ElE 3IJ1 rPE SORTING, GRADING AND CURING FURS ■^ ^ A. F. WALLACE Author "Land Cruising and Prospecting' PRICE— $1.00 arllht^ — -iJE ^ S WHEN LJ. S. A. Is marked on a bundle of furs it means that the furs are going to the Greatest Fur Market In The World. But even that does not insure THE BEST NET RESULTS UNLESS That undle is also marked F.C. TAILOR & CO. The house the best result come from. SORTING, GRADING AND CURING FURS J^r BY Af F/ WALLACE Author "Land Cruising and Prospe '' ig' PRICE, $1.00 VP \ x^;^^ Copyright Feb. 19, 1910 A. F. WALLACE Milwaukee ■•Fv ■ CI.A275175 (p CONTENTS. Chapter I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. Page Hints on Color, Quality and Size 7 Pur Markets ^ Dressing and Coloring 16 The Trapper's Viewpoint ■ 1^ The Buyer's Viewpoint 28 Grading and Sorting Skunk 30 Grading and Sorting the Weasel 35 Grading and Sorting the Muskrat 37 Grading and Sorting the Mink 41 Grading and Sorting the Fisher 45 Grading and Sorting the Otter 47 Grading and Sorting the Marten 50 Grading and Sorting the Pox 53 Grading and Sorting the Coon 56 Grading and Sorting the Possum 58 The Lynx ^^ Bear and Mountain Lion, Moose, Etc 62 Shedders, Etc ^^ Selling 6^ Stretching and Curing 75 General Remarks. Sorting 80 Northern vs. Southern Purs 86 ■;lg#^ INTRODUCTION. N writing this book I wish to be understood that I am neither buying or selling fur. That this book is intended to bring the buyer and seller in more closer relation to each other. Also to help to establish standard size for different kinds of fur, both as to size * and district from the which the fur was taken, the same as the furs are graded at the Lon- don and Leipsic sales, which seem to be the clearing houses in regard to price, and SHOULD be for size anu grade. In preparing these "hints" I have been a long time amd probed very thoroughly both the trapper's and buyer's side. Also the grading, coloring, dyeing etc. is from first hands, and straight from the grei' fur center of all, i. e. London, greatest market also fo. ing, curing, tanning, etc. There seems to be most wide a space between trapper and consumer. For in- stance a small mink collar, taking abv 3 or 4 hides, for which the trapper gets about $8.00 or $9.00, will * In the following pages, speaking of sizes, I say "about" which means that i/4 or 3/16 of ar inch should not make any difference in size. For insta ^ce if a mink skin lacks a little of going No. 2, perhaps '■'e No. 1 or No. 3 is a little larger than standard; therei. 'o making things even for both trapper and buyer, providing the skin No. 2 goes into the No. 2 pile and not into the No. 3. In buying or selling "give and take a little." 6 INTRODUCTION. cost the consumer $75.00 or $80.00. I find that among both trappers and buyers human nature runs about the same as in other lines of business. There are honest men and crooks ; there are some that are honest because they never had a chance to be any other way. Many of the facts I am able to give I had at hand (having followed the Frontier 30 years) within my own knowledge, but I wish here to acknowledge my indebted- ness to — " Mr. "Marten Hunter," Breckville, Ont., Can. Mr. John Shufelt, Sutton P. O., Quebec. Mr. Louis P. Luehrs, Monee, II.. Mr. C. P\ Morton, Newburyort, Mass. Mr. H. R. Little, Tower, Minn. Mr. Eug. R. La Fleche, Ottawa, Can. Mr. D. V. Pixley, Rivers Junction, Mich. The Hunter, Trader and Trapper, Columbus, O. Mr. Geo. R. Cripps, 14 & 16 Bold St., Liverpool, Eng- land (Furrier) and others. The men here mentioned are "Deans" in their chosen profession, and in whose judgment I have confidence and respect. In regard to trapping and judg- ing fur I wish to ask the trapper two questions: 1st — If you ^e unable to grade and judge your fur, h ) you know whether you have received moic or less than they are worth? 2nd — If you know not the value of your own goods, can you expect another man to always tell you honestly — from his point of view? Yours truly, A. F. WALLACE. CHAPTER I. Hints on Color, Quality and Size. As a general thing" the nearer the equator you go the darker the color, and the nearer the poles the lighter the color. White animals are only found in the north. The white fox, white rabbits, the ermine, are good examples, yet red is a common color in the north. Animals living in the woods usually have darker fur than those livng on the p' " ' or open country; Avolves show this very cleari^v, also mink. Animals living on the coast or where there is sea air have a coarser and usually thicker fur, yet some buyers grade them lower than those tra^ ' 'here salt air does not strike ; for what reason I ai.. to say as no account is made of this at the ^'ondon sales. 8 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING FURS. Animals living in the woods and forest also usual- ly have finer fur, and, generally speaking, the colder winter produces the best fur. As before stated the nearer animals live to the poles their color decreases, and the nearer the poles their size increases; the weakly ones die off, and the stronger being fittest, survive. The survivors have to cover large tracts in their search for food and they develop bone and muscle ; those living south have food more plenty and do not seem to develop so large — of course there are some exceptions to this, viz., the mink and otter. v K CHAPTER 2. Fur Markets. Before proceeding' with this subject I wish to re- late an instance that occurred to me some years ago in the great wheat belt of the North-west. The case is so j)arailel with the fur business that it is a good illustration. When this great Avlieat country fir_. opened up the ranchmen used to get No. 1 hard wheat, i. e. it graded that and commanded the top price. As time went on for some unknown reason the elevator men had several grades, No. 1 Hard, No. 1 Northern, No. 2 Northern and Reje'"-^'^d. For these grades the buyers offered various exea.,., ^ dif- ferent prices, and some of them were certainly ao- surd. Finally it came to a stage when no elevator man or wheat buyer would give the No. 1 Hard (i. e. first quality). A good deal of this wheat Avas ground in Minneapolis in the great wheat mills there. Fin- ally I Avas detailed to go to Llinneapolis ..id find out 10 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING PURS. if there was any distinction made when this wheat struck the mills, in regards to the flour turned out, that is, the quality of the flour. In order to obtain this information I had to go to work in the mills as a laborer at night, which I did. After a time I got on good terms with the head miller, and one night he showed me over the mill. While on the grinding floor I asked him where they ground the No. 1 Hard, No. 1 Northern etc. His answer was, ''H 1 it all goes into one hopper when it gets here." He said to me, ''When it gets here it is graded either hard or i^oft wheat, if it's too soft to grind we dry it, if hard we do not have to dry it ; it all makes the same flour, the only difference being the cheap flour is ground coarse and the fancy flour is ground fine, the former requJE'i'ng less grinding." In the following pages please consider the London sales, the grist mill, the fur and the ^our. Without doubt the principal fur market is Lon- don, England. It is convenient for all large buyers, who are mostly Germans, Frenchmen, Americans, Englishmen and Russians. A good many other com- panif^" v/tLO collect fur send them to London espe- cially to be dyed. First and most important is the ''H. B. C. Co." whose sales realize or bring PUR MARKETS. 11 $1,500,000 yearly on the average. They run a fleet of seven vessels and also ship c[mte a few furs by steamer from Montreal, Can., in order to save time. Next comes the ''Russian Fur Co." which is a combination of more than sixty companies. Also the Alaska Co", of San Francisco, Cal. The North American Co. of San Francisco, Cal., who hold a lease from the United States for taking seals in Alaska.