around it, I take a No. 1 or
No. 1J^ Newhouse trap and fasten it to a pole (six feet long and two
inches in diameter) two feet from one end. Stand the pole on its four-
foot end, eighteen inches from the tree on its north side, then lea,n
the top end of pole against tree; then, take fine-blade grass and roll
up into a ball half the size of a hen's egg, then part it a little, and
place in its center eighteen or twenty drops of Funsten's Lynx Bait.
Close up and bind it on to the upper side of the pan of trap with a
thread. Now I drive a small nail into the south side of the tree,
high enough so that when the trap is hung on it by the link of chain
nearest the trap, the pan of the trap will be about twenty-four inches
from the ground. Set the trap and swing the spring to the locked
jaw, then bring the chain around the tree and hang the trap on the
nail. I then drive another nail in such a position that the back rib
of the trap will rest on it, leaving the loose jaw of trap hang down a
little. This nail will steady the trap firmly, if driven in the proper
distance. I then take a small handful of fine-blade (dead) grass,
about eight or ten inches long, with the blades all running one way,
tie the butt ends together, and then tie to the top side of the spring of
trap, letting top ends of grass hang down over the trap; then spread
the grass out thinly over the trap, and tie one or two blades of the
grass to each jaw of the trap, so that they will stay in place; now part
it a little in the center, and let the ball of grass on pan of trap pro-
ject out a little the farthest. Now I rub some of Funsten's Trail
Scent on my moccasins and smooth out all of my tracks with my foot,
at the same time backing away. A lynx will smell this bait of
Funsten's as far as sixty yards, if everything is favorable, but the
colder the weather the less apt he is to smell it, although I have had
them come a distance of fifty feet, straight to the bait, when the
wind was unfavorable and the thermometer registered 58 below zero.
194 FUR FACTS
Once they smell it they go directly to it, and, like a cat, instead of
putting his nose up to smell it, as a dog would do, he reaches up with
one front paw and cuffs it, or tries to pull it down to him. In doing
this he springs the trap. If a No. 1J^ trap is used it seldom ever
misses getting a hold, while a No. will miss getting a hold more
times. It will always hold a lynx if it gets hold of only one toe back
of the knuckle. A trap set this way never freezes up or snows under,
and never gets sprung by birds or rabbits, but it is never left un-
sprung by a lynx once he smells that odor of Funsten's Bait. On
the other hand, if the spot I have chosen is surrounded by brush or
small trees, in such a manner that snow is not likely to drift there,
move off 100 yards or more, and cut an armful of straight, dead sticks
three feet long, and about the size of your thumb at the small end.
I cut them slanting on one end and square on the other. I then choose
the south side of the tree, and with a stick mark off a circle four feet
in diameter, by starting at the east side of the tree and ending at
the west side. I then draw the snow from center of circle to the out-
side edges, and press it down into a ridge about six inches deep and
wide; then cut two sticks twenty inches long and forked at one end.
These I stand in the snow, fork end up, three feet apart, east and
west in line with the extreme south edge of the circle or ridge. I
then take a pole five feet long and two inches in diameter, and lay it
in the forks of the two sticks just set up; then to the center of this
pole, just half way between the two forked sticks, I tie one end of a
strong, hard-twist cord, which is a little larger than a wire clothes
line and is about twenty-eight inches long. With the other end of
cord I make a slip-noose loose enough so that the weight of the cord
will slip it. The cord must be long enough to form a circular loop
or noose six inches in diameter, and not leave more than one and one-
half inches of cord above the loop. I now take the armful of sticks
first cut and stand them, square end up, one and a half
inches apart in the ridge of snow, all the way around, except where
the loop hangs. Here I leave a space six inches wide; then tie the
sides of my slip-noose to the sticks forming the sides of the opening.
Have the noose in the form of a circle, as near as possible. I use a
blade of grass to make this tie, so that it will require but little force
to break it loose. Now take a dead stick, the size of a lead pencil,
and stand it in the ridge, directly under noose, allowing it to be just
long enough to reach one-eighth of an inch above the bottom cord
of noose and on the north side of it. This will hold the bottom part
of noose still. If it is put on the south side of cord the lynx may step
FUR FACTS 195
against it and shove the noose in. I prefer dead sticks as rabbits
sometimes get to eating the bark of green ones, and in this way de~
stroy the pen. My object in cutting the top ends of sticks square, is
so there will not be any bright, slanting cuts to attract attention,
and the lower end, being slanting, it holds better in the snow. Now
I cut a stick about seventeen inches long, sharpen one end and split
the other about four inches. Roll up fine-blade (dead) grass into a
ball about the size of a hen's egg and place it in the split. Now stand
the stick, sharp end down, in the snow four inches south of the center
of the pen or circle, then lean the top end about two inches towards
the noose or loop. When it is placed right, the ball of grass will be
eighteen inches from noose. It will be closer (by a few inches) to
the noose than it will be to any other part of the pen, and will be
on a level with the center of noose, which will be about seventeen
inches from ground. Now put about twenty drops of Funsten's
Lynx Bait on the ball of grass. Rub Trail Scent on moccasins and
smooth out all tracks, at the same time backing away. The lynx
smells the bait and goes to it. He finds no entrance to it except
through the noose. In here he puts his head and starts to force a
way in. This breaks the blades of grass holding noose in place.
The noose then tightens, the lynx backs away, upsetting the two
forked sticks. This leaves him with the large pole tied close on to
the back of his neck. He goes but a few feet, lies down and dies.
Sometimes he does not put his head into the loop, but tries to reach,
the bait with his paw. In this case I find him alive and fast by a foot
instead of dead and fast by his neck. They will not chew the cord
off, as one would suppose.
The main objection to this way is that all that get caught by
neck are dead and frozen when I get them, and then the wolves
sometimes find them before I do. I have had seven large ones
eaten and spoiled by wolves this winter. The lynx loves the smell
but does not care to eat Funsten's Animal Bait. He likes to play
around it and tries to get it to rub against it. He will seldom touch
a frozen-meat bait.
When there is no snow, I use the same methods of trapping Lynx
except that I place my sticks in the ground. And then I can't track
them, so, of course, choose places where they are most likely to come,
but without Funsten's Bait and Trail Scent this method would be
no good at all.
I have caught, since November 1st, fifty-three lynx. It is
now March 20th. Forty-seven of them I caught with Funsten
196 FUR FACTS
Lynx Bait. I had out forty traps with Funsten Lynx Bait on
them, and thirty traps with other bait on them, but all my
traps have Funsten bait on them now, you bet. I am no hand
to flatter, but can't help saying that there is more lynx in one
of those little bottles than on any quarter section of land I
ever saw. In the month of February I caught, by the use
of Funsten baits, 21 lynx, 30 wolves, 8 mink, 14 weasels, and 356
Muskrats. (Witnessed by I. A. Wilber,)"
H. E. WILLIAMS.
CHAPTER XXIII
BADGER
The badger is very shy and will always avoid danger, however,
it will put up a fierce fight if cornered, like most timid animals. It
lives in deep burrows which it builds itself, and is said to hibernate
in the colder regions. It is fond of all sorts of fowl and small rodents,
and will also eat birds' eggs, etc. It is a very fat squatty animal and
measures about two feet in length. The fur is a light yellowish color
with black tips. Badger are found throughout the central and
southern states. In some sections the fur is long, soft, and has a
beautiful silky quality. As a rule, however, the average badger pelt
BADGER
is useless for furriers* purposes. It is only when the fur is very thick
and long that it is valuable for trimming. The coarse long hair
skins are not wanted by fur manufacturers, but usually find their
way to the brush manufacturers, who cut the hair off and
make it into shaving brushes, etc. The full grown badger will
weigh from thirty to forty pounds. The amateur fur buyer often-
times loses heavily buying badger skins. The fine heavy-fur-
red silky skins that can be used for furriers' purposes are valu-
able and are worth from two to three dollars each and sometimes
more. Another badger pelt taken in the same section and at the
same time, but with coarse wiry hair will probably not be worth
more than twenty five to fifty cents, although it would be fully as
large as the more valuable skin. The reason for this is that one
skin is what is known in the fur trade as hair, and the other is fur.
198 FUR FACTS
A man not well posted on badger skins might buy a fine skin at a
small price, ship it into the fur house and get two to three dollars
for it, and at another time, a badger skin equally as large, and find
that it was only worth from twenty five to thirty cents. Therefore
it is advisable to be cautious in buying badger skins for these reasons.
The badger is not at all difficult to trap and traps may be set
in their runways and in the same manner described heretofore for
trapping coon and like animals. Badger are often taken by puffing
a little smoke into their dens, not too much but just a little in order
to give them the odor. They are afraid of smoke and will come
piling out of their burrows in a hurry. Extreme care should be
taken not to put too much smoke in the den, as this will do more harm
than good.
The breeding season of the badger begins early in the spring
and during the month of May and June it brings forth a litter of
from three to five, which are born in the den. The mother takes care
of them for from sixty to ninety days and then turns them out to
catch and kill their own food, such as mice, worms, etc. As soon as
they are proficient in catching their own food they are turned loose
to take care of themselves.
It is said that the male badger inhabits an abode all to himself,
and that oftentimes a fox will den up with the badger, possibly
skunk, and they all get along together very nicely. Badger that are
taken for their fur should only be killed in the very height of the
winter, for as stated before the pelts are of little value unless the fur
is well developed, which as a rule happens only in the very coldest
weather.
CHAPTER XXIV
MARTEN
The marten is more generally known by the trade name of Hudson
Bay sable. It belongs to the same family as the Russian sable, in
fact it is difficult to tell some fine Hudson Bay sable from the Russian
sable. The Russian sable is usually a little deeper in fur. The
marten is found throughout Canada, but the larger and finer speci-
mens come from Alaska. They are also very plentiful in the western
states, especially in Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Mon-
tana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, in the states along
the Canadian border, and are found as far south as the Adiron-
dack Mountains in New York. Like the mink, which it very closely
resembles in size and color, it avoids human habitation.
Some trappers believe that the marten migrates in large numbers
for the reason that one season in a district the catch will be very
large, and the next year there will not be a marten to be found, and
none will be seen until the tenth year, when they will come again in
large quantities. They seem to migrate in cycles of ten years.
This seems to be especially true in certain parts of Canada and
Alaska and no one seems to know where they go to during the nina
year period when they are not plentiful.
Some of the most beautiful Hudson Bay sable come from Labra-
dor. They are as fine in quality and almost as silky as the Russian
sable. In fact they are better than the Amur class of Russian sable.
