The Fur Animals of Louisiana 



245 



— Reproduced by courtesy of the Northern Fur Trade 

 THE TWELVE MONTH CYCLE OF THE MUSKRAT 



The annual cycle of the Manitoba muskrat as drawn by Professor V. W. Jackson of 

 the Manitoba Agricultural College, who claims that, in Manitoba, there are three litters, 

 plus the grandchildren from the spring litter, which are mature in August. He finds in 

 his section of Canada the average litter is five, making 25 young, per pair, per season, 

 under natural conditions. 



The Importance of Humus 



It has appeared that the peaty humus that overlies our 

 coastal marshes has a great deal to do with the muskrat 

 population. We had arrived at our conclusions independ- 

 ently, at the same time, and we are now jointly giving - the 

 subject-matter more detailed attention and are gathering 

 further evidence to back up our contention. 