* The Russian Sealskin Co., who have a right conferred on them to take seal on Copper Island. Also the Harmony Co. who carry on a large business on the coast of Labrador. The Royal Grreenland Fur and Trading Co., with headquarters in Copenhagen, who do a large business in hair seal, foxes and polar bear. These are the principal fur companies we will speak of. The London Sales, which are no doubt the largest, govern the rest to a certain extent — fur skins as brought to t>iis sale are of course raw^ or untanned and are soia at auction strictly. The sales are held in a well furnished and large room in the city built for that purpose. At one lime they were held in different brokers' offices. No samples are shown. Catalogues are sent --"t to Expired 1910. 12 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING FURS. buyers telling Avhere the skins can be seen. The warehouses where the skins are stored are like the cotton warehouses in London, only better lighted. As one goes up the rough Avinding stairs, all you see is a notice on each floor saying what skins are stored there. Now mark you : these skins are only roughly sorted into sizes, very little or no notice being taken as to quality; good, bad or indifferent ones being found in the same lot ; there are actually no other grades. When the fur gets to the big mill it is either large or small (same as the wheat was either hard or soft), the size and district are all that counts in ihe seller's eye. and this is all the fact: the buyer wants to know, i. e., size and district. For instance lot thus and so, 500 Mink from northern Maine or York district or 500 Martens from the N. W. and Rof"^"'^ Mountains. U. S. A., so many large, so many Six., This is all the grading there is. All these skins are raw. as there is no duty on raw 1 s ; the duty was abolished about 1845. The duty in France is about 75e per pound, in Germany I be- ^ they are free, in Canada a duty of 15c each on dressed skins, the United States admits raw skins free, but. charge 35 per cent ad valorem on drt^ssed FUR MARKETS. 13 skins. Some of these sales last for weeks, the quan- tities being so large. Here is a March sale, which shows about the average along in 1901 to 1903 : Fisher, 3,760. Sable, 56,480. White Fox, 3,560. Mink, 57,350. Lynx, 5,700. Skunk, 5,680. Wolf, 1,350. Bear, Black, 7,080. Wolverine, 650. Bear, Gray, 160. Muskrat, 1,650,514. Bear, Brown, 789. Cross Fox, 1,450. Beaver, 45,550. Red Fox, 5,915. Otter, 8,575. During these sales different lots are knocket. down at all sorts of prices. Only after the sales ar.c over can any kind of an average be struck, and it can be said the average price of such a skin ±^ oO and so. This year Alaska seals are sold in Novem- ber, some other far in January, but lost im- portant and the price makers are usually the March sales. Sometimes small sales are held in Jun^^ and in October, but these are small and insignificant compared w^ith the March sales. These sales t^ke place in the salesroom above referred to. Tl is no excitement or haggling among the bny^rs and they include people of most every nationality, some 14 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING PURS. women — mostly Russian — who come over to buy. The attendance varies according to the interest taken in the skins offered. Bids are silent, simply a nod of the head ; the only voice heard is the one of the presiding officer. Lots are knocked down mighty quick, there is no rag chewing whatever, ever. As soon as the March sales are over buyers hike across to Leipsic, Germany. The business there is tedious compared with the London sales. Every- thing is graded as at the great sale at London, but the system of selling is on the horse trade principle. (What'l you take? I'll give so much, let's split the diff'erence.) There is a small sale at Irbit, a small Siberian town, in February. This town is on the boundary between Europe and Asia and is attended by Russians and Germans mostly. One other im- portant sale comes off at Nijni Novgorod in Russia; this town is on the Volga river, 412 miles east of Moscow. This sale or fair lasts sometimes three months ; much other merchandise besides fur changes hands. Most of the merchants are Chinese, Japs, Tartars, Persians, Armenians, Siberians and otnfcrs , they are said to be good judges of fur, and these skins come in wooden boxes sewn together FUR MARKETS. 15 (not nailed). Furs are here sold in large lots; the small buyer is not in it. The buyers are mostly Frenchmen and Germans, a few Englishmen and once in while a Canadian. Now what do you think of that, Canadians buying fox in Russia ! My fur- rier friend says the town is very filthy and the police system a nuisance. CHAPTER III. Dressing and Coloring. The process of dressing is the method by which raw skins are softened and prepared for manufac- ture. The Indian is probably the best dresser of fur and the art has been borrowed from him. The Kaffir of Africa excel in dressing leopard, antelope etc. ; the Germans are the best dressers of squirrel and beaver. The first is surely a specialty with them ; nearly the whole town of- Weissenf els, Saxony, is in this trade — skill in matching colors, soft white felt and clean fur are unsurpassed. They also dress the muskrat fine, but large skins they leave too thick. The English dress everything and dress it well ; by the English method the skins are placed in some kind of an alkali. bath, when soft they are stretched and all moisture worked out by a hand instrument ; then they are worked over a dull knife placed in upright position. They are then battered, placed in a tub of sawdust and trodden by men wlj:h bare feet ; this makes them soft and DRESSING AND COLORING. 17 I)liable. Then they are stretched and beaten out and finished. The only bad feature in the English mode of dressing is that in cold climates they get a little stiff. This is avoided by the Russian way of dress- ing, but the Russian way leaves a bad smelL The Chinese method leaves a bad smell like camphor. Dyeing. — The dj^eing of fur is very old, it is spoken of in the Bible. The occupation of a fur dyer is very unhealthy. In old times fur was dyed by having the color brushed on them, the color being applied 10 or 15 times. Now skunks are dipped bodily in the dye. The English dyeing excels for most pelts and is a trade secret. The Grermans excel in dyeing lynxes, fox and coon, also the blue color in fur, also muskrats and mink. They will rig and dye fur most any old way. The point to make is to have furs in a garment match, as it is most impos- sible to dye the dark ones ; the light ones must be dyed to match. So I suppose here is why light fur is graded dov/n, but too much down grade is used hy some buyers. As the dyeing costs little as the djer works by the day and the dyes cost little, being made mostly of copper dust, antimonia, camphor, verdegris, gall nuts etc., stuif that costs little, many thousand rabbit skins are dyed to imitate many fiirs„ 18 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING PURS. Tipping — Marten skins (which are hard to match) consists of tipping the ends of the hair with coloring liquid, leaving the nnder fur free from dye. This is very useful as it always makes a good skin of one unsaleable. It has also to be resorted to in renovating the color that has faded with age and wear. Light skins are made dark through this pro- cess and cannot be told from the genuine, only by the most expert. Marten skins are very hard to match and it is almost a necessity to tip them to make a job on the fur. Skunk skins are often dyed and pass for Alaska sable — and strange as it may seem there are no skunk in Alaska, I have been told. These remarks on dyeing and tipping are to ^show what skins have to go through by the furrier and cannot be considered as a swindle, as it is neces- sary, as before stated. To do this in order to get fur to match or blend, so to speak, and on ac- count of this system of fixing light fur is why all skins are graded small or large by the London sales people. Yet there is no reason to doubt that the unprincipled furriers use this to their own end — as well as some buyers grasp any excuse to grade down good, fur in this country. CHAPTER IV. The Trapper's Viewpoint. There are many cases where the trapper and col- lector is rob])ed