Very fine colored skins, as well as fine in quality are found in the
Stewart River section of Yukon Territory, and also in Alberta and
Manitoba, and a great many very fine specimens of marten are
trapped in British Columbia.
The marten found in our western states are known as the pine
marten. They differ somewhat from the Alaskan or Canadian
marten. The underside along the neck and breast is quite an
orange yellow color. The rest of the body is similar to the Canadian
or Alaskan marten, except that the fur is not as deep, the color is
not as lustrous, and the quality not so good.
The marten usually lives in trees and is not fond of open country.
It ranges through thickets, and is a wonderfully quick climber.
200
FUR FACTS
The marten lives largely on birds, moles, rats, mice, etc., and along
the coast of British Columbia it is said to feed on mussels.
The marten is often trapped with the deadfalls, using the
figure 4 trigger. The tree trap was especially designed for trap-
ping the marten, and is very successful for this purpose. It is se-
MARTEN
curely nailed to the side of the tree, the bait being placed above the
trap or on the hook provided for it on the trap The tree trap kills
instantly and for this reason is very much favored by most trappers.
One of the difficulties that the marten trapper has to conte nd with is
the wolverine and the fisher who seem to follow the marten trapper,
and whenever a marten is caught are quick to destroy it. The
wolverine especially seems to take great delight in following a line
of traps for the express purpose of destroying marten after they are
FUR FACTS 201
captured. Where the tree trap is not used, most trappers re-
commend the building of a small abode and setting traps inside.
This is done so that the traps will not be buried in the deep snows.
The following methods for marten trapping have been successfully
used by old experienced trappers that have trapped large numbers of
marten and who are glad to pass their experiences on for the benefit
of others.
Winning Method for Marten
"I use Newhouse No. traps for marten, and set them in the
following manner: First, after locating the marten region in which
I decide to trap, and just about the time in the fall the fur is getting
prime, I leave good-sized baits of horse meat, or most any kind of
meat, throughout the timber, and let the marten commence to use
them before trapping. Then I set from four to six traps around,
near the large baits, under logs, and in bushes, or up against and
under rocks, baiting with a small, fresh piece of meat. (Mountain
rat is the best marten bait I know of, and one rat will bait two traps.)
If I do not find a natural place that can be re-enforced, I build a
small house or pen of evergreen bark, and in this set my trap upon
two sticks, lying flat upon the ground, lengthwise with the pen, just
large enough to keep the trap off the ground or snow, fastening the
bait in end of pen by pegging, slipping over a small bush, or wiring.
I place the trap ten inches in front of bait. I seldom cover the trap
proper, as marten are not afraid. When I do, I use feathers or light
trash. By having trap and bait under a pen or house of boughs, it
serves the purpose of keeping birds from stealing the bait and spring-
ing the trap, keeps the snow off the trap, and protects the marten
after being caught, from eagles and owls, which sometimes prey
upon them.
Tree Set Where two trees come out of the same butt, and fork
out two or three feet from the ground, I cut a few evergreen boughs
and pack tightly in the fork. On this I set the trap snugly, and nail
the bait above, about twelve inches. The marten jumps up into
the fork to smell of the bait, even if he is not hungry, and is pretty
sure to land in the trap before he gets down. This is a first-class
way to set when the snow gets pretty deep. A little snow falling on
the trap in this manner rather helps than hinders.
I find No. traps better than larger sizes, for these reasons:
First, a person can carry more in his pockets, thus having more
chances. Second, they hold as well and do not smash the leg-bones
202 FUR FACTS
and mutilate or bloody up the skin or fur. Third, they can be set,
on account of their size, in many places where it would be difficult
to put a No. l}/6, which is commonly used by marten trappers.
Fourth, they are cheaper than larger sizes of the same make, thus a
marten trapper can have more traps for the same money invested.
It pays big to have the best traps, and Newhouse are the best. I
recommend the Funsten Animal Bait to all trappers.
I adapt myself to the individual spot where I wish to set a trap*
use my best judgment, set carefully, make the pens snow-proof, and
attend to my line of traps regularly. I find it best in winter to have
three different lines set, and go to each every three days, staying in
camp Sunday. I skin, stretch and handle the Marten very carefully*
and naturally look for the best market returns when I ship. Be
thorough. It pays me, it will pay you."
JOHN D. CRAWFORD.
Winning Method for Marten
"Early in the winter the marten are found on the high grounds,
later on they go down on the bench lands.
In the first place, take the Newhouse trap, No. lj^, find
some sheltered place; a tree with a heavy top is the best, for they
stay in trees a great part of the time. Nail your bait on the tree
about two and one-half feet from the ground, set your trap about ten
inches from the root of the tree, cover it nicely with leaves and dirt,
take some bark or whatever can be found, and stand it up on each
side of the trap, so the marten has to pass directly over the trap.
Cut some green branches from a tree and fix them about two feet
above your bait, so as to protect the bait and trap from the weather.
Sometimes it is good to set two traps under the same tree, fixing it the
same way on the opposite side of the tree, for marten go in pairs.
If you catch one marten you are almost sure to catch two in the
same place. Rough places, such as brushy and loggy places, are
generally the best, as martens hunt birds and mice for their living.
They hunt their living, a good part of the time, in the day time, as
well as at night. I have caught marten the same day I set the traps,
coming home on my back track after setting traps, so that proves it.
For bait, take about one or two pounds of well-tainted veni-
son, nail it tightly to the tree, about two or two and a half feet above
the trap, put two or three drops of Funsten's Animal Bait on the
piece you have nailed to the tree, and it will surely get the marten
every time.'*
J. C. WlLBY.
FUR FACTS 208
Winning Method for Marten
"I will give my ideas and methods of trapping marten. I will
first tell what I have learned about the nature of the marten on the
Pacific Coast.
They most always frequent the north and east side of a mountain
that is pretty heavily timbered. About the 10th of December is the
tune to commence to trap, as the fur is fully prime by that time, and
stays good until about the latter part of February. Marten should
never be caught earlier or later than that on this Coast. Last year
I commenced to trap the 21st of December and quit the middle of
February, and caught forty-one marten.
I use a No. or No. 1 Newhouse trap, as they are plenty large
and strong to hold the biggest marten, and much lighter to carry
around. I always take a supply of Funsten Animal Bait and Trail
Scent with me. Run your trap line around a mountain, keeping in
the thick timber. Make your sets about two hundred yards apart.
When signs are thick, set closer, as a marten is missing in the keen
scent that a fox or other animals have. I always make a set near
a dead snag or old log, for marten are great mousers. Fasten your
bait on the side of a tree or snag, with a single staple or nail, about
twelve inches from the ground, place some bark or boughs in the snow
on each side to force him in; if in the snow, place a wide leaf or bough
on the snow, about eight inches from the bait, set the trap on the
bough and cover with fine leaves or boughs. Put a few drops of
Funsten's Bait on meat or whatever you use. Take a piece of meat
about as large as your two fists, and cut several slits in it. Fill the
slits with Funsten's Trail Scent, and drag behind you with a long
string every time you go around to your traps. When the scent
wears off, put on a few drops more. I never had a marten cross my
trail but what he stopped and followed it one way or the other to a
trap. I have had them follow the trail after six or eight inches of
snow. It beats anything that I ever tried. I most always use a
piece of duck or bird for bait. Use plenty of Funsten Bait in cold,
freezing weather. To kill a marten, I always hit him a tap on the
head with my hatchet handle, to stun him, and then get hold of him
just back of the forelegs and smother him to death, for a marten is
hard to kill by striking him on the head. I have cut holes in the
hide by striking them too hard. Always skin them as soon as caught
and they skin much easier. Be sure and flesh the hide well, and
don't stretch too tight. Leave them on the board about four days
and then take off."
JOHN P. FRAME.
204 FUR FACTS
Raising Marten
The Hudson Bay Sable or marten has been successfully domesti-
cated and raised and the same general instructions apply to marten
as those given for the raising of mink. The marten is a very valuable
fur, the finer skins selling up to fifty dollars, and there is also a demand
for them for zoological gardens. They are rather prolific, the female
bearing from three to five in a litter. The young are usually born in
April, and it is a very hardy animal. Marten raising is carried on
in Canada on a rather large scale and has been proven to be a success-
ful and profitable enterprise. It is said that marten, except during
the time of mating, are very quarrelsome. The mating season is
from January to March. It is said that one of the principal things
in raising marten, is to know when the female is in season, for the
reason that if the two are put together when the female is not in
humor to receive the male, they will fight and probably injure one
another. The mother will take fairly good care of the young until
they are about two months old. They usually wean when they are
about four months old.
Marten raising should prove very profitable for the Canadian and
Northern rancher. It is one of the most valuable American furs
that we have, is always in demand, and the fine dark skins bring very
high prices; and even average colored skins are in demand at prices
that will well pay for the trouble of raising them. As stated before
this industry has already been established in different parts of Canada
and it is to be hoped that more people will become interested in it.
CHAPTER XXV
CIVET CAT
The civet cat is sometimes called the "Pole Cat". In color the
fur is black with white spots of irregular shape. It differs from the
skunk in that the stripes of the skunk are regular and run from the
back of the head down to the tip of the tail, while in the civet cat
there are no stripes but spots of white fur from one half to an inch
CIVET CAT
in diameter and of irregular shape covering the entire body. The
full grown civet cat is about one half the size of the skunk, and the
fur is about one half inch in depth and of an even length over the
entire body. The tail is about one half the length of the body, and
is rather round in shape being about three quarters of an inch in
diameter, and is not large and brushy like the tail of the skunk.
The civet cat is found in nearly every state in the Union, and is one
of the big articles of the fur trade. It is very popular in Europe,
especially in Russia, or rather it was popular in Russia before the
Great War and was largely used for coat lining. It is a very beauti-
ful and striking fur when made into a garment, the black being a
rich beautiful glossy black and the white a snow white. This con-
trast in color makes a beautiful fur garment, and it is difficult to
206 FUR FACTS
understand why civet cat is not more popular in this country than
it is. It is probably due to the fact that for many years it was re-
ferred to as the "Pole Cat" which people usually connected with a
strong odor. But that is all nonsense. The modern method of
dressing and cleaning absolutely removes every trace of odor.
The civet cat skin when taken off cased and stretched is about
14 inches in length and 4 inches in width. The finest civet cat pelts
come from Minnesota and the Dakotas and the Northern part of
Iowa. However, as stated before they are found pretty generally
throughout the United States, but seem to go no farther North than
the Canadian line, and few are found in Minnesota.
