The Fur Animals of Louisiana 71 



pointed out, has not been proved and will need further in- 

 tensive study, but in view of the present discussion the fol- 

 lowing is set down : 



In 1913, the New Orleans raw pelt trade handled a very- 

 large amount of muskrat pelts and veteran trappers, when 

 it was recalled to them, remember that this animal was 

 very abundant during the fall and winter of that year. 



The World War was on in full blast in 1918. Many of 

 our Louisiana trappers were in France, many others who 

 "emained here were busy with other war-time activities, 

 the European fur market was closed, particularly Leipzig, 

 the chief German raw pelt center, and as a consequence 

 few trappers were in the field. While the estimate of the 

 fur catch, especially the muskrat, was not high, it is a fact, 

 however, that this animal was particularly abundant in 

 1918 and in spite of the fact that a disastrous Gulf hurri- 

 cane swept the coastal marshes in August of 1915. 



The year 1923 will ever be remembered as the year in 

 which the greatest catch of muskrats ever recorded in 

 Louisiana took place. A veteran fur buyer for a prominent 

 New York house, who has kept a check of the muskrats 

 handled by the local dealers for a score of years, says that 

 fifteen million pelts of this fur animal is not too high a 

 figure. At any rate the catch of that year can be conserva- 

 tively placed at about ten million. 



In 1924 and again in 1925, Louisiana was visited by a 

 severe drought. Salt water inundated fresh water lakes 

 and lagoons, muskrats died, the vegetation dried, and fires 

 swept the coastal areas from the Pearl to the Sabine Rivers. 

 Muskrats suffered and it will never be known how many 

 died from the effect of a lack of water, from disease and 

 from fire. A phenomenal and unexpected rise in prices sent 

 an army of trappers into the marshes who "cleaned up" on 

 the 'rats the droughts, fires and diseases did not get. and 

 the muskrat has been slow in coming back. 