out of a good share of his work by crooked ])nyers and fur houses by our system of grades and by the distinction made in regard to the place of Capture of the animal. Many fur dealers offer to hold shipments separate, but when the trap- per gets his returns and is not satisfied and orders them sent back, there is always an alibi — furs are gone or are mislaid, etc., etc. Then again there are some good honest buyers who will keep the ship- ments separate, and to the best of my belief the small honest buyer as well as the large one is the best man for this. I shall have more to say on this subject under the head of '^Selling or Shipping." In probing into this subject I have consulted none but old and experienced trappers and sorters who have been years in the business, as I consider them better judges than the farmer boy who catches only a few rats and skunk each fall. Another thing that 20 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING PURS. trappers do not quite understand is the price quoted in the price lists of the periodicals taken by men who follow trapping on a large scale. After the London sales the quantity of skins are given etc., then the per cent they have rose or fell, for instance mink 20 per cent higher, skunk 20 per cent lower, fox 10 per cent higher or 10 per cent lower. Higher or lower than what? If the average price was given of the previous sale there would he a basis from which to figure, but no prices are given, and the only prices that are given are what the fur buyers quote the editor or manager of the magazines. Buyers by fixing the price quoted the magazines can provide for a raise or fall of prices very easily. Now it is my belief that the average prices of the London Sales should be quoted of the last sale. The aver- age price is all that could be quoted inasmuch as there are only two grades made (large and small) of all skins, and the price would have to be a flat one. As these sales are all by auction bids and there is none of this blue pelt, cotton pelt, light pelt or medium pelt nonsense as is here used by buyers, mere it is — so many large marten, so many small marten from this or that district sold for so much — if they are light or dark they are tipped or dyed to THE TRAPPER'S VIEWPOINT. 21 match by the furrier and that is all there is to it. I here quote some kicks of trappers who follow it for a living and take thousands of dollars worth of fur each year, omitting names for obvious reasons. ''Much has been written on catching wild ani- mals and fur producers, but there remains one species that is certainly hard to catch and has been overlooked by many, and few of our best trappers have caught him. This is the wild animal know^n as a No. 1 large. I have never secured such a pelt in my many years of trapping. The reliable fur buyers pay the price they agree to, but have it all their own way in grading. I would like to suggest a new way of grading, i. e. if the hide won't go on a No. 1 large board it will go on a No. 2 or medium and so on. Then when we ship Ave will know what we are ship- ping. I would like to hear from other trappers and collectors on the subject. The fur buyers should have a standard. 1 don't really see why an honest buyer should object to it. I shipped steady to one buyer until I got a very large mink that required an extra large board, and my buyer made it mea-- ium and to make things fit or work out right graded the others small etc. that had been boarded hitherto 22 SORTING, GRADING AND SORTING FURS. on a medium board. How would it do to grade our hides into two sizes and ship the larger to the old dealer and the smaller to a new one who will see medium also. The new man sees a trial shipment and is looking for the big one to come. I don't say that all buyers are crooked, but I don't see any other fair way for a square deal but a standard size. Some dealers usually give all they can for the first shipment, afterwards the hides grow smaller and lighter: they shed and sweat and are off color etc. By all means give us a standard size." "I would like to ask a few questions of trappers. A good many fur houses offer large prices; if you get bit once you do not go there again. Usually you will change and sliip to some other house and prob- ably get bit again and perhaps worse. Probably a good many of you receive quotations from manu- facturers saying they can pay more than others be- cause they make the fur up themselves and avoid ^11 middle profits and sometimes offering you 10 per cent over their own quotations, when the fact is they are quoting you 25 per cent below what some other buyers are paying. I hope there will be a new deal in fur buying. Now we will take the THE TRAPPER'S VIEWPOINT. 23 country j)roducer who used to ship produce to a commission merchant and got what the commission man chose to give him, which sometimes was very little, and sometimes the shipper was asked to pay the freight even, besides being robbed out of his carload of goods. Nowadays the country shippers are wise, they don't get the hooks thrown into them. When he ships he accompanies his bill of lading with a draft which the commission man must go to the bank and pay before taking the car of produce. Now I would like to ask if we could not sell our fur through the express companies the same way. The trapper then can ship his fur to some other point if the prices are not satisfactory." # # '^ ^'It seems to me that trappers have other things to fight besides trap thieves. One is the man who sends out circulars and hangs his face out to be a commission fur dealer. He tells the trapper he can get the highest market price and that he charges only 5 per cent commission. I have dealt with thesp men for years and I believe I have found out what they mean by 5 per cent commission and that is, that we ship them our fur and they will send back what they please ; if we kick they say the fur was 24 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING FURS. trapped too early or it was sweating or shedding or small or light or not handled right or some of the hundred and one excuses, they being the sole judge iu the case. I believe there are some dealers who would pay honest prices if we would make condi- tions so they could. As long as we ship to so many different houses, if we would, by combining and ship to one house, say one good honest firm, then we would have protection and have what the fur was worth. Take the price list of most any firm, fheii compare their bank book with the trapper's and it soon tells the story. Why is it that the fur dealers and market reports never tell what fur sold for at the London sales, but just say some sold higher or lower? This is a matter we high line men don't understand.'' # * * "I bought ciuite a few furs this fall and I would 'Ke to say something about manufacturers of fur. A friend of mine bought a set of fur last winter and paid $10.00. When they were brought home I was asked to examine them and see if I could tell what they were. I did so and found they were southern coon with coyote tails or some other tails not coon. I suppose the trapper who caught that coon got THE TRAPPER'S VIEWPOINT. 