390 Department of Conservation of Louisiana 



the pelage was not at its maximum growth and, there- 

 fore, an unprime skin is an unseasonable one. This shows 

 a very excellent reason for the state laws that exact open 

 and close seasons for the fur animals of Louisiana. 



While it is true that blue-pelted skins are sometimes 

 taken off of animals trapped in midwinter, this marking 

 of the pelt is quite likely to be due to an unhealthy condi- 

 tion of the fur-bearer. 



As a general rule, furs caught late in the season, which 

 means early in the spring, have a shedded and rubbed 

 pelage and then they become what is termed, in the par- 

 lance of the fur trade, "Springy," and as a consequence 

 grade off in value. When out-o-season skins exhibit prime 

 looking pelts, but on curing become dry and brittle, it will 

 be noticed that the fur is flat, rubbed, and has a ten- 

 dency to fall out. Such skins are graded 2's, 3's and much 

 lower, according to the condition of the pelage. 



Pelt and Pelage 



In the foregoing the words pelts and pelage have been 

 used to describe various conditions of the skins of fur 

 animals. The "pelt" is the flesh or inside of the hide that 

 is taken from the fur animal, while the "pelage" is the 

 growth on the outside of the hide, which in most skins is 

 the mixture of hair and fur that give the animal its pro- 

 tection in life and its value in the fur market. In grading 



furs both the pelt and the pelage must be considered. 



The color of the fur on a skin that goes into the mar- 

 ket has a decided effect on the price that it will bring 

 the trapper. This is especially true with muskrats, mink, 

 raccoon, and otter skins. With opossum, skunk, wolf and 

 fox pelts the profusion of pelage is the contributing factor 

 in grading. With the furs of the first-named division, the 

 general rule is that the darker pelage skins bring the 

 better prices. Mink possessing a silky, glistening ("alive," 

 the experienced grader and furrier call such fur) will 

 always bring a higher price that a brown mink, irrespec- 

 tive of size. Dark colored and heavily furred raccoons 

 will always average higher in price than like animals 



