GRADING. 55 



five to ten cents more than those from Delaware, Kansas, 

 W. Virginia, Virginia, Central Pennsylvania, Southern 

 Ohio, Southern New York, North Carolina, Kentucky, 

 Maryland, and Missouri. The poorest skins come from 

 Texas and Louisiana, and bring about half of the price 

 paid for the New York State skins, and about ten cents 

 less than Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama rats. 



Black muskrats are more numerous in the Delaware, 

 Maryland and Virginia District than elsewhere, and are 

 worth about fifty per cent, more than the regular brown 

 variety; the comparatively small number of black skins 

 secured from the New York, New England and Canada 

 district bring about five cents more than the southern skins 

 of this variety. 



Opossums are graded according to size and quality as 

 No. 1 Large, Small and Medium; No. 2 Large, Small 

 and Medium ; No. 3, and No. 4. The best skins come from 

 the Eastern and Central States; next in quality are the 

 skins from the old "Border States," and the poorest skins 

 come from the South and Southwest; prices for No. 1 

 Large, range from sixty-five cents to ninety cents and up- 

 ward. 



The finest American Otters come from Maine, Nova 

 Scotia, Labrador and Eastern Canada ; next in quality are 

 the skins from Northern New York, New England, West- 

 ern Canada and Northern Michigan; Pennsylvania, New 

 Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Mississippi, Northern 

 Kentucky, Illinois, Kansas, Virginia and North Carolina 

 skins are lighter in fur and color than either of the fore- 

 going, and the skins from the extreme southern states are 

 only worth about half the price paid for Canada and Maine 

 skins. Otter skins are graded No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and 

 No. 4, according to color and quality, and then regraded 

 according to size as "Large," "Small" and "Medium." 



Raccoons New York, New England, Canada, Northern 

 Pennsylvania and Michigan Raccoons are the finest; but 

 Central Pennsylvania and Michigan, Northern Ohio, Illi- 

 nois and New r Jersey skins almost equal them in quality. 

 Central and Southern Ohio, Indiana, Kansas and Northern 

 Kentucky and Missouri skins are considerably lighter in fur 

 and color; and the skins from further south are still less 



