COMMERCIAL RABBIT RAISING 



65 



by the piece, primarily because 

 they are lar<jer than fryer skins. 



Raw-fur buyers usually grade 

 rabbitskins as firsts, seconds, thirds, 

 and hatters. Many buyers have 

 their special grades. Firsts and 

 seconds may be divided into five 

 color classes — white, red, blue, 

 chinchilla, and mixed. Some fur- 

 riers also grade firsts and seconds 

 as large, medium, and small. If 

 you have enough skins, pack white, 

 red, blue, and chinchilla skins 

 separately by colors. Put skins of 

 all other colors together. 



Firsts are prime pelts that are 

 large, properly shaped, and prop- 

 erly dried. All the hair is held 

 firmly in the skin and the skin side 

 is free from fat, flesh, pigment 

 spots, streaks, and cuts. The 

 tliicker and denser the underfur, 

 the more valuable the pelt and the 

 better price it will bring. 



Firsts are used for making gar- 

 ments. They may be sheared or 

 used in the natural or "long- 

 haired" condition. They also may 

 be used in the natural color or may 

 be dyed. A uniform, dense under- 

 fur is necessary to make desirable 

 rabbitskin garments. The coarse, 

 longer hairs should return to their 

 natural position and present a 

 smooth appearance immediately 

 after the hand is passed through 

 and against the natural flow of the 

 hair coat. 



Fryer skins contain only a small 

 percentage of fur usuable for gar- 

 ments primarily because of shed- 

 ding or molting marks and second- 

 arily because of thin fur and 

 leather. Rabbitskins for fur gar- 

 ments have been in bad repute be- 

 cause inferior grades were used in 

 the past. 



Seconds are pelts that have 

 shorter fur and less underfur than 

 firsts. The unprime colored skin 

 shows dark pigment spots or 

 streaks and, sometimes, large black 

 splotches on the leather side. These 



markings do not show on white 

 skins since pigment is lacking. 

 Seconds also include pelts that are 

 improperly shaped and dried, have 

 been damaged in shipment, or show 

 poor spots where the skin has been 

 pierced or the fur is short or 

 missing. 



Thirds are pelts with short fur 

 and thin underfur and those from 

 animals too young or those that 

 are shedding. Thirds are of no 

 value to the furriers. They are 

 used in the manufacture of toys, 

 specialty articles, and felt for hats. 



All skins that do not meet re- 

 quirements of the other grades are 

 "hatters.-' Pelts that are badly cut 

 or otherwise mutilated, or poorly 

 stretched and dried, also are classed 

 as hatters. The underfur of such 

 pelts is used in making felt. Since 

 the denser skins yield more cut 

 fur, the hat trade pays more for 

 them. 



The distribution of domestic rab- 

 bitskins into these several grades 

 depends on the demand for each 

 kind. The market may be such 

 that practically all the rabbitskins 

 at a given time will be sold as 

 "hatters." Under some conditions, 

 there may be but little demand 

 even in the hat trade. 



Packins and Shipping 



To avoid spoilage or damage in 

 transit, take care in packing skins 

 for shipment. 



So far as possible keep skins in 

 the same shape as when removed 

 from the form. Carefully examine 

 each one to make sure that it is 

 properly dried. Do not pack or 

 ship a moist pelt or one that has 

 patches of oily fat on it. Make 

 up large quantities of skins into 

 bales. Sprinkle naphthalene or 

 paradichlorobenzene on every two 

 or three layers of skins, as you 

 pack them. This will keep out 



