68 FUR FACTS 



should not be kept in a metal containpr. Allow the muskrats to 

 stand in the liquor twenty-four to forty-eight hours, until they are 

 thoroughly saturated and the pelt is soft. Then remove them from 

 the liquor. Wash several times in soapy water, wring them out as 

 dry as possible and then rub the flesh side with a cake of hard soap. 

 After this is done, fold them in the middle, lengthwise, over a line, 

 hair side out, and leave them to dry. When both surfaces are barely 

 dry, and the interior is still moist, lay them over a smooth, rounded 

 board and scrape on the flesh side with the edge of a worn flat file or 

 a similar blunt-edged tool. In this way an inner layer of flesh is 

 removed and the skin becomes nearly white in color. They are then 

 stretched, rubbed and twisted until quite dry. If parts of the skin 

 are still hard or stiff, the soaping, drying and stretching process 

 should be repeated until the entire skin is soft. Fresh butter, or 

 other animal fat, worked into skins while they are warm and then 

 worked out again in dry hardwood sawdust, or extracted by quickly 

 dipping them in gasoline, will increase their softness. 



By following out this method a fairly good result can be "obtained 

 and the skins can be used for home purposes. For the best results, the 

 skins should be sent to a regular fur dresser and the pelts will then 

 come back in a soft, pliable, splendid condition. As stated before, 

 the man in the country is interested in turning his furs into cash, 

 especiaUy muskrats, as they have advanced so in price in the 

 last few years that the farmer can buy woolen garments at much 

 less than his muskrats would cost. 



Size of the Muskrat Pelt 

 The largest muskrats are found in the Central states and more 

 especially in Illinois and Ohio. The large size muskrat pelt, after 

 it is taken off and stretched and made ready for shipment, measures 

 about sixteen inches long by an average width of six and one-half 

 inches, and would contain about one hundred and twenty square 

 inches of fur. The Central muskrat, ready for shipment, taking 

 the average size as they run, would be about five skins to the pound. 

 The muskrat from the Western and Northern states ranges a little 

 smaller in size and the large Northern muskrat is about fifteen by 

 five inches. The average weight of the Northern muskrat pelt is 

 about two and one-half to three ounces, or about five or six to the 

 pound. The Northern and Western muskrat is very thin in pelt 

 and for this reason is lighter than the Central muskrat, which is 

 heavier pelted. 