2 5 about $1.50 for the skin, the buyer probably made from 30c to 50c on it. Now the manufacturer says he is buying close up to the market, also says fur is too high — now I believe the manufacturer gets the hog end of it. Another friend of mine bought a small fur in New York City. The salesman said the price was $15, but as it v^as along toward spring he would sell for $12. He took the fur ; it sold for river mJnk ; there v^ere about 8 nmskrats hides in it for which the trapper probably got 25c apiece. Now, dear reader, if any of your friends buy any manufactured fur, see if they don't pay one- half more than it is really worth whether the fur is expensive or cheap in the raw. I have laying before me a letter just received from an old time trapper who makes a business of trapping and has done so for many years. He has not been trapping for the last two seasons. H^^- /^ are some extracts from his letter : "I have tried to find out the proper size of skins sometimes by taking a post maul. I can wedge a skin from a big buck animal up to rather a small medium, but a large No 1 would have to be "some" big before a grader could see it " 2 6 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING FURS. ''My fur is all No. 1 as I do not trap in July and August, but I never sold a hide in my life that did not have something the matter with it, and after I got to talking "Trappers' Rights" I found my fur got still smaller and worse in grade " "Why should fur be sized different for different countries? If our large (Northern Minn.) is no bigger than the medium in the east, why not leave them medium 1 I fail to see why the eastern trapper should furnish a larger hide than the Minnesota trapper to get No. 1 Large ? Why do they pay more for New York mink than Minnesota mink? I have trapped in New^ York and I never saw a mink there that was equal to the mink in this country, but east we could go and sell direct to the manufacturer, and the buyer knows this and will pay the eastern trapper m.ore for his skins ; for he knows that the 43per in the east don't have to give them away." "Sometime ago, being in a large eastern city, I saw a bunch of prime weasel hanging in the window of a furrier. I went in, green looking, and asked what they were. He said ermine from Northern Minnesota. I wanted to buy one. He did not want to sell, but after a lot of coaxing he offered me the bummest one of the lot for just $7.00. Now a Min- THE TRAPPER'S VIEWPOINT. 27 nesota trapper could not get a cent over 60c for that skin. I have trajDped both countries, both New York and Minnesota, and I claim that the Minne- sota weasel is larger of the two " ''Trappers are like farmers, they won't stick to- gether. I am trapping no more. So let each one paddle according to his own notion. For my part I don't work when there is no pay. Trapping at its best is a hard, greasy up-hill job." CHAPTER V. The Buyer's Viewpoint, This kick comes from a very large fur house and there must be something in it as trappers are usual- ly looking for the long end of it the same as the rest of human nature. This fur buyer says that it is a notorious fact that there are many in the fur line who are tricky and dishonest (meaning the trappers) and who seek to make their profits or additional games through practices that would land them in prison were the necessary legal proofs of their misdeeds in order. We refer to that class of trappers who will cut out the stripes of a skunk and .v^ the parts together, freeze the skin and sell it to ..j.ie buyer for what it is not. Another pastime is painting the stripes or color them. Then another crude, we regret to say a common practice, is to abstract and change fur that has been bought and paid for by the traveling buyer who had packed and confidingly left the fur in the hands of the merchant for shipment. THE BUYER'S VIEWPOINT. 29 All such and similar practices are fraudulent, and the latter is simply theft as every shipment re- ceived is resorted, counted and checked with the statement of the traveling buyer who sends in the goods. Such frauds are readily detected and the people making them are duly recorded by the firms who have been swindled. Every honest dealer is interested in rooting these frauds out of business. They are spotted and watched and are not allowed to repeat the practice by the firms who have suffered by this practice. Grading and Sorting Skunk. Skunk is one of the most common skins found in this country and is considered a fine skin by the furrier. It wears well, looks well and if it was not so plentiful would be one of the most costliest of our American skins. Furriers often call it Alaska sable and sometimes black marten. At the London Sales it is graded in two sizes, large and small. Some account is taken of stripes, if long and wide. Our United States buyers have four grades for mark- ings : Black, short stripe, narrow stripe, and broad. These in turn are graded into Large, Medium and Small (Prime). Skins are classed No. 1 if narrow stripes run to the shoulders and even to the middle of the pelt; if a thin short stripe, are classed No. 2 if stripes run an inch beyond the middle. The No. 3 has a stripe that runs the full length and an inch wide. No. 4 are skins that have more white than black. These stripes cut but little figure when they come to the furrier, for he simply cuts the white GRADING AND SORTING SKUNK. 31 stripe out and sews np the slit, then they are all black skunk, and as this is done by cheap labor it adds little to the cost of the hide. It is size that counts with the furrier. One thing I want to im- press on the trapper : A skin to be classed prime No. 1 or Black No. 2 or Short Striped No. 3 or Long Striped No. 4 or Broad Striped should be white or cream colored on the flesh side and if not so cannot be considered prime, and a skin that is blue or black or spotted white and blue or black on the flesh side is worthless as a No. 1 skin with the buyers. This applies to all skins and fur, and in grading all skins bear this in mind. 32 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING PURS. We now come to the size of skunk. This seems to vary — in some parts of the country they run larger than in others, also they vary in stripe, in some sections the stripe being smaller than in other parts of the country. In regard to size : A skin that will stretch over a board that is 7% in. wide at the butt and 7 in. at the shoulder is a No. 1 large, and other things being equal, i. e. primeness, thickness of fur, etc., should be a ''No. 1 large prime." A skin that will stretch over a board that is 7 in. across at the butt and QV^, in. at the shoulder is about No. 2, and one that will stretch over a board that is 6^/2 in. wide at the butt and 5% in. at the shoulder is a No. 3 skin. But to get these grades they must be prime and have a good coat of under- fur, and in order to have these conditions they must be caught in late fall, winter or early spring. In skinning and curing, skin to case ; also skin out the feet and tail, cut a small slit in the end of tail to let out any grease that may accumulate. In all cases get the bone out of the tail, even if you have to skin it out, and tack the tail open on the stretching board. Draw the skin over the proper sized board and stretch comfortably tight, but don't overstretch. If you. do this the length of the s^l?:in will care for GRADING AND SORTING SKUNK. 33 itself: take the boAvl of a table spoon and scrape off all flesh and fat ; tie the nose and imderlip together, sew up any shot holes with white thread and do the same with any cuts or other holes in the skin ; take a cloth and wipe off all fat and blood and if the fur has any grease or blood on it rub sawdust (drj^ hardwood) into it and clean. For a buyer will dock you a grade if you do not do this. After the hide is done hang it in a cool shady place where there is a circulation of air. Stick a stick into the tail and cut through a little hole in the end of the tail. Examine your skin from time to time and wipe off any grease that shows on the flesh side with a clean rag and keep the stick in the tail loose by moving it a little. If the hair on the tail pulls out fill tail with powdered salt and alum; the alum sets the hair or fur and the salt preserves it. Usually the buyer will seize upon this to grade it down, tell him to forget it — that the furrier pays no attention to this little salt and alum. There are some funny things about skunk, in some sections. They run to short stripes or black and others in some sections run to all four grades. In some states, especially the northwestern, they run to long stripes, but they are big ones and bring more 3 4 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING PURS. money than the ordinary striped pelt. In Ohio and Indiana they run 50 per cent to No. I's; the farther south you go the thinner fured they seem to be, be- ginning to show this in southern and central Indiana by March 1st, in central and northern central sec- tions they begin to get springy and much earlier south. CHAPTER VII. Grading and Sorting the Weasel. There is