CHAPTER VIII 



FUR FARMING 



Raising fur bearing animals for profit, the Mississippi Valley 

 is the greatest fur producing section in the world. The states of 

 Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, North and South Dakota, 

 Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ok- 

 lahoma, Texas and Louisiana are the natural habitat of coon, mink, 

 skunk, muskrat, otter, civet cat and weasel. In all the central 

 southern states including Virginia, West Virginia, North and South 

 Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, all of the above furs are 

 found, including opossum, which is one of the staple articles of the 

 fur trade and one of the most important. Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, 

 Pennsylvania and all the New England states are large producers of 

 furs skunk and muskrat being the leaders. The western states, 

 Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, California, Nevada, Utah* 

 Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico are also large producers of furs, 

 but do not have the opossum and very few raccoon, the principal 

 kinds being muskrat, skunk, wolf, mink, civet cat and weasel. In 

 addition to these are also found otter, beaver, ringtail, fisher, lynx, 

 wild cat and lynx cat. 



Muskrat and skunk are found in every state in the union and 

 these two lend themselves readily to domestication and have been 

 raised successfully. 



Muskrat farming especially in Maryland, in the marshes, has 

 been very profitable, and each year there are large quantities of 

 muskrats taken for the market. In addition to the value of the pelt 

 of the muskrat, the flesh is also valuable as food, the meat is said to 

 be delicious, and if it were called by any other name it could be made 

 a delicacy in the market, and no doubt there would be a big demand 

 for it. The English call it the musquash. 



The muskrat or musquash pelt is in great demand and is one of the 

 most popular furs. It is sheared and dyed and sold under the name 

 of Hudson seal. Many women prefer it to the Alaska seal on account 

 of its lightness and its beauty. The muskrat will always be a 

 popular fur and in big demand. Any one having a lake or pond that 

 can be utilized for the purpose of raising muskrat will do well to 



