black (a very dark or black color 

 phase of the brown) ; and (3) the 

 Louisiana, or southern. 



There are several methods of 

 grading muskrat pelts and few peo- 

 ple sort thorn in the same way. 

 They are usually classified accord- 

 ing to (1) size group — mice and 

 kits, small, medium, large, x large, 

 XX large, and xxx large; and (2) 

 season — fall, winter, and spring. 

 They are further graded on condi- 

 tion, such as flats, damaged, and 

 tainted, and on color quality. 



In former years, many muskrat 

 skins were home-tanned and made 

 into caps, gloves, coat collars, and 

 other articles. The process is very 

 tedious and requires excessive hand 

 labor, so that very little of this is 

 now done in the home. Today, 

 practically all pelts are tanned and 

 dressed in the large centers of the 

 fur trade : New York, Newark, 

 N. J., St. Louis, Mo., and Seattle, 

 Wash. 



Burlap sacks have proved highly 

 satisfactory for shipping muskrat 

 skins. When large quantities of 

 skins are shipped long distances to 

 market, they are usually put in spe- 

 cial presses and baled. The pelts 

 must be thoroughly dry and the 

 bales should be held in cold storage 

 to prevent molding and grease 

 burns. 



Muskrat Meat as Food 



Although the muskrat is trapped 

 primarily for its pelt, its flesh is 

 highly esteemed by many (fig. 48). 

 Several million are eaten annually, 

 but the poor utilization of this im- 

 portant source of meat represents 

 an enormous waste — it could be 



Figure 48.— A dish of muskrat, or 

 "marsh rabbit." 



made to yield an additional and 

 profitable economic return to the 

 trapper and marsh-owner. Musk- 

 rat meat can be sold cheaply as the 

 additional labor required to prepare 

 it for market is slight. 



In the retail markets of many 

 cities in the East and Middle West, 

 such as Philadelphia, Wilmington, 

 Baltimore, Washington, Detroit, 

 and St. Louis, there is a growing 

 demand for muskrat meat. It is 

 generally sold as "marsh rabbit" 

 but no attempt is made to conceal 

 the source of the meat. Muskrat 

 meat is becoming more popular each 

 season ; and throughout the trap- 

 ping season it is shipped to a num- 

 ber of large commission and pro- 

 duce houses. In the East it comes 

 mostly from the lower Chesapeake 

 Bay region, but occasional ship- 

 ments have arrived in excellent con- 

 dition from Louisiana and other 

 distant points. 



For years muskrat has been 

 served in many of the leading hotels 

 and restaurants of the larger cities 

 under such names as "'marsh hare'' 

 or "Chesapeake terrapin."' The 

 flesh is dark but fine-grained and, 

 with a minimum of cooking, it is 



33 