little to be said in regard to the weasel. The white or winter ones are only wanted and the tails, especially good prime white winter caught, are the saleable ones. Brown are of little or no value. The white ones should be pure white except a little on the belly which is the color of sulphur, and if any more dark or stain is present it is graded down. They are usually graded white and yellowsh, but tbie furrier makes little or no distinction. Of course no skin is prime unless white or cream colored on the flesh side when the animal is skinned. The fur- rier matches then the white ones and the yellow ones and he must have several thousand to start on in order to do a good job at it. As for size, a skin that will stretch over a board that is 2^ in. at the butt and about 2^^ in. at the shoulder should be a No. 1 large, and one that will stretch over a board 2% in. wide at the butt and 1% in. wide at the shoulder is about No. 2. A skin that will stretch' 36 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING PURS. over a board that is 1% in. at the butt and 1% in. across at the shoulders is No. 3. In regard to length, if your skin stretches comfortably over these board sizes and is properly pulled down and tacked to the board, the length will take care of itself. Don't stretch too tight in your desire to have a big skin. Stretch the hide proper, but not enough to make a thin fured skin. In shipping wrap each skin in clean paper if you can, for much depends on their being clean, and don't forget to cut a small hole at the end of the tail to let out any sediment that may form in the tail for the tail is the most valu- able part of the skin, or better yet stick a darnng needle or awl hole in the end of the tail several times, scrape off all grease or flesh after you have it on the board with the bowl of a table spoon and wash off all blood from the hide, both on the flesh and fer side, and take sawdust or fine sand and clean the fur by rubbing it into the fur, then dusting it out. Always have all your skins of all kinds pulled on the boards square with the world, i. e. the belly on one side of board and back on the other. Take pains with your skins, for it surely pays. Hang your weazel skin in a dry cool place to cure and where there is a little circulation of air. CHAPTER VIII. Grading and Sorting the Muskrat. The muskrat is beginning to come into its own place and is being recognized for what it is, i. e. one of our best furs. Furriers use it much for linings and with proper dyeing or tipping to match, the skin makes up into a splendid fur. Plucked and dyed it makes a splendid imitation of seal. In its natural condition it is used much for linings; when used this way it is divided into backs and flanks to make it match good without tipping or dyeing. Some furriers think it is especially liable to attack from moths and recommend that it and all fur be beaten and looked after during the summer months, They are graded by the buyers in regard to their size and fur, whether spring or winter caught or fall — and of course many other if's and and's; but these all disappear when they come to the furrier, Since rats became a favorite they are not graded but are bought flat, somewhat as at the London Sales. Some buyers think they will recede from the 38 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING PURS. position they now occupy, but it is our humble opin- ion that rats will see the dollar mark before they see the 25e mark again. We do not think the pres- ent price is fictitious. Rats usually get on their winter dress in November in the north and middle states, and of course later in the south. We strongly advise all trappers to catch their rats in late fall or early winter and early spring. Some buyers claim the best rats are found in the central and eastern sections; some claim that Labrador rats are best. Also that a winter rat caught ^outh, the fur is short (and this is the truth). Then some claim that in some parts of the northAvest the skins are papery. But some buyers use this excuse to grade them down. As before stated, if a skin is of the proper size, prime and properly furred, it is a No. 1 skin. Mr. Elmer Kreps and other trappers whose judg- ment we respect, say that the largest rats come from the eastern states and the smallest from the plainest region of the Northwest. Why this is so is a conun- drum unless it is alkali water and lack of proper feed in that country which has this effect on them. A rat that will stretch over a board that is about 6% in. wide at the butt and 6 in. at the shoulder and does not require too much stretching to do t^iis CxRADING AND SORTING THE MUSKRAT. 39 and is well pulled down on the board and fastened with galvanized tack and is well primed and full fured, should grade No. 1 large for the country it was caught in; but don't stretch it too much so as to make it look thin furred. And this will apply to the stretching of all skins spoken of in this book, and a skin that will stretch over a board that is 5 in. wide at the shoulder and 5% in. at the butt is a No. 2, other things being equal; and a skin that will stretch over a board that is 5^/4 in. wide at the butt and about 4% at the shoulder is a No. 3. '^ As be- fore stated the furrier will take care of the color with his dyes. After he has matched all he can in their natural colors, he has to dye some in order in make the odd colors match after he has matched all he can in natural colors, otherwise we would have some strange looking garments. A fur manufac- turer cannot do much in matching unless he has ^^ Eegarding the length of muskrats skins in the eastern states and the central west and south, a No. 1 large will run about 15 to 17 in. for length; a No. 2 about 13 to 14% in. long, and a No. 3 about 101/2 to 12% in. long. In the alkali portion of the northwest and west they will run a little smaller on the same grades. ,..!-. 40 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING PURS. about 6000 skins to start in with, that is if he is doing much manufacturing". We will explain north- ern and southern fur later on under that chapter. To the best of my belief the furrier does not do this to create an artificial price or swindle any one ; he simply has to in order to make a good looking gar- ment. Skin all rats to case, cut off the tails, scrape off all flesh and fat with the bowl of your spoon, wipe off all blood, clean the fur with sawdust if needed, hang in a dark, cool, dry place until dry — as a general thing it is best to hang all fur skins in the dark to cure as they will dry out darker fur. When taking them off and putting in bunches ex- amine them often and see to it that they don't mil- dcAV or sweat. CHAPTER IX. * Grading and Sorting the Mink. Mink skins are muc-h used by furriers for linings^ also for coats and for trimmings. They are con- sidered by the English furriers to be one of the best wearing furs known. The mink of the N.-E., i. e. Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New Brunswick^ Quebec and Labrador, are small and dark; larger ones are found on the prairie districts of the Dako- tas and Canadian districts, also in Iowa, Nebraska and the northwest and central states. Their fur is a little coarser in texture and somewhat lighter than the N.