62 THE FUR TRADE OF AMERICA 



are well scattered over the pelt. Flakiness, which is the appearance 

 of whitish silver hairs placed close together in patches, is objec- 

 tionable. 



Texture. — Buyers pass judgment on the skins by drawing the 

 hand over the fur. The softest fur is the most valuable. The 

 quality of softness is referred to as " silkiness." 



Gloss. — The sheen must be evident. It is caused by the 

 perfect health of the animal and the fineness of the hair, as well 

 as by hereditary influences. Woods and humid atmosphere also 

 favor this important quality. 



Weight. - — ■ A good fox skin will weigh at least one pound, the 

 weight usually varying from ten to nineteen ounces. The thick, 

 long fur makes the weight. This is a very important point, as heavy 

 fur is more durable and handsome. 



Size. — The value of silver fox pelts increases with the size. 



Prices for pelts and breeding stock have already been given. 

 The New York Stock Exchange and the Chicago Wheat Pit have 

 sometimes been censured for dealing in options and futures, but in 

 Prince Edward Island, the puppies of well-marked silver foxes are 

 usually purchased by option long before they are born. 



The only imitation of silver fox is what is called " the pointed 

 fox," a red fox or cross fox dyed by hand lustrous black with the 

 silver hairs set in, or glued ; or a fine Arctic fox dyed black, with the 

 tips of some hairs waxed till the black goes on the other hairs when 

 the wax is removed, but this last process is no longer in vogue. As 

 told elsewhere the test of a dyed skin is — first the undyed under- 

 skin is white ; the dyed is golden or darkened by the dye. Hairs 

 glued on can be detected. A white tip must be set on the tail to 

 imitate the silver fox; and this can be detected by the end of the 

 tail, or the white hairs set in. But always, the dyed silver fox is 

 never as glossy and shiny as the natural silver fox. 



Of fox skins, 1,337,000 pelts are yearly used in the fur trade. 

 How many of these are silver fox skins, it is impossible to say, 

 certainly not 1%. Until over 10% are silver fox skins, there is 



