Fur Farming / A book of Information about Fur Bearing Animals, Enclosures, Habits, Care, etc.

founded and is apparent when the fact is known that the natural haunts and homes of the fur-producing animals are becoming less each

of coon, bear, wild cat and opossum in the South and Central States, while in

of man and his works. This is especially true of beaver; otte

nd are red fox, skunk, mink and muskrat. Yet no fur bearer can hold its numbers against the ev

parts of Russia, in Europe and Siberia in Asia; Australia furnishes great quantities of opossum, while from parts of South America, the trade in chinchilla is large. Yet North America has been for centuries, t

on The Fur Markets is reproduced from the

Bay Company; C. M. Lampson & Co., and A. & W. Nesbitt. In face of the fact that prices on some articles have advanced so mate

o be decreasing as the offering this year is less than 1907, and 1907 less than 1906." The offerings this year are still

190

,341 4,

,671 3,2

1,445 2,

2,987 6,

Fox 344

Fox 1

2,058 6,

,577 29,8

966 13,0

,314 14,2

56 31,89

756 4,2

ne 718

478 5,02

ck 3,943

rown 38

rey 108

hite 89

125 1

n 140

Co., and A. & W. Nesbitt were as follows a

190

575 134,

,284 416,

8,257 1,015,

3,155 316,

5,671 267,

,168 15,

500 7,5

25,600 36

s 1,585 5

ver 539

13,600 2

tt 1,67

e 3,310 1

3,630 2,

,211 9,

,914 3,4

4,282 6,

240 6,9

,070 4,4

6,925 5,

20,344 15

365 24,1

ne 350

,600 77,0

,200 33,

n be accounted for from the fact that more "free traders," as the G

g of these animals than ever before. Again the fact of the dry fall in many localities bunched the rats, so that they were much easier caught. The rats offered at the rec

8, which is nearly 130,000 more. This is hardly a fair test. The offerings at March Sales 1908 were light from the fact that skunk were not in demand at the beginning of the fall season of 1907, when a good per cent. of skunk are caught for the following March Sales. Go back another year, that is March, 1907, and

for wolf, fox, lynx, wild cat and muskrat are very high, as well as many other American raw furs. Skunk reached a price that no one expected the past season. Since early in March or shortly after, too late to get goods into the London Sal

, black and cross foxes, lynx and marten, come from that section. Some of the best otter, red fox and mink are also secured in the far northern

rt of the country, say south of the Great Lakes, west of the Allegheny Mountains, north of the Tennessee an

ea outlined, great quantities of coon and opossum. When those interested in the fur business consider that half the value of the annual catch is skunk, mink, an

he fact that skunk, mink and muskrat have been so greatly reduced in the past few years has caused those interested in the fur industry to ask,-"what of the future?" with the settlement of th

ble, more trappers are after them than ever before. In addition, magazines and books on the subject are more plent

the streams and lakes of the north. Scattered thruout the South, Rocky Mountain sections, Northern Canada and parts of the East, are several thousand professional hunters and trappers whose annual catch amounts to several hundred dollars each. The aggregate of these men, footing up to perhaps $3,000,000 or $

e grounds necessarily limited, here is where the animals are rapidly decreasing and at the present rate are in danger of extermin

wake of the buffalo. The demand for furs is increasing as the population of the world is becoming more and more. Again furs are being put to more uses than ever. While the demand for furs are increasing, w

s, as a rule, are of one opinion and that is that the number of pelts secured upon a certain territory is becoming

r, the chances are that the number of animals left for breeding is less each year. If such is true

trappers would go out into the "wilds," catch, skin and send the pelts to market. These people are beginning to awaken to the true situation and w

t out and with improved traps for catching and the great stimulus to trapping owing to high prices, in five to ten years, there

an be made to pay. The raiser starting on a small scale and increasing as their

fur producing one. During recent years, the supply has fallen off materially in face of the fact of improved trapping methods and a greatly

As early as 1884, experiments were made at raising foxes on the islands in the Northern Pacific Ocean, along the coast of British Columbia and Alaska. The experiments,

tried mink and other animals but only in a small way, or by men who expected to get rich quick and who