-E. mink. The rule among some buyers that the farther north we go the better the fur won't hold good in all cases, as some of our finest mink come from Georgia, North and South Carolina, but from a high altitude, while some from near salt water are coarser but well underfured. The majori- ty of mink in the country are brown, some a few shades of lighter brown than others. Square dealer or buyers do not discriminate very close, as it makes 42 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING FURS. no material difference to the furrier as tliey liave to be matched anyhoAV. So long as the skin is of good color, prime and well handled it should bring top price. But the jokey dealer sees all kinds of trouble — pale, cotton, sweaty, blue pelt, too much top hair, light underfur, poorly handled, southern, or some- thing else of the category of jokeying excuses; but when they get to the big mill, i. e. London, they are either large or small and that is all there is of it. Mink caught near salt water have a coarser fur, which lead some to believe the fur is poor, but the furrier in England makes little distinction, only takes pains to match them good. In grading for size an officer of the H. B. C. Co. who graded and traded fur for the above Company for 40 years, in- forms me that the Canadian sizes are for No. 1 large : Length 18 in. (less the tail), width 4 in. at rump. No. 2 large: Length 16 in. (less the tail), width at rump 314 in. No. 3 small : Length 13 in. (less the tail), width at rump 3 in. I have the greatest res- pect for this man's judgment, as forty years ex- perience counts for something nowadays. I find that the better class of buyers grade for size about the same here in the United States, i. e. : A skin that will stretch over a board 3% in. wide at the butt GRADING AND SORTING THE MINK. 43 and SYs ill. at slioulder and 18 in. (a little more or less) in length from the tip of the nose to the butt of the skin (less tail), other things being equal, is a No. 1 large mink; and one that will stretch over a board that is 3% in. Avide at the butt and 2% in. at the shoulders and about 16 in. long from the tip of the nose to the butt of the skin (tail excluded), other things being equal, is a No. 2 large mink; and one that will stretch over a board that is about 2% in. at the butt and 2V2 in. scant at the shoulder and is about 14 m. long from the tip of the nose to the butt of skin (less tail), other things being equal, is a No. 3 large mink. It will be noted that the H. B. C. standard is a little wider, but not quite so long as the U. S. standard. Trappers should not stretch their skins so hard as to make the fur appear thin, better have them one grade smaller than to spoil a good skin. Or should the trapper have them so loose on the board as to appear wrinkled, take pains in skinning, split from the center of the hind foot along inside to the vent, skin out the feet and leave the claws on the pelt, skin out ears and nose leaving them on the hide and the gristle on the nose the- same. After boarding take the spoon bowl and scrape off all the meat and wash off all blood and 44 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING PURS. dirt from the flesh side and clean the fur with dry hardwood sawdust; hang in a dark, cool, dry place until thoroughly dry. If you do this you will get top prices, and don't overlook skinning the bone out of the tail and pricking a hole in end of tail and in- sert a smooth dry stick and keep the prick holes open, for it pays the biggest price to take good care and pains in skinning, stretching and curing your skins. And don't forget to sew up any shot holes and tie the nose and underlip together when putting the skin on the board — and if your skins will stretch over these boards comfortably they will be long enough to conform to the proper length for Nos. 1, 2 and 3, when properly pulled down on the boards and tacked down with galvanized iron tacks. CHAPTER X. Grrading and Sorting the Fisher. Fishers belong to the marten family and the furriers use it for collars, linings, also for caps for ladies and for muffs. It is hard to match and the furrier has to do much tipping or dye the fur com- pletely. In tipping them and the marten the furrier takes one skin for a model and tips the other to it, and it requires an artist to do this and get all the shades and colors. It is yellowish grey on the face, head and neck different shades of brown on the back, dark brown on the hind quarters ; the tail and legs are a brownish black. The tail is very large and valuable and from fourteen to eighteen inches long. The fur collector has not so many grades for this as for other skins. An average full sized fisher will measure about 2 feet from the tip of the nose to the butt of the hide (tail excluded) and for No. 1 large it should stretch over a board 7% inches across at the butt and 6 in. at the shoulders, and for No. 2 it should stretch over a board about 6% at butt and 4 6 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING FURS. 51/^ in. at shoulders, and for a No. 3 it should stretch over a board that is about 61/4 in. at butt and 5 in. at shoulders. In all these measurements, both for the skin and all others, we assume that all boards are % in. thick and made from some good, soft, dry, clear Avood — this for all skins. In skinning proceed as for the mink. Skin out feet and claws, leave claws on skin by commencing at middle of foot on the inside and cut to the vent. Skin out head leaving eyes, ears, muscle of nose on the skin. Scrape and wash, clean with spoon bowl and cloth, and the tail bone is best skinned out and left open or tacked open same as for otter. Still you might make a trial to skin the bone out with a split stick, but on no account leave the bone in the tail, for if it taints it might spoil the tail which is very valuable to the furrier. CHAPTER XI. Grading and Sorting the Otter. Otter is one of the finest and costliest fur known. It is very costly. In Russia, collars of this fur are much worn by the aristocracy and by noblemen of certain rank. Some are used in England and France as well as in the United States for coat collars and cuifs, also for ladies' wear. The color is between a dark brown and black and they measure from 3 to 4 feet in length. The outer or guard hair is longer and coarser than the underfur. In sea otter there are long white hair in the fur and the more of these there are the more valuable the fur. $500 per skin in 1902 w^as quite an ordinary price and some skins have brought as high as $1000; but as few of our trappers take any sea otter, we will not dwell on this subject. In the common otter the American is the largest and is found all over North America, in Maine, Canada and Nova Scotia. They are dark brown from Halifax the}'' are coarser on account of bein^ 48 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING PURS. near salt water. The largest come from Florida, but the fur is not quite so thick. They are a skin that is easier for the furrier to match as not so much work is required in dyeing and tipping; but where they are plucked, i. e. the long guard hairs pulled out, of course it is more work; this is called plucked otter. They are assorted by the buyers and fur houses about the same as mink and skins are, with all the if's and and's. But when they get to the big mill, i. e. London, all these if's and and's disappear and they are large or small and from so and so district, and that ends it. The standard grade and size for Otter in this country of honest fur houses and buyers is that a skin that will stretch over a board 91/2 in. at the butt and 7 in. at the shoulders, if prime and fairly well furred, is a No. 1 large Otter; an Otter skin that will stretch over a hoard that is about 8% in. at the butte and a scant •61/2 in. at the shoulders is a No. 2 prime, other things being equal; and an Otter that will stretch over a board 8 in. at the butt and 5% in. at the ^ shoulders is a No. 3 prime skin, other things being equal. In skinning, skin the bone out of the tail tnd tack the tail open on the board; skin out the feet and leave claws and web feet on hide. Be GRADING AND SORTING THE OTTER. 49 careful about the head. Leave eyes and ears on the hide, nicely scrape and wipe and clean with saw- dust, stretch it comfortably snug on the board, but don't strain too hard after a larger size. Hang in a dark cool place where there is a circulation of air and when it is dry you will have a nice skin. CHAPTER XII. Grading and Sorting the Marten. Marten, sometimes known to the furriers as Canadian and American sable or simply as sable^ abound in Alaska, Canada and the Northern Uni- ted States. It is very durable, being stronger and more durable than the Russian Sable or Marten. While the Russian are softer they will not stand the hard knocks of the American. The American is considered by furriers as a warmer color, while the Russian tends towards a bluish gray, if such a term can be applied to a marten. All marten skins are difficult to match ; they are sorted over and over by the furrier to m.atcli them up into a garment. Large numbers are annually sent to London by the H. B. C, besides many American houses. The usual color is a rich brown, sometimes a light yellow and in some rare instances almost black, and are very highly prized, coming mostly from Maine and the Fort George district of the H. B. C. The underfur is of a bluish drab and the throats are yellow. In GRADING AND SORTING THE MARTEN. 