On account of the comparative low price of the skins very little
if any attempt has been made to domesticate and raise the civet cat
for market, however, there is no reason why they could not be suc-
cessfully raised. As the civet cat very closely resembles the skunk
in its habits, the same general methods given for trapping skunk will
apply to civet cat.
MOUNTAIN LION
The mountain lion is variously called the puma, the panther,
and the cougar. It is found in the Western states, Arizona, New
Mexico, Texas, and some are still found in Florida and the swampy
sections of the gulf states. It varies in size, the larger specimens
coming from Arizona and New Mexico. It has little or no value for
furriers' purposes, and only the larger specimens are used for mount-
ing life size for museums, etc., and for rugs. The color is a yellowish
brown with a darker shade down the back and to the tip of the tail.
The color varies in different sections.
Some naturalists claim that the panther, as it is known locally
in the Southern states, is a different species from the puma, found in
the more Western states. However, they are very similar in every
way except that the panther is smaller in size than the larger moun-
tain lion of the Western States. The mountain lions of the West
grow to a very large size. They are powerful animals and will put
up a terrible fight and are very destructive to live stock. A full
grown mountain lion will easily kill a large steer and will attack a
full grown horse with remarkable ease. They are very quick and
are light of foot and spring a considerable distance, and usually
pounce on their prey from an overhanging ledge of rock, or from over-
hanging branches. It is said that when food is plentiful they only
suck the blood of the animal they kill and very seldom, if ever, return
FUR FACTS 207
to feed on the carcass. As a rule the mountain lion is hunted down
and shot, rather than trapped. However, some trappers set steel
traps for them, where they are particularly bad about killing live
stock. Mountain lion, as far as the value of tKe pelt is concerned
for fur purposes is hardly worth the trouble to trap as their pelts are
usually damaged, and it is only the finer specimens that are valuable
for rug purposes.
CHAPTER XXVI
MOLES
The mole is found throughout the United States. The larger
species come from the Northwest and are found in large quantities
in the states of Oregon and Washington. The Northwestern mole
is almost twice as large as the mole from the Central and Eastern
states. The mole lives chiefly on earth warms and insects and in-
habits the ground. To the extent that they destroy insects they are
beneficial to the farmer, but they often work in gardens, lawns, and
young orchards, and do considerable damage by ploughing up the
soil and undermining tender plants.
MOLE
In recent years the mole has become very popular as an article of
fur. They are collected in large quantities in Europe. The mole is
most abundant in moist, rich, soil and prefers damp shaded ground.
The mole is often confused with other small ground animals, such as
the meadow mouse and the gopher. It can, however, be readily
distinguished from any of these by its short, stout front limbs ending
in a broad rounded hand with the palms turned outward. It has a
very close plush-like fur, and a pointed snout and a short tail. Nei-
ther external eyes or ears are evident. There is a question as to
whether the mole is totally blind or not, but at best it can merely
distinguish between light and dark, as the vestigual organs of sight
JJe wholly beneath the skin.
FUR FACTS 209
The mole is a creature of strictly subterranean habits. Such ex-
periences as fall to its lot must necessarily come through its sensi-
tive touch, acute hearing, or highly developed powers of smell. While
the animal is seldom seen above ground, it sometimes ventures out of
its tunnels perhaps chiefly at night.
Runways and Nests
The living quarters of the mole consist of a series of galleries and
tunnels 12 to 15 inches beneath the surface of the ground, usually
deep enough to escape the plow. This central part of the system of
runways can ordinarly be located by little piles of earth thrust up
from deeper tunnels These elevations are easily distinguished from
the surface ridgings caused by the mole's burrowing just beneath
the sod. They may be looked for on the higher spots of an open field
or where natural objects offer concealment and shelter.
The nest of the mole is usually in a chamber 4 or 5 inches in dia-
meter and about a foot beneath the surface. The materials of the
nest consist mainly of closely cropped pasture grasses with the fine
fibrous roots attached. It is probable that this grass stubble is
pulled down by the roots into the upper surface of the burrows and
then carried to the nesting chambers. When located near trees the
nests sometimes consist of leaves mixed with grass.
Certain galleries or passages leading out from the deeper central
system trend upward here and there to join the shallow subsurface
runs that range over the mole's hunting grounds. These hunting
paths produce the ridges with which we are familiar in our lawns,
gardens, and fields. Beneath these ridges the little animal hurries
along at irregular intervals in search of food, and when occasion
demands, it extends the limits of its operations by pushing out into
untouched soil. As it extends the subsurface runways its movement
is almost literally one of swimming. With powerful action of the
heavy shoulder muscles the hands are brought forward, palms out-
ward, until they almost or quite touch in front of the snout. They
are then thrust outward and backward to push the soil aside, while
the body follows in the passageway thus created.
It is commonly believed that the mole works only at regular
periods each day, but direct observations taken in late summer, and
in the fall fail to show that there is any one time of day when it is
more active than at others.
If a slight opening is made into a mole's runway the little animal
will invariably repair the breach when it next comes that way.
210 FUR FACTS
As to seasonal activity, it may be said that moles are probably
never dormant, that they never hibernate. They may be trapped at
any time of the year when the ground is not frozen too hard to permit
the working of the trap. It must be understood however, that ex-
tension of surface runways occurs mainly at times when soil con-
ditions are favorable after rains in the summer or during periods of
thawing in the winter. At other times the mole may secure his food
by retraversing his old runs or by working at depths unaffected by
frost or drought. Movements of soil-inhabiting worms, insects, and
larvae tend to bring ever fresh supplies of food into the moles' pas-
sageways.
By reason of its secluded life the mole is little subject to attacks
by many foes of other small mammals. Its burrow is so small that
no formidable enemies except the weasels or snakes can follow in the
passageways, and as it seldom leaves these there is little chance of
its being seen by predatory animals. However, the movement of
the soil when a mole is working near the surface may readily be de-
tected by a watchful foe, and it is probable that hungry foxes and
coyotes secure a tidbit now and then by springing suddenly upon a
disturbed spot of earth and hurriedly digging out the furry little
miner. On the other hand, there is evidence that moles are distaste-
ful to some animals, for they are seldom eaten by domestic cats and
dogs which have learned to catch them. A peculiarly disagreeable
odor attaching to the mole may account for its not being relished by
the carnivora. It is quite likely, also, that the dense soft fur is
objectionable to some animals.
The mole may be a comparatively slow breeder and still maintain
its normal numbers from year to year. Such is found to be the case.
The little animal breeds but once a year and the number of young at
birth averages about four. They are produced in March or early
April. Development after birth is comparatively rapid.
How to Trap
A number of excellent traps are on the market and most of them
will give good results if properly set. However, the mechanism of a
trap is of secondary importance to the operator's knowledge of the
mole's works and ways. A mole trap can be successfully operated
only when set on that part of a runway that is near enough to the
surface to upridge the sod or soil. A little observation will soon
enable one to distinguish newer and more frequently used runways
from those that have been partially or wholly abandoned. A little
FUR FACTS 211
cracking of the soil where the sagging roof of the ridge has been
raised again, a few particles of fresh earth thrust out to close a tiny
opening or crevice, the wilting of grass or foliage along the course
these are indications of an occupied run way. When in doubt the
question may always be settled by making a small breach in the
ridge, and if that particular part of the burrow is in use the mole will
invariably repair the break when he comes that way on his rounds.
By following this plan all the centers of mole activity on one's pre-
mises may be definitely located. In placing the trap one of the
stretches of the run that seems to be leading in some definite
direction should be selected, rather than one of the turns of a
labyrinth that may not be traversed every time the mole comes in
the vicinity.
Before setting the trap it is well to ascertain the course of the
burrow by thrusting down a lead pencil or stick of about the same size.
The trap selected should then be lined up with the course as nearly
as possible; the jaws of the scissor-jaw type should straddle it, the
loops of the choker type should encircle it, and the spikes of the har-
poon type should be directly above it. In the case of the harpoon
type it is best to force the impaling spikes into the ground once or
twice to facilitate their penetrating into the burrow when the trap
is later sprung; this type of trap injures the pelts of moles impaled,
and is not recommended for use when it is desired to preserve the fur.
It is desirable in setting any of the traps to depress only that part of
the mole ridge that is immediately beneath the trigger pan, using the
hand instead of the foot for this purpose. A little earth may be
built up snugly under the pan if necessary. Avoid treading upon
other parts of the runways. It will pay to visit the traps at least
twice a day.
The persistence of the mole in repairing breaks in his runways is
equaled only by that of the spider mending its torn web. One can
take advantage of this known trait not only in selecting locations for
trapping, but in planning the capture of the animal alive. Though
requiring more time and attention than trapping, the method of
catching moles by surprising them at work is fairly practicable. In
following this plan one should open up 5 or 6 feet of ridge in each of
the several distinct runway systems and make the rounds of sub-
sequent inspection every few minutes. When a mole is found repair-
ing a break he can be tossed out with a shovel and dispatched.
Mole skins should be stretched square and not round. The
American mole is usually stretched rotund and is neglected somewhat
FUR FACTS
on this account. The European trappers who trap moles stretch
the skins square or oblong, but never round. Moleskins are in good
demand, but those improperly stretched and poorly handled have
little or no value.
THE RINGTAIL CAT
The ringtail cat is not familiar to most trappers as it is found
only in parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, California, Oregon
and Washington. The animal is about the size of the mink, the
body being from twelve to fourteen inches in length and the legs
RINGTAIL CAT
raising the body about four inches from the ground. The most
distinguishing feature is the tail, which is about the same length
as the body and marked in alternate rings of black and white, and
of a very bushy appearance. The color of the body is a greyish
yellow and always lighter on the under side. The animal is noc-
turnal in its habits and is rarely, if ever, seen in the day time, its
large eyes being especially adapted for use at night. The ringtail
cat does not belong to the cat family, as the name would imply,
but is really a member of the monkey family and has hands re-
sembling those of the common monkey with almost perfect fingers.
Their chief food is frogs, mice, and insects, and sometimes vege-
tables, and the animal prefers thick woods which abound in insects,
to the open land and thin timber, where his natural food would
not be so plentiful.
FUR FACTS 213
The Ringtail is very suspicious and is rather a hard animal to
trap. For this reason most trappers prefer to use a scent bait to
attract them to the trap. In general the same trapping rules as
given for mink will apply to ringtail.
In stretching and preparing ringtail for market the skin should
be taken off cased and stretched with the pelt side out. The tail
bone should always be carefully removed, as the tail is a valuable
part of the ringtail pelt, and if the bone is left in, is very apt to taint.
