FUR FACTS 67 



MUSKRATS SHOULD ALWAYS BE TRAPPED AND NOT SHOT OR SPEARED 



How to Prepare for Market 



Muskrat should be cased, pelt side out, and never stretched open. 

 In order to take the pelt off cased, it is necessary to begin skinning 

 at the heel. Slit up the middle of the hind leg to the tail, around it, 

 and then down the other leg to the heel in the same way. No other 

 cuts are needed. (Never cut open along the belly.) After you have 

 made the cut described, the skin will peel off easily to the front feet. 

 Cut closely around nose, eyes and lips so as not to tear the pelt. If 

 bits of flesh adhere to the skin about the head, they may be scraped 

 off. Remove all superfluous meat and fat and cut off the tail, as 

 the tail of the muskrat has no market value. After this is done the 

 skin is spread over a thin board or shingle of proper shape (see 

 illustration), or, better still, stretch the skin over one of the Funsten 

 Muskrat Stretchers specially made for this purpose, with the fur on 

 the inside and the pelt outside The Funsten Stretcher allows the 

 air to get inside and prevents tainting or spoiling. 



After the skins have been properly placed on the stretcher, stand 

 them or hang them in a cool, dry place. Never dry skins near a 

 fire or in the sun. It is only necessary to dry muskrat pelts long 

 enough to hold their shape in order to ship them. 



Kind of Traps to Use 



Any of the following traps can be used for taking muskrats: 

 Newhouse, Victor or Jump traps, size No. 1; Victor No. 1 Giant; 

 Funsten Two Trigger trap, Kompact or Coil Spring. The efficiency 

 of any of these traps is greatly increased by the use of the Funsten 

 Triple Grip Jaw attachment. 



How to Dress Muskrat Skins for Home Use 



Formerly many muskrat skins were home tanned and made into 

 caps, collars and other articles of wearing apparel. At present, 

 however, the farmer and trapper is anxious to turn his muskrats 

 into cash, and comparatively few of them are used by the man who 

 traps them. However, it is desirable to be familiar with a good 

 method for tanning skins and the following directions, if carefully 

 followed, will give better results than the use of alum, which most 

 amateurs are inclined to use. 



Directions for Dressing 



Prepare a tanning liquid composed of a quart of salt and one- 

 half ounce of sulphuric acid to each gallon of water. This mixture 