51 working up marten nothing is lost. The yellow throats are workin to linings and the paws into trimmings. The poorest skins come from the south- ern range in the United States. The marten of the coast range where there is a rainy season is not very good, and this w^ill speak for all fur caught where there is a rainy season and little or no cold weather; but if there are high cold mountains in such a region, fur caught on them is good, if the trapper is easy and new in the business of selling his marten. The fur houses and buyers will grade them and buy them the same as mink. Yet there are few unprime marten ; it holds up in beauty and winter quality until late in the season. Of course there are the usual if's and and's — dark, brown, pale, etc., but when they get to the big mill (Lon- don) they are large or small and the grade is set by the district they come from.. The better class of our American fur houses grade marten No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3. A skin that will stretch over a board 4V2 ill. at the butt and about 3% in. at the shoul- ders — other things being equal — is a No. 1 large prime marten ; one that will stretch over a board that is 4% in. at the butt and about 3I/2 in. at the shoulders is a No. 2; and one that will stretch over 5 2 SORTING, GRADING AND CURING PURS. a board 3% in. wide at the butt and about 3 in. at the shoulders is a No. 3 skin, * and if fairly well fured and prime should bring the first money for their respective sizes. Be careful in skinning and leave claws on the skin, also eyes and ears and muzzle, as these are highly prized by the furrier. Use the bowl of the spoon as before mentioned and the cloth and sawdust. ^ A No. 1 Marten, other things being equal, will stretch for length about 19 or 20 inches from nose .0 butt (less tail). A No. 2, 17- to 18 in. A No. 3, 15 to 16 in. CHAPTER XIII. Grading and Sorting the Fox. There are about fifteen different kinds of foxes known and used l)y the furriers, and in color rang- ing from the white of the Arctic to the black of Alaska and Canada. The largest red foxes come from Alaska and Canada. About 130,000 foxes are sold annually at Leipsic, Germany, and 200,000 of all kinds at Irbit, besides the ''London Sales." Common red fox skins are only used for cheap wrappers or for dyeing by the furriers. They are sorted and graded for their size, thickness of fur, bright colors and primeness by most fur buyers and fur houses, also several other excuses for not pay- ing a fair price ; not by all fur houses, for some are on the ''square deal." Of course a scalped fox whose scalp has gone for bounty is of less value than a perfect skin. The red fox is the most com mon and distributed over a large territory. A pui silver fox is much rarer than a black fox, that iS;^ a fox silvered from his head to the tip of his tail. 5 4 GRADING, SORTING AND CURING FURS. The majority of silver foxes are black from the head to a third of the way down the back, part of the body and rnmp alone being silvered. The H. B. C. grade foxes as follows, namely : Black, Black Silver, Silver Gray, Black Cross, Dark Cross, Ordinary Cross, Bright Red, Light Red, and White. A black cross has yellow hair growing inside the ears and a patch of yellow near each fore leg; a silver has none. Dishonest trappers often try to get the best of the deal by plucking the yellow hairs out of the ears and by doctoring the side patches, i. e. trying to dye them; but they are usually caught by an old buyer, and he had much better leave this to the furrier to do as he can do it so it won't rub off. Our best American fur houses will allow as to size as follows: A skin that will stretch over a board that is about 1% in. wide at the butt and 6 in. at the shoulders is a No. 1 large; a skin that will stretch over a board that is 7 in. wide at the butt and about 5^4 in. at the shoulder is a No. 2, and one that will stretch over a board that is 6I/2 in. wide at the butt and about 4% in. at the shoulders a No. 3 in size. If these sizes are red fox, which they probably will be, are prime, i. e. white or crvmm color on the flesh side, fairly well furred. GRADING AND SORTING THE POX. 55 properly stretched and cured, they should command the first three figures in the price list and you can tell the fur buyer that the furrier and the dyer will take care of the different shades and colors without ari}^ extra expense to either of you. Skin and clean as stated for other cased fur, being careful about the head, tail and claws, and don't forget that you have a spoon bowl, cloth and sawdust to clean it. All fox skins should be turned fur side out when partly dry and put back on the board to complete drying. This gives you a chance to comb out the fur with a co'arse comb — and makes a nice look- ing skin. CHAPTER XIV. Sorting and Grading the Coon. The '"Coon" is found all over the United States, Central America and the extreme north of India. It is not used as much as formicrly by furriers. It used to be more sought after (and will be again) and was made up natural or dyed black or broAvn. It is a splendid wearing fur, a bit Iieavy in pelt; but the fault was corrected by the furrier who made it up in what is called ''taped," i. e. cut in strips and sewn on ribbons which made the pelt very pliable. They are graded as to light or dark, also as to primeness and size. A good many trappers stretch them in frames, but the furrier and dyer prefer them cased, although they do not insist on this; yet a cased skin looks neater and nicer. Coon are graded as to primeness and size — if they are o:raded honestly. As the furrier and dyer take care 'f the colors and shades when they match them vithout any extra cost to trapper or buyer, I wish ^' say a word here in regard to unprime skins: A GRADING AND SORTING THE COON. 5 7 trapper who will catch them ought not to get a red cent for them, and a buyer who will buy them is a fool and ought to get struck for them. A trapper who will catch unprime fur, thereby cutting down his income for his fur 50 per cent and more is a fool and if he knows better he is a rascal and in either case should be run out of the business. If I was a fur buyer I Avould throAv his unprime skins in the culls and send him a bill for my trouble. A coon skin that will stretch over a board that is about 0^/> in. at the butt and 7 in. at the shoulders is a No. 1 large Coon, and one that will stretch over a board that is about 8% in. at the butt and about 6V2 in. at the shoulders is a No. 2 ; one that is about 8 in. at butt and 5% in. at shoulders should be a No. 3. And if your skin is fairly well furred, prime and well handled you should draw the first three figures on the price list. After stretching and fleshing them properly take your cloth and wipe the grease off from time to time and be careful and hang them, as before stated, in a dark cool airy place as they grease- burn easii3^ ^ CHAPTER XV. Grading and Sorting the Possum. There are two distinct kinds of Possum known to the furrier, the American and the Australian. The American is considered a shade the best. They are both used in the natural color after matching and are also dyed. They make a good useful fur, light and warm, and should command a better price. Closely allied to the Australian Possum is the Aus- tralian Kaola or "small bear" and the Wallaby, i. e. closely allied from the furrier's point of view, al- though this classification would not stand with the naturalist. These furs are graded very close by some buyers. Taking it by the large : A skin of any animal that is full furred is prime and a skin that is prime is full furred for that country or district where the fur was caught. But the buyers have many if 's and and's, and some go so far as to claim he contrary in regard to primeness and fur. I tijonestly believe that there is more jokeying done by the fur buyer and seller in buying Possum than any GRADING AND SORTING THE POSSUM. 