68 THE FUR TRADE OF AMERICA 



who buy the first strain will not realize a good fur price. Those 

 who buy descendants of the second importation will ; and American 

 traders tell me descendants of the second importation are now 

 coming on the market. From Dr. Young's original stock at Belen, 

 Texas, have spread flocks to Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Mary- 

 land and Prince Edward Island. r One of the tests of the fur pro- 

 ducing strains from the wool strain is the absence of soft under 

 wool in the pelage. In any case, the flock of the karakul is always 

 as good a seller as our domestic sheep ; and if the herd does not 

 grade up as fur, it may as wool. The qualities that distinguish fur 

 from wool are — tight curl, smallness and crispness of the wave, 

 lustre and silkiness of the skin. All Persian lambs to-day are im- 

 proved by a brush lustre of dye. In fact, good Persian lamb like 

 good seal is one of the dyed skins that goes in first rank. 



Lambs to be used for fur should be killed within 5 days of birth. 

 After 5 days, the curl coarsens and commands the price of a common 

 fur ; and after six weeks, the skin may be described as wool. Slinks, 

 or still-born lambs, are the finest fur of all. Baby lamb, or broad- 

 tail is the name usually applied to these still-born or very young 

 lambs. Before the War, $12 was cheap for such a pelt. Since the 

 War, prices have increased 140%. Natives of Bokhara are as 

 jealous of selling any of their sheep as trappers in the Canadian 

 North are of their fur secrets. Sheep on the ranch cost $60 and 

 must then be brought out at great risk thousands of miles. If the 

 sheep brought out by Dr. Young of Texas finally multiply into trade 

 proportions, it will spell the end of the exclusive Persian lamb trade 

 for Bokhara of 1,500,000 pelts yearly; and just before the War, 

 the Emir of the district had issued an edict prohibiting the ex- 

 portation of Bokharas. 



Poor Persian lamb skins do not bring 25^ each. Good skins 

 run from $3.50 to #20. The average of 7229 skins recently sold in 

 Montreal was $8.40. 



The durability of Persian lamb depends primarily on the first 

 dressing, second on the dyeing ; and the principal object is to avoid 