CHAPTER XXVII
SEAL
The seals are divided into several different groups. They are
known as fur seals and hair seals. The fur seals have a short thick
underfur which is dyed and makes the seal skin of commerce. The
hair seals do not have this soft underfur, the hair being coarse,
wiry, and loose. These skins are usually taken for the hides only,
and when they are tanned make wonderfully fine leather. Some of
the better kinds are dressed with the fur left on and are used for
robes, and other purposes. The largest herd of fur seals at certain
seasons of the year inhabit the Pribilof Islands off the coast of
Alaska. In addition to the Alaska Seals, there are the Commander
Island, the Shetland Islands, the Lobos Island, the Faulkland
Islands, and the Cape of Good Hope seals, and a small herd which
occupies the Sakhalin Islands North of Japan. The hair seals are
largely found off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador in the
Gulf of St. Lawrence. They are also found off the coast of Western
Greenland and in the Caspian Sea.
The seal is a very gentle and submissive animal and very seldom
offers any resistance when attacked by man. They have a strongly
developed social instinct and have an extraordinary affection for
their young. Strange as it may seem the young pup seals have to
be taught the art of swimming by the mother.
The Northern fur seal that inhabits the Behring Sea breeds on
the Pribilof Islands. These islands are the breeding grounds for the
largest herd of seals in the world. The Commander Islands, which
belong to Russia, and the Kurile Islands which belong to Japan, are
also the home of the northern seal. This particular species of fur seal,
it is said, does not breed in any other part of the world. The fur
seals of the Islands of the South Seas belong to a different species.
The fur seal is polygamous and the male is about five times as large
as the female. As a rule one bull seal takes care of a family of from
fifteen to twenty females, and in some cases up to fifty or more. The
seals inhabit the Pribilof Islands eight or nine months of the year.
The balance of the time they spend in the water and at times will appear
as far South as Northern California. When they return, the old bulls
reach the Islands much earlier than the rest of the herd and take
FUR FACTS 215
stands on the rookery where they await the arrival of their families.
Each bull selects a prominent place which he holds against all comers,
unless he is driven off by a larger and stronger opponent. The bulls
often fight savagely among themselves for choice positions on the
rookery and for possession of the cows and often are severely wounded.
The females have a single offspring, each mother knowing her own
pup and will not permit any other pup to nurse. This is said to be
the reason why so many seal pups starve to death on the rookery
when their mothers are killed out at sea hunting food. The seals
have been using these islands for their breeding grounds for many
many years. The Islands are of volcanic origin and there is not a
trace of a tree, a shrub, or a vine on them, and yet this is the favorite
haunt of this tremendous herd of Alaska seals, as well as the home
of many millions of birds, which also use the islands to rear their
young. Every year the seals come back to the same spot and make
their home on land for at least six months of the year, during which
time they bring forth and rear their young, after which they return
to the sea and depart to the depth of the great ocean until it is time
for them again to return.
Early in May the big bulls begin to arrive in large numbers and
select their stations. When they have won their places, they lie
down and sleep oftentimes for several weeks until the breeding cows
are expected. They then sit up and begin to take notice, and send
forth their peculiar cry which is supposed to be a cordial invitation
to the approaching female seals to hurry. Along about the middle
of May and before the arrival of the females the bachelors begin to
arrive and they too would establish themselves in prominent places
on the breeding grounds were it not for the older and larger bulls
who are there to prevent this very thing and do so by driving them
off. No male seal can stay on the breeding grounds that is not big
enough and strong enough to maintain his position against all comers.
It is purely a case of the survival of the fittest, and the larger the bull,
and the greater his strength, the larger is his breeding ground, and
the larger his harem. The young male bachelor seals are thus very
naturally forced to herd by themselves and are required to keep a
safe distance from the breeding grounds during the breeding season.
They group together and discuss their own troubles and watch the
proceedings. The life of the young bachelor seal is a hard one. He
is not only prevented from coming on the breeding grounds, but when
the killing time comes the bachelor seals are driven off in herds and
cracked on their heads and skinned for their pelts which are more
216 FUR FACTS
valuable than those of the old bulls, and their carcasses are used
for food by the native esquimaux. As a matter of fact the pelts of
the old bulls have no value for fur purposes. It is only the young
seal, either male or female, whose pelts are suitable to be dressed and
dyed and made into fur garments. Therefore, only young seals up
to about three years old as a rule are taken for their pelts, although
at times they are taken when they are much older. However, the
finer pelts come from the young seals. Some authorities claim that
the old bull meets the cows at the water's edge to welcome them back
home, and oftentimes terrible battles are fought between the bulls
for the females. Other authorities claim that the female herself
selects her own station and chooses the harem which she is to enter.
However, after once making her choice, she is certainly compelled to
remain there, and the old bull will stand for no trifling. One authority
claims to have seen as high as seventy females in one harem. Shortly
after their arrival at the islands the females bring forth their young
and the cows go to sea to seek food, which is largely fish, and return
to nurse their offspring every few hours, gradually lengthening their
stay into days and sometimes weeks before they return. When the
pups are about four or five weeks old they begin to stir around and
get acquainted with one another, forming into crowds and running
in companies, at first inclining towards the middle of the island, but
afterwards, as they advance in age and strength, they direct their
steps towards the deep, where they paddle around in the shallow
water until little by little they learn to swim. About the first of
August the harems break up and the different sections mingle together
indiscriminately.
When the old bulls first land on the island in May they are as
fat and as round as a barrel and sleek and glossy. But after four
months residence on land defending his harem, when he never takes
food or drink during all that time, he becomes so poor, gaunt and
weak, that it is with the utmost difficulty that he crawls into the sea
when he leaves, which is usually late in August or early in September,
to make his annual trip down through the Behring sea and the
Northern Pacific Ocean. The females do not leave until about the
first of November, and the pups leave about the middle of November,
the yearlings, both male and female, the first half of December. As
stated before the pup seal when born can not swim. If he is dropped
into the water his head, which is heavy, will immediately sink, and
suffocation is only a matter of a few minutes. The pup cannot live
in the water until it is about six weeks old, and then begins to try
FUR FACTS 317
to swim, never going out, however, beyond his depth. After a while
he becomes bolder and then grows more and more expert until he
finally becomes an expert swimmer. The young seal therefore up
to the time he learns to swim is a land animal, and it requires four
months of nursing by its mother on land before it becomes able to
shift for itself and is abandoned by its parent. It is said that the
young seal can swim at the rate of eighteen or twenty miles an hour
for many consecutive hours without pause or rest.
The bull seal when at its greatest weight will weigh up to five
hundred pounds and will measure from six to seven feet in length.
The female, however, only weighs from seventy five to one hundred
and twenty five pounds, and is about four and one half feet in length.
The young bachelor seals from one to five years old, weigh from fifty
to two hundred pounds, and are from four to five feet in length.
It has long been a mystery as to where the seals go when they leave
the islands. They swim out into the open sea and some authorities
claim that they speed south off the coast of British Columbia as far
down as the northern line of California, but wherever they go, one
thing is certain that they do not touch land until they again return
to their breeding grounds. One of the remarkable facts in connection
with seal life is the long fast of the bull seal on the breeding grounds.
As stated before from the time they establish themselves, which is
from the first to the fifth of May, they do not leave their posts for
a single instant night or day, until some time between the first and
the tenth of August. The bulls, therefore, for a period of three
months or more, absolutely abstain entirely from any kind of food
or drink, and when they do return to the water, they are, to borrow
a slang expression, "all in'*, and have barely enough strength to
crawl into the water and get ready to start in all over again.
The females on the contrary do not fast but feed at frequent inter-
vals and during the end of the season on the island are usually as
sleek and fat as when they first arrived.
It is said that the bull seal is expert in the management of his
harem. Whether he has a harem of five members or fifty, he is
master of the situation. His will is law; not that it is always tamely
accepted as such, but the result is the same. If a female becomes
restless and moves about, a warning growl usually quiets her. If
the movement is persisted in and an attempt to escape evident, the
bull is up at once with a show of fierceness. He may simply strike
the cow down, or he may even seize her in his mouth and deliberately
throw her, or carry her back, to the herd. If the female thinks she
218
FUR FACTS
has a chance to get away, she may try to outrun the bull. If she
miscalculates the distance, he seizes her by the back of the neck and
restores her, sometimes in a torn and bleeding condition, to the family
circle. As a rule, however, the cow avoids this seizing by turning
and facing the bull biting him on the breast and neck. The bull by
steadily pushing her before him, forces her back into the fold and
does not seem to mind her bites.
There is constant noise going on all the time at the rookery.
The bulls are giving vent at intervals to their savage roars of
defiance. In their more subdued efforts to maintain discipline
in the harem they are constantly whistling, chuckling and scolding
BULL SEAL AND HAREM
in various notes. Mingled with all this is the shrill bleat of
the females and the call of the pups. When it is considered that
thousands of these animals are calling and answering all the time,
some idea of the uproar and confusion incident to their life is possible.
Nor is the din and noise peculiar to the day, but is heard at all hours
of the night; in fact, if anything, there is more noise at night. In
the early season the animals sleep much of the time, but there are
always large numbers coming and going, even when there are a con-
siderable portion of them comfortably asleep. Every animal in one
harem may be sound asleep, including the old bull, while in the harem
next to it, everything is confusion and every animal will be up and
stirring and most of them calling. They assume every conceivable
position while asleep. One animal will be stretched out full length on
its back, another on its side; one might have the hind flippers under
the body, and another may have them reversed. They seem to enjoy
the rocks, and do not care for a smooth even bed. Some go to sleep
FUR FACTS 219
sitting up with the body waving back and forth as if it would fall.
Where parts of the rookery have perpendicular cliffs, the animals are
to be found lying out on little shelves at angles where it is a wonder
they can keep their position at all. The seal also sleeps very soundly
in the water. It lies on its back in a bowed position, nose just peering
above the surface, and it is said always to the leeward, the hind
flippers being held aloft as a wind break to keep the animal in this
definite position. In this attitude the seal can apparently sleep
with the greatest comfort rocked by the gentle swell.
Color of the Seal
The little pup at birth is a shiny black. Some of them show a
brownish shade along the throat and belly. In September they
shed their black coats and acquire coats of grey, which under the
action of the wind and weather soon changes into brownish, or com-
bination of brown and silvery color, which gives the skin the appear-
ance of a silvery brownish grey. When the female first comes out
of the water and lands on the island her coat is a dark grey, but under
the constant exposure to the weather and sun it turns to a rusty
reddish brown, somewhat darker on the back and along the throat
and belly. The young bachelor seals have silvery throats and bel-
lies, but their backs present the same dark brownish shade as the
females. The old bulls are usually always black, while others are
a reddish brown. The average color of the seals that are taken for
fur purposes are the brownish grey skins with the underpart of the
throat and belly a lighter silvery shade. The color of the seal is in
the top guard fur, or water hair as it is called. The underfur of the
seal is very uniform in color, when the top water hair or guard hair
is plucked out, and it is this soft thick under fur, about one half inch
in length, which is dressed and dyed and becomes the seal skin of
commerce, out of which garments are made.
