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

cessful ones. A person who has always lived in the city would not be apt to make a success at general farming or fruit raising. The same applies to "fur fa

s, as black, silver and cross. These for breeding purposes of course can be secured, but the present raisers do not

Some entered the business on a large scale, knowing nothing of the animal, and of course faile

rely different class of people are taking up their raising, and they are going to succeed, why? Bec

accoon and opossum are compared with many fur-bearing animals as producers of cheap furs. This is true, but at the same time, they offer the most promi

on should be taken to see that the wire netting is either extended in several feet at the top, or

s some females. At such times do not make the mistake of killing off too closely, as some will do, claiming that the fur is low and that there is no need of

gone ahead, they would have had a supply to kill during the

, sold off his breeding stock at low prices, as he would have been compelle

in when a reaction takes place. This is not the way to make the most money; when a reaction comes, other farmers who h

inishing supply and increased consumption, prices will be on a fairly high level always. Trappers and hunters often catch fur too early and as a consequence have blue pelts which are graded down. In the spring shedders and r

e in regard skunk, when kept in a box or a small enclosure for weeks and fed largely on meat. The writer when a fur buyer has bought skunk that

as a healthier, silkier and glossier appearance. The secret, no doubt, is to give the animals plenty of room and feed should be varied. Here is where the person who knows the habits of the animal

in, your experience should be taken into consideration,-what fur bearers you are most familiar with. If you live near a large city which offers a market for coon and opossum carcasses, this should be considered as these animals are easy to raise and opossum especially are very prolific, producing from six to twelve at a

re valuable, it is important that as little sun as possible shines upon them. For this reason it is advisable to have the enclosure for these animals in the woods or thicket. In fact some trees should be

e in thi

d be hard to keep in an inclosure; weasel and badger are not valuable and would both be difficult to keep in; wolves are not valuable for fur and would require considerable attention and food, hence, not desirable to

d fox, skunk, mink, coon, opossum and muskrat. The otter, beaver, bear and lynx unde

cles are liable to go higher. On the other hand some furs may go lower but are sure to sooner o

it? How many hundreds of thousands of persons are today raising cotton and wool to furnish clothing to the millions of people and there has always been a market

he latitude of New York, Pittsburg, Denver, etc., while furs are not an absolute necessity, yet they are much worn for comfort. In all the cities of the north, furs are worn eight or nin

one, but often two or more of them. The same can be applied to fur farming. Suppose an enclosure of a few acres is made for skun

nts for coon and 10 to 50 cents for opossum, depending upon the size of the carcass, as well as the city in which you are marketing. In New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, there is a ready sale for all coon and opossum carcasses at good prices. Other cities that use large quantities are Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburg, Detroit, Chicag

e killed or die, when another is sometimes born and it might be said, such is frequently the case. Th

yet how few failures are there among men who began in a small way, learning mo

old will be wild for some time but the young soon become tame. Skunk and coon are easily tamed and eve

an big dividends on the capital invested." The right man is one who has "natural aptitude" for this sort of work, and who is "cut out" for "fur farm

ct to make a fortune at the business in a year or two, we predict failure, but to all who are willing to go at the industry, building a substantial enclosure, paying t