FUR FACTS 247 



Furs that are shipped in a wet, sloppy condition, or furs that are 

 tainted, or furs that have been badly cut in taking off, or that have 

 been badly damaged, or that have been improperly dried so as to 

 be grease-burnt, or that are trapped in off season so as to grade as 

 trash, cannot be classified in the standard grades, and the rules of 

 grading do not apply to this class of fur, for the reason that tainted 

 and badly damaged skins are practically worthless. Before you 

 start to grade a lot of furs to buy them, be sure that none of the skins 

 are hair-slipped or tainted. 



After one or two shipments to any of the old reliable fur houses, 

 the fur shipper will become familiar with the standard grades of the 

 different pelts from his section, and he is then able to arrive at the 

 value of his shipments in a fairly accurate manner. Strange as it 

 may seem there are hardly any two pelts that are just exactly alike 

 any more than there are two persons exactly alike in size, height, 

 features, etc. Therefore, there is no stated rule that can be laid 

 down that will apply to each and every skin. Furs cannot be meas- 

 ured or weighed off and their value determined by any scale. But 

 the general rules and suggestions set out will be of service to any man 

 who is grading, valuing, or buying furs. 



The Proper Way to Take Of Pelts 



There are two ways of removing the pelts of fur bearing animals. 

 One is to take them off by splitting the carcass down the belly and 

 down the back of the hind legs and the inside of the front legs. This 

 is known as taking the skin off open, and it applies to raccoon, badger, 

 beaver, and bear. The ideal way to stretch coon after the pelt is 

 removed from the carcass is to stretch it square. This may be done 

 by cutting small holes around the entire edge of the skin and splitting 

 the head about half way down, and then inserting small round sticks 

 about one half inch in diameter through the holes, and stretching 

 the skin square. 



Coon that are stretched square in this manner will always com- 

 mand better prices than those that are simply tacked up and dried 

 in their natural shape, for the reason that in the latter way the head 

 and legs all go to waste and in the former way, by stretching it 

 square, the furrier can work them up and match them up better. 



Beaver should be stretched in an oval form and the tail and feet 

 removed. With badger it does not make so much difference and they 

 can be stretched open or cased. 



Mink, skunk, opossum, muskrat, otter, civet cat, and ringtail, 

 should be cased pelt side out. Foxes of all kinds, lynx, lynx cat, 