Kitting Seeds
When it comes time to kill the seals the whole population of the
islands turns out to join in the work. A gang of twenty five to
thirty seals are cut out from the main herd at a time and driven up
to the killing grounds, where men stand around with heavy clubs
with the ends bound in sheet iron; and as the seals are driven up,
these men walk up to the seal and with a crushing blow on the skull
stun the seal and one or two more blows usually finishes him. It is
said that it takes a hardened individual to kill a seal. If you have
ever seen a seal in a zoo, you know what wonderfully appealing eyes
FUR FACTS
they have. The seal is an intelligent animal and has been trained
to do marvelous tricks of balancing. It seems to be an affectionate
animal and easily trained, and it is necessary for the person doing the
killing to be a real butcher. A bungler, who is not expert in seal
killing and who would not hit a hard blow, would probably have a
difficult time clubbing a seal to death. After the seals have been
killed they are dragged into line, then stuck and "flippered." In
other words they are stabbed to the heart and allowed to bleed freely.
Then a knife is drawn around the head and flippers, severing the
skin and leaving it ready for the skinners, who split it up in short
order and spread the skin evenly on the grass flesh side down to cool.
After the skin is removed the carcass is stripped of the blubber or
fat. The skins are then salted with a heavy coarse salt, and are
folded and rolled in compact bundles, tied with a rope, and placed
in large wooden casks ready for shipment. The skins are then ready
to be sent to market to be dressed and dyed and made into fur gar-
ments.
The Dressing and Dyeing oj Seals
The dressing and dyeing of seal skins is a process that requires
several months. The seal skins are first scraped free of all super-
fluous meat and fat. This is called blubbering. The loose salt is
shaken from the skin. The skin is then placed hair side down on a
beam, the ears being cut off if they have been left on, and all salt
and dirt removed. The skin is then turned over with the pelt side
up on the beam with the head held at the top, and the superfluous
blubber and meat is all removed with a dull knife, care being taken
not to cut the grain of the skin. After this is done the skins are
washed in hot water containing a solution of soda. This washing
process is kept up until the skins are thoroughly cleansed. The
skins are then unhaired, that is the long top guard hairs are plucked
out leaving the soft underfur, which is about one half inch in length
and light chocolate brown in color. The skins are then leathered,
that is the pelts are dressed and the hide converted into soft pliable
leather. The dressing of the skins is done with the natural seal oil,
which is rendered from the blubber that is first scraped from the skin.
After the leathering process the skins are then ready to be dyed.
Each dresser and dyer of skins has his own process and formulae for
mixing dyes, but the method of applying the dye is largely the same.
The most successful dye for sealskins is a vegetable dye, the base of
which is logwood and galls (Note Galls are an excresence on plants
FUR FACTS
due to insects puncturing the surface of the bark or leaf and depositing
its egg in the cavity. The subsequent growth, constituting the gall,
is the effect either of some virus deposited with the egg, or of the
irritation caused by the larva, which lives in the gall until its develop-
ment into an insect. The gall of commerce is the product of a gall-
fly, which lays its eggs in the soft twigs of an oak tree of western
Asia and southern Europe. The gall used in the manufacture of dye-
for seal skins is largely the Aleppo gall. Aleppo is a district in Tur-
key. Logwood is from the logwood tree which is found in Jamaica,
the wood of this tree containing the crystalline principle hematoxylin
which is used for dye stuffs.)
The finished article requires fifteen or twenty applications of dye,
each application must be dried, and the work done by skilled men.
The result is that the skins, which in their natural state have a
silvery grey unattractive color, are turned out a beautiful lustrous
glossy black. It looks black in most lights, but there is a brownish
sheen to it. The pelt of the seal is rather thick and heavy. To
make it more supple and to reduce the weight the pelt side of the
dyed skins are sandpapered down as thin as possible, this not only
thins the pelt but removes the dyed leather leaving the pelt side white
like the inside of a white kid glove. The seal herd is the property of
the United States Government, and the Government has recently
taken over the supervision of the killing and taking of the pelts, as
well as the utilizing of the carcasses for their by-products.
CHAPTER XXVIII
GINSENG
For many years the ginseng business has gone hand in hand with
the fur business. The man that has a fox farm, or a skunk ranch,
usually raises ginseng, although it does not necessarily follow that all
of the ginseng farmers raise furbearing animals. Ginseng is a root
that is found wild in many parts of the country and that in recent
years has been cultivated a nd some very fine roots grown.
The questions are constantly asked what is ginseng and what is
it used for. In answer to the first question, ginseng is a fleshy-rooted
herbaceious plant growing naturally on the slopes of ravines and other
shady but well-drained situations in hardwood forests from Maine to
Georgia, and as far West as Minnesota, throughout most of the cen-
tral Mississippi Valley. In its wild state the plant grows from eight
to twenty inches high, bearing three or more compound leaves, each
consisting of five thin, stalked, ovate leaflets, pointed at the apex
and rounded or narrowed at the base, the three upper leaflets being
larger than the two lower ones. A cluster of from 6 to 20 small
greenish yellow flowers is produced in midsummer, followed later by
as many bright-crimson berries, each containing from one to three
flattish wrinkled seeds the size of small peas.
In answer to the second question, no one seems to know. It
has long been valued by the Chinese for medicinal use, though rarely
credited with curative virtues by the natives of other countries. The
roots have been exported from this country for about one hundred
years, and today there are larger quantities exported to China than
ever before, due to the fact that the supply of ginseng has been mater-
ially increased by the cultivation of the root, and the cultivated crop
is now larger than the crop of wild roots.
The cultivation of ginseng began about fifteen years ago, and
many growers have been very successful with it. At this time the
price is about $12.00 per pound, and those fortunate enough to har-
vest a large crop of the root, at the prevailing price are to be con-
gratulated. One grower informed the writer that he recently gathered
4000 pounds of roots from a two-acre patch, for which he realized
$50,000.00 net cash. This crop took eight years to grow.
FUR FACTS 223
It is said that the Chinese do not use ginseng so much as a curative
medicine as they do as a preventative. It is said that their favorite
method of taking ginseng is to steam the roots for many hours,
drinking it as a tea. It is their belief that many diseases are caused
by indigestion, and that ginseng has the qualities of a medicine that
will regulate the digestion and thus forestall disease. Whether this
is true or not, it is a fact that practically all of the ginseng produced,
both the wild root and the cultivated root, is exported to China. It
is also said that the Chinese will pay big premiums for certain pe-
culiarly shaped pieces of root. For instance a piece of ginseng root
that resembles the human form is said to be particularly desired and
in high favor with the Chinese. As to whether there is any medical
merit to the root or not, has not been decided by medical authorities
in this country. At any rate the medical profession seems to give
little value to it. But that is not the question. Whether it has
merit or not, the Chinese believe that it has, and they are the users,
and we have been exporting ginseng root to the Chinese for over one
hundred years. There is a big demand for it now and probably will
be for many years to come, so that any one who will undertake the
raising of ginseng, and raise it successfully, will be well repaid for
his work.
It requires an infinite amount of patience and quite a little work
to successfully raise ginseng. One must wait for several years before
cashing in any profit, but when you finally reap a crop of roots and
are able to sell it at the prevailing price on today's market of $12.00
per pound, there is no crop that will return the same high rate of
cash dividends.
Ginseng in its wild and natural state grows mostly in thick hard-
wood forests. The seeds ripen early in the fall or late summer, de-
pending a good deal on the locality in which it is found. For many
years the only crop of ginseng was the wild root, which was gathered
by ginseng diggers, many of whom were trappers in the winter time,
and looked for ginseng during the summer months. They became
familiar with the leaf and general appearance of the plant and would
then travel through the woods and when they found a plant that
was the proper size and gave evidence of having a fair sized root,
they would dig it up with their mattock, carry it home, wash and
dry it, and ship it into market. In some districts where ginseng was
plentiful this would be a very profitable summer occupation, but the
diggers would soon strip the district of all the wild ginseng there wa*
to be had. In some sections large beds of ginseng would be found,
224 FUR FACTS
and the lucky finder would reap a harvest. Some one conceived the
idea of planting ginseng seed and raising the plant. Just who first
hit on this idea is a mooted question. At any rate the pioneers were
not very successful, and most of those who tried it, gave it up. How-
ever, it has been shown conclusively that ginseng can be successfully
grown, and that a larger root can be produced than is found in the
wild state. When the cultivated ginseng first made its appearance
on the market, the Chinese did not value it very highly and it looked
like cultivated ginseng was due to be a failure, but evidently the
Chinese have overcome their prejudice against the cultivated root,
as there is very little difference between the market value of the
cultivated and the wild root at this time.
It is often asked why the Chinese do not raise their own ginseng.
One answer to this question seems to be that the ginseng requires
virgin soil, and some growers who have experimented claim that it
is impossible to raise a second crop of ginseng on the same land.
At any rate it grows best in new land, which would seem to indicate
that it requires the same natural conditions to cultivate the root as
in the wild state. This is further indicated by the fact that leaves are
used for mulching and every effort is made to create in the cultivated
field the conditions that exist in the wild state, both as to the leaves
that cover the plant and the shade that is furnished by the trees.
Fromm Brothers, who probably have one of the largest ginseng
beds in this country, informed the writer that they got the best
results after the plant was six years old. Their method is to take
the ginseng seed, which has a very hard outer shell, and place it in
sand and leave it there for a year to germinate. This is done by
taking a wooden box, the size depending on the number of seeds that
are to be used, and laying a layer of sand on the bottom of the box
about six inches deep. Over this they spread a layer of ginseng seed,
and then a layer of sand about two inches deep, then another layer
of ginseng seed, etc. This box is kept in a damp, moist place, and
is allowed to remain as it is for one year. The seeds are then taken
out and planted in a bed and are allowed to remain there for two
years. At the end of the two years, the plant is about three or four
inches high. It is then transplanted and allowed to remain three
years and then the root is dug. It takes six years to mature a crop
from the time the seed is first planted; but after the 6th year a crop
may be gathered each year, and it is estimated that the yield of
dry roots from a well managed planting will be about a ton to the
acre. At the present price of $12.00 per pound this would net
FUR FACTS 225
$24,000.00 per acre, so that it can be readily seen that a successful
crop of ginseng is a very profitable undertaking. In fact there is no
other crop that will return as big a dividend if it is brought to a
successful issue.
