242 FUR FACTS 



After a muskrat is dressed the leather becomes very soft and 

 what might have been a small hole in the raw skin will stretch into a 

 large damaged spot in the dressed skin, therefore, be careful in buying 

 cut, shot or damaged muskrat and take these facts into consideration. 

 They should be considerably discounted if they are damaged. It is 

 difficult to give any accurate size, for as stated before, muskrat vary 

 considerably in size depending upon the section in which they are 

 found, but a fuU grown male muskrat pelt after it is 

 stretched and dried will measure about 15 to 18 inches 

 long. 



The grading and classification of muskrats, like all 

 other furs, is according to the standard grade for the 

 particular section in which they are found. For instance, 

 the muskrat of western Canada average smaller 

 in size than the muskrat from Michigan and the musk- 

 rat from Alaska are smaller than those from Arkansas; 

 but they are all classified and divided into the grades of extra large 

 #1, large #1, Medium /I, Small /I, f%, 0, kits. Muskrat should 

 be cased and stretched pelt side out as shown in the illustration. 



WOLiF 



Wolf is one of the most difficult pelts for the inexperienced to 

 grade and value. As a rule when a beginner traps a large wolf he 

 feels sure that it should bring the very highest price,, but a wolf to 

 be valuable for fur purposes must have soft under fur. A large wblf 

 skin might be valuable as a local trophy, but to bring the best price 

 in the fur markets, it must be well furred, and have fur of soft, silky 

 quality. Wolf should be cased fur side out after all the surplus 

 fat has been removed from the pelt. As a rule the big coarse mane 

 that is down the back of most wolf is cut out by the fur manufacturers, 

 as it will not work with the softer fur on the sides. 



Large, soft silky wolf are worth the most, but it must be remem- 

 bered that it is not size alone in the wolf that counts, for a wolf is 

 judged, first by the quality of the fur, and then the larger the skin 

 of course the better it will grade and the more valuable it becomes- 



The color in wolf does not make any material difference, for as a 

 rule they are all dyed when they are made up into garments. 



In some sections, the State authorities, when they pay bounty on 

 wolf, cut the heads off at a point almost at the shoulder and, when 

 this much of the skin has been cut off, it reduces the value of the 

 skins and they have to be graded accordingly. 



