30 FUR FACTS 



effort to promote their growth as a crop because muskrat conser- 

 vation pays — and pays well. 



It is no unusual thing for a farmer to trap 100 muskrats in an 

 acre or two of useless marshlands and receive for their pelts an aver- 

 age of $1.00 apiece and in many instances more. At this rate, his 

 fur crop would bring him in the neighborhood of $100 — money that 

 comes to him practically withbut effort on his part, since muskrat 

 trapping is simple and requires little time. 



To the man in the country who, up to this time, has been in- 

 different to the muskrat's existence, the animal's new status should 

 be of interest, especially since fashion has taken up the muskrat 

 and the market for his pelt is broader than ever. 



The small fur-bearer is the best wild animal friend that the 

 farmer has and there ought to be and can be three times as many of 

 them as there are now; but it is up to you. Any boy or man living 

 in the country can have two or three dozen skunks working for him 

 all of the time. They will help the farmer by destroying mice, 

 grass-hoppers, crickets, white grubs, etc., and will furnish from 

 fifty to one hundred dollars worth of fur every year, and all they 

 ask is a little kindness; Don't shoot at them every time you see 

 one run across the yard. If they kill your poultry it is your own 

 fault. Keep your poultry shut up out of the way in animal proof 

 houses. As a matter of fact skunks are often more valuable to you 

 than your poultry and will pay you bigger dividends, and the same 

 can be said of many of the other fur-bearing animals. If you have 

 any muskrat on your place, take care of them. You can trap all 

 you want when the fur is prime, but do not blow up their houses, 

 and do not hunt them day and night. Summer and Winter, give them 

 a fair chance. 



A fine dog is a nice animal to have and some one has said that the 

 dog is man's best friend. This may be true but a lot of people will 

 keep three or four old hungry hounds on their place and allow them 

 to run down every fur-bearing animal that comes around and chase 

 them and scatter them for miles and then waste money feeding the 

 hounds valuable food. Dogs are alright where they are needed 

 but they have killed countless sheep, and destroyed millions of fur- 

 bearing animals, especially the young and the weak. If you have to 

 decide between the hungry hound and the fur-bearer, decide in favor 

 of the fur-bearer and shoot the hound. Get the thought firmly 

 fixed in your mind that the fur-bearer is a part of your stock and 

 belongs to you just as much as your sheep, hogs, or chickens and 