The seed also is a big source of profit to the grower. They are
sold by the thousand and vary in price from two to four dollars per
thousand. It takes about 8000 seeds to weigh a pound. Plants
that are five years old will produce an average of fifty seeds annually.
The Department of Agriculture has this to say about ginseng.
They are usually stratified in moist sand, old sawdust, or woods
earth and stored in a damp cool place until cracked by incipient
germination, which may be considerably delayed and usually does
not occur until the year following their ripening. The subsequent
development of the plant is also relatively slow, as it requires from
five to seven years to grow marketable roots from seeds or young
roots. Under favorable circumstances the plants begin to fruit
about the third year and when over 5 years old may produce as many
as 50 seeds annually.
The older roots possess the most substance and when properly
cured realize the highest prices. It appears almost useless to offer
for sale 3 year or 4 year roots, even if well grown and of good size,
as buyers for the Chinese market have learned to discriminate against
them.
Starting the Plantation
In planting ginseng beds it has been found desirable to start with
both young roots and seeds. By securing roots three or more years
old a moderate seed crop may be had the first season. A stock of
1-year or 2-year roots set at the same time will start the rotation,
and it is well to plant seeds also if germinated ones are available.
As the output of seeds is likely in time to exceed the capacity of
the plantation, it is well to restrict the production by nipping the
flower heads, unless a good market for the seeds is assured. Roots
gain more rapidly in size and weight if the plants are not permitted
to seed.
While small dooryard and woodland plantings may be grown with
little outlay, ginseng culture on a large scale is quite expensive. The
cost of equipping the starting ginseng beds on a commercial basis
does not appear under present conditions to fall short of $1,500 per
acre, exclusive of the value of the land.
226 FUR FACTS
The Culture of Ginseng
Ginseng grows naturally in rather dense shade and when placed
under cultural conditions must be shielded from direct sunlight by
tree shade or some construction that will reduce the light to about
one-fourth its normal intensity. This may be accomplished by plant-
ing it in forest beds, or, in cultivated ground, by erecting sheds open
to the north and possibly to the east, but covered at the top and the
south and west with laths or boards so spaced as to cut out nearly
three-fourths of the sunlight. Brush and heavy burlap have been
used with fair success for shading, but thin or ordinary muslins are
useless, as they do not intercept enough light. Denser shade is
required in southern localities than in the North. The rule appears
to be one-sixth sunlight in the latitude of Kentucky and somewhat
denser south, rising to one-fourth or more in Michigan and Wisconsin.
In the North, where open construction is preferred, Lima beans or
morning glories may be planted on the south and west sides and
allowed to run on poultry netting, thus furnishing shade during the
brightest summer months.
There are many methods of construction, but the most common is
to set posts firmly in the ground 8 feet apart each way and about 7
feet high above the ground. Scantlings 2 by 4 inches in size are
nailed on top of the posts, running the long way of the shed. The
shade is usually made in sections 4 by 8 feet long, using common
4-foot laths or slats nailed on strips 2 by 2 inches and 8 feet long.
The laths should be spaced from one-fourth to one-half inch apart,
according to locality, whether in the North or in the South. These
sections of shading are laid on top of the 2 by 4 inch runners and so
nailed to the posts that the laths run about north and south, thus
giving the plants below the benefit of constantly alternating light
and shade
For covering seed beds a rather low shade is desirable, in order to
prevent the washing out of the seeds by the drip from the laths.
Poultry netting covered with brush, straw litter, or burlap, made
light in spring and denser as the sun gains power, answers very well.
The beds under shade should be 4 feet wide and preferably should
run east and west, being so placed that the drip will fall to a great
extent in the paths. The sides may be of 12-inch boards set 8 inches
or more in the ground to keep out the moles and held in place with
small stakes. The soil should be fairly light and so well drained
naturally or artificially that water can at no time remain on the beds
FUR FACTS 227
It should be in a condition to grow good vegetables without the
addition of strong manure.
The very best fertilizers are wood soil or rotted leaves 4 to 6
inches deep, well incorporated to a foot in depth, and fine raw bone
meal well worked in, applied at the rate of 1 pound to each square
yard. If yard manures are used they should be very thoroughly
rotted and in order to give the best results should be worked in some
months previous to planting the beds. Chemical fertilizers and
wood ashes have been used, but as seriously injurious results have
sometimes followed it is best for the beginner at least, to depend on
rotted leaves and raw ground bone to enrich the soil. For seed beds
the soil should be half woods earth, free from fiber, and if inclined to
be heavy, enough sand should be added so the mixture will not bake
or harden even after heavy rains.
Planting the Beds
Ginseng seeds are best planted in spring as early as the soil can
be worked to advantage. Only cracked or partially germinated
seeds should be used. They may be planted 6 inches apart each
way in the permanent beds or 2 by 6 inches in seed beds and trans-
planted to stand 6 or 8 inches apart when 2 years old. The seeds
should be covered 1 inch deep with woods soil or old rotten hickory
or basswood sawdust. That from pine or oak trees should not be
used. The roots may be set any time from October to April when
the soil is in suitable condition, the crowns being placed about 2
inches below the surface. The most approved distances to plant are
6 or 8 inches apart each way, the latter being preferred when the
7-year-old roots are to be grown.
Many planters round the surface of the beds, making the center
several inches higher than the sides, since they find space for more
plants on the curved than on the flat surface, but others claim that
the possible injury from drought in very convex beds more than
offsets this advantage. It is important, however, to have the centers
high enough not to retain water after a rain. For roots the beds
should be worked fully 12 inches deep, but the seed beds need not be
so deeply stirred, as it is not advisable to have them settle to any
marked extent.
Ginseng needs little cultivation, but the beds should at all times
be kept free from weeds and grass, and the surface of the soil should
be scratched with a light tool whenever it shows signs of caking.
Ginseng seedlings grow about 2 inches high the first year, with three
228 FUR FACTS
leaflets at the apex of the stem. The second year plants may reach
5 or 6 inches in height, bearing two compound leaves each composed
of five characteristic leaflets. A third leaf is generally added the
next year and fruits may be expected. In succeeding years a fourth
leaf is formed and the fruiting head reaches its maximum development
sometimes producing as many as 100 seeds, but the average under
cultivation seldom exceeds 40 seeds to a plant.
Mulching
In accordance with natural conditions a winter mulch over the
crowns is essential, especially in northern localities. Forest leaves
held in place with poultry netting or light brush are best, but corn-
stalks stripped of the husks, bean vines, cowpea hay, or other coarse
litter not containing weed seeds or material attractive to mice will
answer the purpose. It should not be placed in position until actual
freezing weather is imminent and should be removed in spring before
the first shoots come through the soil.
A mulch of 4 or 5 inches of leaves or their equivalent in litter is
ample for the severest climate, and less is needed in the South. Seed-
ling beds particularly require careful mulching to prevent heaving by
frost.
Free ventilation is very necessary for ginseng. In the forest,
owing to the height of the protective canopy of trees, air currents
are almost constant. This condition should be borne in mind in the
construction of artificial shade, and the shed should contain as few
obstacles as possible to the free circulation of air. Open sides at
the north and east will generally insure free ventilation.
Owing to the comparatively high cost of ginseng plants and roots,
the beds should be well protected by secure fences from the intrusion
of wild or domestic animals and should also be securely guarded
against theft, which is not uncommon with this high-priced product.
Protection is especially needed with forest plantings which should
always be well inclosed. Moles may be controlled with suitable
traps, of which there are several kinds on the market, or the beds
may be guarded with boards or wire netting of sufficiently close
mesh set 12 to 18 inches in the ground.
Ginseng Varieties
The culture of native ginseng has been too brief to induce varietal
changes, but liberal fertilization and continual selection of seeds
from individual plants having superior commercial characteristics
will doubtless in the end modify the wild type of plants. There are,
FUR FACTS 229
however, various recognizable geographical races, not all of the same
value to the grower. Plants from the northern range, particularly
those indigenous to New York and Wisconsin, appear to possess the
most useful characteristics and form the best basis for breeding stocks.
Southern ginseng, though vigorous and forming roots of good size
and shape, does not seed well in northern localities, evidently finding
the season too brief. Some of the western types have long thin roots
of undesirable character, and another local form, dwarf in growth,
has small, round, and almost worthless roots. The beginner should
endeavor to procure from reliable dealers the best commercial types
of ginseng as a foundation for his breeding stock.
Diseases of Ginseng
The diseases of cultivated ginseng appear to be chiefly incident
to the crowding of the plants, deficient drainage, and lack of ventila-
tion. In their natural state the plants as a rule are thinly scattered
on the forest floor under advantageous conditions of ventilation and
the soil drainage, the normal action of tree roots playing no incon-
siderable part in the latter condition, and diseases, of which there are
several, are likely to remain quite local in effect, but under the crowd-
ed conditions of commercial culture they tend to spread and may
cause material injury. Errors in fertilization and soil treatments
are also fruitful sources of injury and by weakening the resistance
of the plants further invite the inroads of disease.
Forest Plantings
The earlier successes with ginseng culture were made with forest
plantings, and this method is still preferred by many growers where
the proper conditions are available. The shade should be fairly
dense, but should be produced by tall, open-headed trees rather than
by undergrowth. Good drainage is essential, as the plants will not
thrive in wet soils. The soil should be deeply plowed or spaded, all
tree roots removed, and their further encroachment should be pre-
vented by cutting around the beds yearly with a sharp spade. Leaf
mold or well decayed litter should be liberally worked into the soil,
and an application of bone meal raked into the surface will in most
cases prove a useful addition. The culture of forest beds is in all
respects similar to that under artificial shade, and the winter mulch
should in no case be omitted.
Digging the Root
The cured root is valued by the Chinese largely according to its
size and maturity. The best qualities of proper age break with a
230 FUR FACTS
somewhat soft and waxy fracture. Young and undersized roots dry
hard and glassy and are regarded as less desirable. Very small roots
and root fibers often realize less than a dollar a pound, while those of
the proper size and quality sell readily at top quotations. Cultivated
roots as a rule attain greater size than wild ones of the same age,
but lack density of substance until well past the fifth year of develop-
ment.
Beds should rarely be dug for market until the sixth year, and
should then be taken up solidly and the undersized roots replanted
or securely heeled in until time to plant in the spring. Good roots
should run nearly four inches long, half an inch in thickness below
the crown, and average about an ounce in weight in the fresh state.
