Trapping on the Farm. 



481 



limber switch. Light-colored furs are stained by blood 

 if it is allowed to remain on them for any length of time. 

 By exercising care the trapper can usually prevent fur from 

 becoming bloody, but when this is impossible the blood 

 should be removed immediately by washing with clear water 

 as long as the water shows a tinge of red. Wet fur should 

 always be dried before the skin is stretched, which can be 

 done by shaking and wiping and applying corn meal or 

 sawdust. 



Fur that has been made up into wearing apparel may be 

 freshened by laying it flat on a table and rubbing into it, 

 thoroughly, flake naphthalene. The naphthalene has only 

 to be shaken out when the cleaning is done. Garments that 

 are badly soiled should have the lining removed and be sepa- 

 rated into their main parts. These may be washed sepa- 

 rately in warm water, with any kind of soap that is suit- 

 able for washing woolens, rinsed until clean, and then dried 

 in sunshine where there is a breeze to carry away moisture 

 and keep the fur in motion. When almost dry the parts 

 should be worked in the hands and beaten, after which they 

 are ready to be reassembled in the garment. 



Furs are frequently injured by certain insects. Raw 

 skins, especially those more or less greasy, are very attrac- 

 tive to larder beetles and some of their relatives, both in the 

 larval or immature form and in the adult stage. Fur, as 

 distinguished from the skin on which it grows, is eaten by 

 larva? of the clothes moth. Trouble from both of these pests 

 may be avoided by keeping furs during warm weather in 

 tight tin or sheet-iron cases, and placing in an open dish 

 1 ounce of carbon bisulphide to each 6 cubic feet of space 

 when the case is finally closed. The gas arising from this 

 liquid when mixed with air makes a violent explosive, for 

 which reason it should never be used in the presence of fire. 

 Dressed furs may be protected from moths by brushing and 

 combing them thoroughly out of doors in bright weather 

 and immediately tying them up in a sack of heavy paper or 

 of closely woven cotton cloth. Raw furs should be either 

 dressed or disposed of before the advent of summer, if pos- 

 sible, to prevent them from being injured by insects or the 

 action of fat. 



