3 8 THE FUR TRADE OF AMERICA 



Of skunk, there are two kinds in the fur world — the black with 

 his tail in the air, his poor relative the little civet striped skunk. 

 The former has the tougher skin and the deeper fur. The latter 

 should never be a high-priced skin. 



The best beaver is golden brown with the lustre of the sun. 

 Other beaver may have been trapped out of season, unprime furs 

 always shed hairs and wear into thin spots. 



"Coon" skin is tough and most durable, defying sun or rain; 

 but to be beautiful the stripes must match perfectly and be dark. 

 Beware of dyed stripes. 



The best dog skin comes from China and Russia and is very 

 durable. 



Coney is nothing but rabbit. You usually get it as near seal, 

 or French seal. It lacks the lustre — also the gold brown of Hud- 

 son seal, which is muskrat. 



Twenty years ago, American trade absorbed only 100,000 

 muskrats a year. To-day it absorbs 4,000,000 to 7,000,000. The 

 best skins go into Hudson seals. Others go to imitate kolinsky 

 as linings. The waste of muskrat goes into felt and hats. The 

 muskrat pelt is square. The kolinsky is oblong. Feel the shape 

 of the pelt sewed in your coat. Muskrat is very durable. It is 

 nearly always a good buy if you know you are buying muskrat and 

 not kolinsky. Its price has gone up from 12 cents to $ 5 in ten years. 



The best furs come from the coldest climate, from fresh water in 

 preference to salt, and from shaded woods in preference to open 

 plains. Choose accordingly ; remembering there are no opossums, 

 chinchillas, nutrias in a cold climate, and no beavers worth taking 

 from a warm climate. There are no tigers from the far North ; 

 but the best tigers come from the shaded jungle. 



As a rule, dehaired furs do not need chemicals and therefore are 

 more durable. This applies to beavers, nutrias, otters. 



When beaver and otter have been slightly silvered, they are more 

 beautiful than golden brown ; but the silvering has been done by 

 chemicals and may weather in a way the natural fur will not. The 