Roots may be dug at any time after growth ceases in September,
but mid-October is regarded as the most favorable time. They
should be carefully washed or shaken free of all adhering soil, but
not scraped, as it is important to preserve the natural dusky color of
the skin with its characteristic annular markings.
Curing is best affected in an airy room heated to about 80 F.
by a stove or furnace. The roots are spread on lattice trays and are
frequently examined and turned, but must always be handled gently
to avoid breaking the forks or marring the surface. It requires
nearly a month of drying to cure the larger roots properly, but the
heat may well be diminished toward the end of the process except in
noticeably damp weather. In all stages of curing particular care
should be taken to see that the root does not mold or sour, as any
defect will greatly depress the selling price. On the other hand,
overheating should be avoided, as it tends to discolor the surface and
spoil the texture of the interior. Once well cured, the roots should
be stored in a dry and airy place, secure from vermin, until ready for
sale. The market lies with the wholesale drug dealers, some of whom
make a specialty of buying ginseng root for export.
Ginseng is a native product of recognized importance. The
export trade in dry roots has existed for more than a century and has
attained an average value of over a million dollars annually for the
past decade.
The natural production, dimished by overcollection and the con-
traction of suitable forest areas, has dwindled to such an extent that
prices have risen to levels warranting cultivation, which has proved
quite successful in judicious hands. The plant, however, has little
domestic value except for the exploitation of amateur cultivators and
depends on a distant oriental market for its standing as a commodity.
FUR FACTS 231
As a commercial product it would appear particularly liable to over-
production, which danger, however, is greatly lessened by the slow
development of the plant and the inherent difficulties of its cultivation.
Under the present conditions of production ginseng offers at-
tractive possibilities to patient cultivators who are in sympathy
with the limitations of growth and the slow development of woodland
plants in general and who are willing to make a material outlay with
only scanty returns in view for several years to come, but it holds
out little inducement for inexperienced growers looking for quick
profits from a small investment.
The culture of ginseng and of special crops generally is best begun
in an inexpensive and experimental manner, enlarging the equipment
only as reasonale success seems assured. "Plunging" in ginseng is as
likely to prove disastrous as in other forms of business enterprise.
CHAPTER XXIX
BUYING AND VALUING RAW FUR
The buying of raw furs in the country by the inexperienced is
rather hazardous business. The value of raw furs depends upon the
quality of the fur and the size and condition of the skin. A large
skin that is poorly furred may be worth less than a small skin with
the fur fully developed. Raw furs are divided up into several grades
as follows: extra large #1 prime, large #1 prime, medium #1 prime,
small #1 prime, #2, large #2, #3 and #4. With some furs, such as
mink and marten, the color and gloss of the fur plays an important
part in its value. While size is important the value of a pelt does
not depend upon size alone. For example, two mink skins of equal
size and coming from the same section of the country may vary
greatly in price. One skin may be worth ten dollars and the other
twenty-five cents. The ten dollar mink would have its value in
the fact that it would be prime, full-furred and dark colored, the
other would be unprime, that is, the pelt would be almost black in
color and the fur would be just fuzz. There are other mink skins
that would range in value somewhere between these two extremes
and, as stated before, their value would depend upon size, quality
and the color of the fur.
The principal thing to keep in mind in valuing and buying raw
furs is the fact that it is the fur on the pelt that makes the skin val-
uable, and the finer and silkier, the better colored the fur, the
more valuable it is. Therefore, when starting out to buy furs,
these facts should be taken into consideration and the buyer should
be well enough posted to know one grade from another at least in
a general way. Furs are bought with the idea of ultimately making
them up into fur garments, and as stated before, it is the quality of
the fur or the quality and beauty of the fur that makes one skin more
valuable than another. The first consideration in buying furs,
therefore, should be given to size / quality and color. By quality is
meant the thickness, softness and silkiness of the fur, the primeness
and condition of the pelt. By color is meant the richness, gloss,
luster and shade of color of the fur. As a general proposition, in
most furs where the color is an element of value, the dark shades of
FUR FACTS 233
color make the fur more valuable. In other words, dark, deep, rich
brown mink is more valuable than the yellowish, lusterless, faded
looking mink. These are two extremes, but serve to emphasize the
point of what is meant by color.
Another important element that enters into the value of pelts
of course is the size. The difference in the value of two furs being
equal in color and quality would be the size. The one having the largest
number of square inches of fur would of course be the more valuable.
Therefore, to repeat, in judging the value of pelts, there are three
important things to bear in mind. First the quality of the fur, the
thickness and silkiness; second the gloss and shade of color; third
the size and condition of the pelt and the color of the flesh side of the
pelt. Funsten Bros. & Co. quote prices on the different grades and
kind of raw furs according to their standard grades, which are #1
extra large, #1 large, #1 medium, #1 small, #2 large, #2, #3 and #4.
Grading and valuing furs is a good deal like valuing and judging
diamonds or pearls. A man, to be an expert, must have years of
experience and not everyone handling or buying furs becomes an
expert. The writer believes, however, that these suggestions will
be of value to the man or boy possessed with what is called "fur
sense." When you stop to consider that it takes a man with "fur
sense'* working in furs every day and handling thousands of pelts,
about five years to become a qualified fur grader; you can readily
understand that it is not possible to become an expert in furs by
merely trapping or handling a few skins each season, but the man who
has this experience and will read carefully and follow the suggestions
in this article will find that his ability to judge the value of raw furs
will be aided materially.
A Number One Prime Skin
Any pelt to grade number one prime must be prime pelted; that
is, the flesh side of the pelt must be a healthy reddish white, clean
color. The fur must be full, the under-fur well developed, and the
guard hair not rubbed off. In addition to this, the skin should be
stretched properly.
Now it would be graded an extra large number one, large number
one, medium number one, or small number one, according to the
size. Right here we would like to call attention to this fact, that the
size of a number one extra large skin in one section often differs from
that of another section. For instance, the size of a number one large
mink from the state of Maine would be about the same size as a
FUR FACTS
number one small mink from Alaska. In the same manner a skunk
from Kentucky that would grade prime large, would grade small
from Dakota. We mention this because furs from different sections
vary in size, quality, and color, but a pelt from any section to grade
No. 1 prime must be prime pelted and full furred as described above.
Unprime Pelts The flesh side of an unprime skin is a bluish
color, and such skins are called blue or unprime. Pelts of this kind
usually grade number twos, threes, or fours, according to the amount
of fur on the pelt. Some unprime skins have a flesh or pelt side that
is almost black in color. Pelts of this kind are usually very poor in
fur and are low grades and of little value for fur purposes.
Furs that grade as twos, threes or fours, are usually blue pelted,
but a skin may be red pelted and not be number one prime. This
would apply especially to skins that are trapped in the late Spring
of the year, when the pelts are red, but very dry and brittle, and the
fur is rubbed or shedded. These are known as "springy" or "rubbed"
skins, and are usually classed as number twos, threes, or fours, the
same as the blue pelted skins; in other words, they are not number
one prune pelted furs.
Furs become unprime due to any one of several causes. As a rule
blue pelted unprime skins are found before real cold weather sets in,
and before the animal has developed a heavy coat of under fur. The
pelt side of the skin indicates the health and condition of the animal
and the quality and thickness of the fur. Blue pelted skins, as a
rule, indicate that all the fur has not fully developed.
A few skins are found to be blue pelted even when the animal is
taken in real cold weather and at the best time of the year. This
may be caused by the animal being diseased or sick.
In buying furs, or grading furs, a safe rule is to class unprime and
springy or shedded skins as number twos, threes, or fours, according
to the quality of the fur and the condition of the pelt and the size.
In spite of all that has been written about not trapping out of
season, there is a certain number of inexperienced trappers who take
furs at the wrong season. These furs are of little or no value.
Again, animals are diseased and even when taken in the winter their
coats are mangy, shedded and of little value for fur purposes. Singed
furs, especially mink, must be watched, for the singed fur is the same
as a hair that is burned; the end of such hair being usually curled.
Animals that lay out in a strong sunlight often have the top guard
hair singed. This is especially true of otter. Many otter skins that
would otherwise be perfect in fur and pelt have the top or guard
FUR FACTS 235
fur singed. Badly singed otter skins are usually plucked as singed
pelts do not make up attractively.
It pays to trap when furs are at their best. Take mink for in-
stance. A mink skin could be of large size but if the pelt were black,
and the fur just a little fuzzy hair, the skin would grade low and
would be worth a low price. On the other hand, if the same mink
(unless it was a sick or diseased animal) were trapped when the fur
was at its best and the pelt prime, it would be worth big money.
Color
In addition to the primeness and condition of the pelt and the
thickness and quality of the fur and the size of the skin, another
important element that enters into the grading of some furs, such as
mink, marten, otter, fisher, raccoon and even muskrat, is the fur color.
As a general rule the darker skins are the more valuable. Silky dark
mink bring higher prices than coarse brown ones.
Beginners, and sometimes older trappers, make the mistake of
believing they have very dark skins because it is the darkest one they
ever have seen in their vicinity, when as a matter of fact, the skin
would not grade dark in the market because in some sections darker
skins are produced.
A skin to grade dark should be a rich, dark brown chocolate color,
and the tips of the guard hair must not be singed by the sun. Under
an electric light on a dark day such skins look almost black.
You will readily see therefore, that in grading and valuing most
furs there are four distinct things to take into consideration prime-
ness or unprimeness of the pelt, the size, the thickness and quality,
and the color of the fur. Also take into consideration that cut skins,
tainted skins or improperly stretched skins are not strictly No. 1 skins.
MINK
Mink is one of the most beautiful and servicable of our American
small furs. It is found in nearly every state in the Union
and in large quantities in Canada and Alaska. Its habits, etc., are
described in another chapter. The finest mink in color and quality
are found in the Northeastern states and Eastern Canada; Maine
mink probably being the finest in quality. Michigan and Wisconsin
are famous for mink of fine quality and color; Minnesota is the
home of mink of splendid size and color. The largest mink probably
are found in North Dakota. Louisiana is a big mink state, although
quite naturally the quality of the fur is not as fine as those found in
the more northern states. Many mink are found in parts of Texas
236
FUR FACTS
but they are usually of a coarse variety. The Carolinas are famous
for mink. Alabama, Georgia and parts of Mississippi produce mink
of splendid color. Virginia and West Virginia also have mink of good
color. All of the Central and Western States produce mink in large
quantities of varying quality, the mink in one section of a state
often differing considerably from those found in other sections. As
a rule the mink from the Northern part of a state are softer
and more silky in fur than those found in the Southern sections.
