FUR AND FUR TRADE 



2352 



FUR AND FUR TRADE 



much desired by the wealthy that a good skin 

 is worth $4,000 or $5,000. The Canadian gov- 

 ernment has encouraged the industry, which 

 now represents investments of more than 

 $12,000,000. A pair of foxes for breeding pur- 

 poses will command as much as $30,000 or 

 40,000 in the open market. Skunks are raised 

 on many farms in the United States, and the 

 industry proves profitable. Minks are also 

 bred in captivity, but the quality of the fur 

 does not equal that of the mink of the frozen 

 north. 



Prices of Furs. The price of furs varies 

 perhaps more than that of any other com- 

 modity of changeable value, and ranges for a 

 hide from a few cents to several thousand 

 dollars. In the early days of the Hudson's Bay 

 Company the most valuable furs could be 

 bought from Indians for a few glass beads. 

 Rifles were sometimes exchanged for furs; 

 sometimes the Indian trapper was made to 

 build a pile of furs, laid flat one above another, 

 to the height of the gun in payment. The 

 rifles were of the old-fashioned, long-barreled 

 type, costing only a few dollars. The pile of 

 furs would sometimes be worth thousands of 

 dollars to the white man, but the Indian could 

 not appreciate their value. Methods have now 

 greatly changed, and the fur companies have 

 established a reputation for fair dealing. As- 

 sistance is given to trappers who are left 

 entirely without means if they have a bad 

 season. The Hudson's Bay Company always 

 extends credit to its trappers, and assists them 

 until a good season comes. The price paid to 

 the trappers is, of course, less than the open 

 market price, but in a fair season a skilful 

 trapper may make considerably more than 

 enough money to keep him through the 

 spring and summer. The prices quoted in the 

 following list of most commonly used furs are 

 about the average paid in the open markets : 



Beaver, $5 to $25 

 Chinchilla, $4 to $12 

 Fox, red, $1 to $8 

 Marmot, 25 to 60 cents 

 Mink, $3 to $10 

 Sea otter, up to $3,000 

 Raccoon, $1 to $5 

 Skunk, $1 to $3 

 Squirrel, 5 to 15 cents 

 Civet, 25 to 50 cents 



Ermine, 25 to $2.50 

 Fox, silver, $1,200 to 



$5,000 



Lynx, $5 to $35 

 Marten, $5 to $20 

 Muskrat, 10 to 50 cents 

 Otter, $10 to $35 

 Sable, up to $50 or $60 

 Seal, $5 to $20 

 Wolf, $5 to $10 



How Animals Are Skinned. The skinning 

 of trapped animals is an operation requiring 

 great care, as. any damage materially lowers 

 the value of the pelt. In the piercing cold 

 of the far north the animals are generally 



frozen hard and stiff when removed from the 

 trap. Before they can be skinned they must 

 be thawed in the hut of the trapper. The skins 

 of all small animals such as minks, martens, 

 otters, foxes and ermine are removed "closed." 

 With a sharp knife a cut is made from the 

 center of the hind claws up the leg, across the 

 body and down the other leg to the claws. 

 The tail is skinned by forcibly removing the 

 stump without cutting the skin, which is then 

 turned inside out and removed from the body 

 like a glove. The skin is then stretched on a 

 piece of wood of the proper shape, with the 

 fur inside. The skins of larger animals, such as 

 wolves and bears, are removed by being cut 

 from the throat the full length of the body. 



Fur Dressing. It is generally admitted that 

 the German furriers excel in dressing small 

 skins and those that require delicate handling, 

 while the English methods are best for heavy 

 furs. The first process of dressing is to clean 

 the skin and carefully remove all traces of 

 fat and flesh. Grease is then rubbed in care- 

 fully, the skin being thoroughly kneaded. 

 Great care is taken to preserve the natural oils 

 of the fur. Matching of skins requires skill 

 and a good eye for color, as the effect of a 

 garment might be spoiled by use of skins of 

 different shades. 



Imitations. A large number of imitation 

 furs are placed on the market, and the work- 

 manship is so skilful that it is very hard to 

 discover the difference between them and the 

 genuine. Some imitations are sold with the 

 clear understanding that they are not genuine, 

 but deliberate deception is often practiced. 

 The domestic cat provides a wide variety of 

 furs, when carefully prepared and dyed. White 

 rabbit fur is often sold as ermine, chinchilla 

 or even fox. The muskrat provides a fur 

 that lends itself readily to imitations, and it 

 appears as seal, mink, sable and otter. Dyed 

 hare skins are sold as sable, fox or lynx. 

 Common red fox skins are dyed to imitate 

 black fox, and with white hairs added, are 

 offered for sale as silver fox. It is easy to 

 distinguish badly or heavily dyed imitations, 

 as the under fur is darkened beyond its natural 

 state and the skin itself is stained, but a 

 cleverly-dyed skin will deceive all but the 

 expert. Especially in lightly-dyed furs, when 

 perhaps only the tips of the hairs have been 

 treated, anyone but an experienced furrier 

 would be deceived. The prices offered for imi- 

 tations are usually much less than the recog- 

 nized price of genuine articles. F.ST A. 



