1;;g jol'rxal of I'Orestrv 



Under such a policy it would be obviously foolish to take the wrecking 

 value of the forests at the first cutting, as at present, and thereby cause 

 an unnecessary expense of $5 to $25 per acre for re-establishment of 

 the forest, as it must eventually be. We could write at length on the 

 possibilities opened by this enlightened policy, but the points above 

 must suffice to show the hopeful future under it. 



MuSKRAT Farming 



In these times of reappraisement of our natural resources — finding 

 new materials, substitutes, and extensions of use of old materials — the 

 editor recalls his definition of a weed as a plant whose use has not yet 

 been found out. We had supposed that the muskrat was falling under 

 this definition, but are agreeably surprised by the publication of the 

 Bureau of Biological Survey (Farmers' Bulletin 869, U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture), devoting some 20 pages to the discussion of this 

 animal. We learn from this that the muskrat is not onl}' an important 

 fur-bearer, but a palatable food, found marketed as such, under the 

 name of "marsh rabbits." in T'hiladelphia, Baltimore, and Wilmington, 

 at 10 to 20 cents. 



It plays, however, a greater role for its fur, especially in view of the 

 steadily decreasing fur resources of the States. 



"The muskrat has been one of the chief factors in maintaining a high 

 total value for our annual fur production, and in commercial impor- 

 tance now heads the list of fur-bearers of the United States." While 

 other small fur animals have grown scarcer, muskrats have rather in- 

 creased, and that in spite of increased marketing, which before the war 

 in London alone had grown to over 10 million skins, and it is stated 

 that with proper protection during the breeding season from 10 to 12 

 million pelts can be taken annually in North America without depleting 

 the suppl}'. 



Moreover, muskrat farming is already a prosperous business, adding 

 new values to marsh lands, several examples being cited of profitable 

 farming. 



B. E. F. 



