FUR FARMING FOR BROADTAIL 67 



The farming of these furs in their native habitat does not greatly 

 concern the trade in America, except as we can transfer the farming 

 here. 



The lamb that makes Persian fur, grown to a sheep makes the 

 Bokhara rug. Arab chiefs are to this trade what chief factors 

 used to be to the American fur trade. They are the middlemen 

 between the trade and the producer. Chieftains yearly bring 

 40,000 to 50,000 skins each to the Far Eastern markets. Some- 

 times the herds are driven to market alive, the lambs killed, the 

 flesh sold as meat, the hides as fur. At other times, the hides are 

 brought in long, slow-moving caravans and sold as dressed fur. 

 The tightest curl and glossiest black bring the best prices for fur; 

 and for fine fur only the saddle of the back is used. Gray skins 

 are sold also; but gray are also sold dyed black. As in every other 

 fur, the care and the nourishment of the mother before bringing 

 forth her young determine the fine quality of the pelt. 



By caravans it takes about the same time to bring the skins 

 from Bokhara to the Russian markets as to bring the skins from 

 Alaska or Mackenzie River to St. Louis — 60 to 70 days. The 

 pelts are brought out sewed face to face in pairs done up in bales of 

 160 pairs ; and in one caravan will be 400 bales worth all the way 

 from #100,000 up. 



The skins are first cleaned in running water, then cured in tanks 

 of salt, barley flour and water, then scraped with a dull knife from 

 all flesh and hung to dry 12 hours in the sun. They are washed 

 again in running water and sprinkled with barley flour. They 

 are then sorted and stamped back against back, and done up in 

 bales for the shipment to market. 



Dr. Young of Texas, the first American to rear karakul lamb 

 successfully in America, says there are six distinct classes of these 

 fur-bearing sheep. It was in 1908 he imported fifteen head to 

 America. It was only when he crossed Karakul Afghan with an 

 Arabi strain that he produced a skin bringing a price of #6.50 a pelt. 

 In 191 2, Dr. Young imported some true Bokharas. Fur farmers 