Practically all mink, even those of the very finest color and
quality|arelstretched cased with the fur side in and
the [flesh| side out. This has many advantages over
the other method and is preferred by all experienced
buyers. Mink that are
.
shipped to market with
the fur side outand the
pelt side in are bound
to get more OT less
greasy which causes the
fur to look dead and
Mink, Pelt and Pur flat. To determine the
grade and value of a
mink, first examine the pelt carefully
and determine whether it is prime or
not. If the pelt is prime, that is if the
flesh is a clean reddish healthy color Gradin Sable
then it will grade as number one. The next thing to determine is the
color and size and whether the skin or the fur has been damaged; next
consider how the skin has been stretched. The proper way to stretch
mink is pelt side out and they should be shaped like the one shown in
the illustration. In some sections are found a class of mink called cotton
mink. The under fur is almost white or a very light tan. These
mink are- usually poor in quality, do not match with other mink and
are not as valuable, and usually grade No. 3. Remember that a
mink to be classified as dark must be a rich dark brown; dark mink
are not found at all in some sections. The color seems to be determined
by the soil conditions, amount of timber and possibly food. Mink
that live entirely on fish are rarely good in color, in fact they are a
pale light brown. All mink begin to lose their gloss and get lighter
in color in the spring and in some sections the fur is singed when the
weather turns suddenly hot; the mink lays out in the sun and its
fur will quickly shed and turn color.
FUR FACTS
237
SKUNK
In the grading and valuing of skunk the same rules apply, so far
as the skins being prime or unprime are concerned. But in addition to
the condition of the pelt and the length and thickness of the fur,
skunk of equal quality are valued according to the amount of black
fur that is on the pelt. As a rule the more white on the skunk the less
valuable it is. Therefore, skunk are graded as black skunk, short
stripe skunk, narrow stripe skunk, and then broad or white stripe
skunk.
B
Sometimes a beginner will think that he has a black skunk because
after he has skinned the animal the pelt turns black. A skunk
that is black on both sides, fur side and pelt side, is not very valuable.
What you want is well furred skunk; silky, glossy fur and a prime
pelt. These are the skins that bring the fancy prices. Other
kinds are valuable, of course, in proportion to their quality.
Skunk, that are classed as black, are nearly all black, with the
exception of one or two small white spots on the back of the head.
The short stripe skunk has two small stripes running almost down
to the shoulders. The narrow stripe skunk has two narrow white
stripes, about the width of a knife blade, which run from the top of
the head to the root of the tail. The broad stripe skunk has the same
two white stripes as the narrow stripe skunk, except that the white
stripes are about twice as wide as those of the narrow stripe skunk.
238 FUR FACTS
The more black fur on a skunk pelt, the more valuable it is. The
color of the pelt side of an unprime skunk is blue, or black; in fact
this applies to the pelts of all unprime skins.
Illustration (A) shows the black skunk, (B) the short stripe
skunk, (C) the narrow or long stripe skunk, (D) the broad or white
stripe skunk.
These skunks are illustrated fur side out in order to show you
the relative difference in the stripe. The length and width of these
stripes vary according to the section of the country in which the
animal is trapped.
The proper way to stretch skunk is to case the pelt with the fur
side in and the pelt side out. Always be sure and have the pelt
scraped free of surplus fat before packing for shipment.
It is very important to take the color of the flesh side into con-
sideration in judging the value of a skunk pelt. The all important
thing that makes a skin valuable is the amount of fur, but the in-
experienced often mistake hair for fur. The color of the flesh side
usually indicates the condition of the fur; if it is prime, that is if the
flesh side is a healthy reddish white color, you can be reasonably sure
that the fur is fully developed. If the pelt has a slightly bluish cast,
it indicates that the fur is of good quality, though not fully developed.
But if the pelt side is a flat looking black color, then you must be
careful and look for fur that has only partly developed, and that is
lacking in a full growth of under fur.
OPOSSUM
Opossum is one of the leading American furs and one of the
greatest sources of profit to the trapper and fur shipper. In some
sections they are used as an article of food and are therefore valuable
in two ways, but to be valuable for fur purposes opossum skins must
have fur. Opossum skins that are taken before they are full furred
or when they are shedded are sometimes of very little value. If
you are buying opossum we would advise you to pay attention to
the amount of the fur, and not judge the opossum by the size of the
pelt alone.
Opossum are not judged so much by the pelt as other fur bearers.
It is the thickness and the quality of the fur that counts and a skin
may be large in size, and look prime, but if poorly furred has little
value.
Opossum that just have long coarse hairs, and no under fur have
to be graded as twos, threes or fours. In grading or valuing opossum
FUR FACTS
289
remember it is the thickness and quality of the fur that counts in
addition to the size of the pelt.
The color of the fur does not enter into the value of opossum
pelts. Most of them are dyed so that the color is not important. The
under fur should be dense and long. The animal does not lose the
long guard hair in hot weather but the under fur sheds out. Pelts
that are taken before the underfur
has fully developed are not valua-
ble for furriers purposes. When
buying opossum, be sure and ex-
amine the fur closely; opossum pelts
are seldom blue in color like 'other unprime pelts. Stretch the skins
pelt side out as shown in the illustration.
RACCOON
In grading raccoon the same general rule as to the primeness or
unprimeness of the pelt applies, however, raccoon is one of the few
fur bearers that are stretched open and not cased. Most all of the
raccoon from the central and southern sections are stretched square
as shown in illustration.
SQUARE HANDLED
Properly Stretched
INDIAN HANDLED
ROUGH HANDLED
This coon stretched square
would be worth more money
In northern sections coon are stretched in Indian style, but as a
general rule it is better to stretch all coon square.
Prime pelted coon would be graded number one extra large, num-
ber one large, number one medium and number one small and the
unprime pelts would be graded as number two large, number two,
number three and number four, with the exception, however, that
very pale, faded coon, even if the pelt is prime, are not graded number
one.
240 FUR FACTS
The best colored raccoon are dark over almost the entire surface
of the pelt. Some coon are prime pelted, but they lose their color
from lying out on the limb of a tree in the hot sun and the fur becomes
faded and spotted yellow in color. They may be full in fur, but the
color is so bad that they cannot be classed with the rich dark colored
skins, and therefore must be graded accordingly.
In some sections of the south many raccoon skins are taken off
and nailed up on the side of the barn and are not properly stretched.
These skins may be well furred, but when they are received in the
market, they look like the rough handled skin shown in the illustration.
Such skins are not as valuable as they would be if they were
stretched square as illustrated. All of the small pieces around the
edge must be cut off and this is a total waste, where if the skin is
stretched square the manufacturer can utilize these ends and it is,
therefore, advisable to stretch all raccoon as nearly square as possible.
Some heavy raccoon that are trapped in the north section can be
stretched in Indian style; that is the skins are stretched to the natural
shape of the skin, but even then they try to get them as near square
as the shape of the skin will allow.
In some sections the raccoon are heavier furred than in others.
This is especially true in most of the northern states. Raccoon that
are full grown, fat and heavy, develop an extra heavy coat of fur in
real cold weather and the texture of this fur is usually very fine and
the under fur extremely dense. These extra heavy skins are used
for trimmings on fine coats and are usually dyed. For this reason,
most fur houses quote prices on extra heavy raccoon as well as
average raccoon.
In the late spring of the year, raccoon begin to show signs of
the warm weather and start to shed and rub. This happens some-
times in the midst of winter in some states when the weather
turns suddenly warm. Such skins are classed as springy or shedded
furs. As this shedding and rubbing usually starts back of the head,
it is well to examine raccoon for rubbed or damaged spots.
MUSKRAT
Muskrat are found throughout the United States and Canada,
but they vary considerably in size and quality and, strange as it
may seem, the muskrat from Alaska are not as valuable as those
from the central states like Illinois or Michigan. For instance, a
large Illinois muskrat is much larger than a muskrat that would be
classified or graded as large trapped in the northern part of Canada.
FUR FACTS
The muskrats from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Northern
Illinois and East Canada are very fine in quality and are usually
very good in color. This class of muskrats is often used natural;
that is they are not sheared and dyed but are made up in the natural
color. Muskrats from other sections are also used for this purpose,
but a great many of them are sheared and dyed seal color and are
known as Hudson Seal which is described in another chapter. The
art of dyeing the muskrat seal color has been developed to such a
state that many women prefer the Hudson Seal to the Alaska Seal
with a result that the price of muskrat has advanced considerably
and the skins are in big demand.
In the earlier days muskrat were of little value and then they
were divided into three grades, spring, winter and fall, and were
usually sold at an average round price with the kits out. Now,
however, the price of muskrat is high, in fact, muskrat is as high
today as mink were 15 or 20 years ago and the result is that muskrat
are now graded just as carefully and into the same number of grades
as other fine furs and is really valued by the square inch. In other
words, they are divided into the standard grades. The muskrat
is usually at its best in the late winter and early spring, when
the pelt is thin and the fur thick. However, the early winter musk-
rats are usually better in color although the pelts are not quite as
thin as the spring muskrat. The fall muskrat is thick and heavy in
pelt and not so thick in fur, the flesh or pelt side is usually blue and
this class of rat is not so desirable for shearing and dyeing and making
into Hudson Seal.
In former times a great many small kit muskrat were taken, but
as these have very little value, trappers have learned the wisdom
of passing them up until they are full grown with the result that the
percentage of kits coming to market is decreasing every year. The
fine dark colored muskrats with reddish pelts are the most valuable
and of the finest quality.
There are still some hunters who take muskrat by shooting.
Muskrat that are shot or speared are not as valuable as those trapped,
as the shot holes and spear holes damage the pelt and reduce their
value. The muskrat also fight among themselves and in some cases
rip the fur and the pelt so that when the skin is taken off, it is full of
holes and these skins must be graded as damaged and are graded 2,
3 or 4 according to the number of shot holes or damaged spots or the
number of cuts in the skin.
FUR FACTS
After a muskrat is dressed the leather becomes very soft and
what might have been a small hole in the raw skin will stretch into a
large damaged spot in the dressed skin, therefore, be careful in buying
cut, shot or damaged muskrat and take these facts into consideration.
They should be considerably discounted if they are damaged. It is
difficult to give any accurate size, for as stated before, muskrat vary
considerably in size depending upon the section in which they are
found, but a full grown male muskrat pelt after it is
stretched and dried will measure about 15 to 18 inches
long.
The grading and classification of muskrats, like all
other furs, is according to the standard grade for the
particular section in which they are found. For instance,
the muskrat of western Canada average smaller
