98 FUR FACTS 



swamp lands scattered the coon and they have migrated to other 

 parts of the state, down into Arkansas, and more especially to the 

 Louisiana swamps, with the result that Louisiana is now one of the 

 largest coon producing states in the Union. 



The raccoon is one of our most staple furs, and is used year in 

 and year out by the coat manufacturers as well as the cloak and^ 

 suit trade, who use large quantities for trimming. The raccoon is 

 a fur that is very popular in the United States, also in Canada, but 

 comparatively few are exported to Etirope, the American and Can- 

 adian furrier wanting them and paying much better prices than the 

 Europeans. 



Raccoon are more easily trapped than mink and are not nearly so 

 prolific as muskrat or opossum. Therefore there should be more 

 attention paid to raising them and especially to conserving them. 

 If you have any raccoon on your farm or in the swamps or timber 

 land surrounding, lay off a district, do not trap in this district, and 

 encourage the coon to use this preserve for breeding purposes and 

 as a haven of refuge. Confine your trapping to the districts outside 

 of this preserve. This is equivalent to having a fur farm and the 

 raccoon will soon find out that the district you have set aside is a 

 safe place for them and they will live there as long as they are un- 

 molested. 



Raising Raccoon 



Raising the raccoon is comparatively simple, and if you can 

 catch a pair alive they will make great pets, and after you have 

 them thoroughly gentle you can turn them loose in a runway en- 

 closed with wire netting of fourteen to sixteen gauge and about 

 two inch mesh. Set the netting at least two feet in the ground so 

 that the raccoon carmot dig under, and run a plank or piece of sheet 

 tin aroimd the top of the posts, with the plank or sheet tin extending 

 far enough on the inside so that the raccoon can not climb out. 

 Fence in a piece of land that is well shaded and with some running 

 water, with some natural openings or bluffs, if you can find such a 

 spot, and you will find that the raccoon wiU get along very well. 

 Pure drinking water is very important, so fence in a piece of ground 

 that has a good spring or plenty of piped well water. We do not 

 recommend trying to raise more than one kind of fur bearing animal 

 in the same runway. Give the raccoon plenty of room and two or 

 three old trees at least to hide and play in, and they will get along 

 splendidly. 