59 other fur, for I know that they are highly A^alued by the English furriers on account of their being light and warm and good to dye. A Possum that will stretch over a board that is iy2 in. diam. at the butt and 7 in. at the shoulders is a No. 1 large Possum, and one 7% in. at the butt and 6i/4 in. at the shoulders is a No. 2, and one 6i/> at the butt and 5% in. at the shoulders is a No. 3. And as be- fore stated, if the skin is prime and fairly well furred you should get tlie three first prices in the price list if you have stretched and cured your skin as before directed for other animals. Taking it by the large the possum is a southern fur and to the best of my belief should be marketed in St. Louis. I believe it is best for a southern trapper to market his fur in the south ; they are better understood by the southern buyer than by the northern. Some northern buyers won't buy any southern fur what- ever, and if they do they will grade it down pretty hard. They seem to be afraid of it for some reason although I don't know why they should. As a general thing a southern buyer appreciates good northern fur fully as well as the northern buyer, the latter only handling good northern skins and' having no southern skins to compare them with. CHAPTER XVI. The Lynx. Lynx are found all over the United States and North America. The furriers think it one of the most beautiful, soft and flowing fur; but it is a little tender and will not bear undue friction. It is considered a fine fur to dye, especially dark brown. Furriers split the skin up when making it into garments. Fur cut from the flanks is sold at a higher rate in the manufactured form than that cut from the back. Of course those from cold climates has a closer, also a rougher fur and is most esteem- ed by the furrier; it makes splendid and luxurious Iniings. They are graded the same as other fur as to size and quality: No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3. Of course when they get to the big mill, i. e. London, they are simply large and small, and the grade is judged simply by the district they come from. The -^ars are small and pointed and tipped with a pencil black hairs; the tail also is tipped with black, j-.ie color in winter is a silver gray on the back THE LYNX. 61 shading to white on the belly. In summer they take on a reddish color. There is a sort of rufl or long fur on the side of the face near the throat. If the trapper should catch a Lynx and he weighs from 25 to 30 pounds and his skin will stretch over a board that is about 9i4 in. at the butt and 7V2 in. the shoulders, if he is nice and prime, you have a No. 1 large Lynx, and one that will stretch over a board 8% in. at the butt and 6% in. at the shoulders is a No. 2, and one that will stretch over a board 8 in. at the butt and about 6 in. at the shoulders is a No. 3, and other things being equal, you should get the three top prices. If you have trapped this fine fur before it is prime you should not get a red cent. And as before stated in this book : LTsually "si prime skin is full furred and a full furred skin is prime." You can use this same set of boards for your Bob Cats, taking No. 2 for your No. 1 Bob Cac. The grades run about the same as for Lynx. CHAPTER XVII. Bear and Mountain Lion, Moose, Etc. As a general rule the trapper can do better with the taxidermist on these skins for rugs than the fur buyers. The fur buyer usually sells to them quite a few, provided the skins are handled right. But they must be handled right. In skinning these ani- mals cut from the (and including) soles of the hind feet to the vent on inside of the leg, then straight up the belly to the throat. Not cut from the fore foot straight across the body to the foot on the other side, skin out the foot carefully and leave the claws on, skin out the head carefully,'^' leaving the ears, eyes and lashes on the hide, also the muzzle of the nose. If a Moose or Caribou or Deer, leave the feet * In skinning out horned heads for mounting cut straight across from one horn to the other at the base, then cut straight down the top of the neck )rming the letter T. Don't cut on the under side Oj. the neek; also clean and preserve the leg bones. BEAR AND MOUNTAIN LION, MOOSE, ETC. 63 on. If not freezing, salt the hide well, taking care to rub plenty in about the ears, nose and feet. Fold the skin so the flesh will be next to flesh. Start at the head and roll the skin up so the tail will be last. Keep in a cool place ; if it is freezing so much the better. After the hide is rolled up let it freeze stiff and keep it frozen — and notify several taxidermists of the size, length of fur etc., asking him of course what it is worth to him. Take the skull, remove the brains and boil it good and clean of all flesh, and state in your letter that you have the skull nice and clean to ship with the skin. If flies are apt to light on the skin dust some black pepper on and they will quit. After a few days unroll the skin, clean off all salt and brine that may have formed and apply a good stiff dose of salt and pulverized alum and roll it up again. The alum sets the hair so it won't shed and the salt preserves the skin if kept in a cool place until you ship it, and does not hurt the hide any whatever for the taxidermist, the traveling buyer to the contrary notwithstanding. You will get much more for these kinds of pelt by selling them this way. Trappers seldom if ever get what these skins are worth. It might surprise some O) them to know that good Black Beaar skins brougl^ 64 GRADING, SORTING AND CURING FURS. $60 in 1902 at the London Sales. The long haired, black bears are the ones I have reference to. Grizzleys are mostly used for rugs, robes etc.. after they leave the London Sales. The poorer grades of bear skins are sold and used in Germany to make brushes, the ones with no underfur. Remove the brain from the back of the skull, do not break or smash in the frontal bone to remove them. CHAPTER XVIII. Shedders, Etc. The meaning of the word "shedder" is that an animal has lost some part of his coat by rubbing and shedding his fur. Some claim that as soon as an animal has reached its best as regards fur it com- mences to go the other way immediately. I hardly believe this. I believe fur stays at its best until the weather conditions tells nature to change its dress. I do not believe that as soon as nature has clothed her children in a good warm garment that she im- mediately proceeds to undress them again, no mat- ter what the weather? But as warm weather draws nigh the fur turns some lighter and begins to fall out. Mink are said by some to shed first and north- ern mink is singled out as the first, regardless of the fact that warm weather is a month earlier in the south. This is claimed to be the case that mink begin to shed in January and February, which in the north is hardly probable. They have a begin ning time, but not so early as the above, and I be- 66 GRADING, SORTING AND CURING FURS. lieve the weather governs this matter. The appear- ance of a shedding skin is, the fnr looks thin and holding it up to the light you will notice this fact by holding the fur side toward the light and look- ing from the flesh side. But before you pronounce judgment hold a full furred prime skin in the same manner and compare them. On a fox look at the rump and neck, as there are the places it begins to shed first and wear the fur off the thighs. On the Fisher the belly becomes bare first, same with the skunk. The shedder is the nightmare of the buyer's life, as the trapper thinks he has been skinned as well as he skinned the animal. The honest dealer usually allows more than they are worth in order not to lose the customer, and the result is both are dissatisfied. The best way out of it is for the trap- per to quit trapping as soon as he sees any sign of shedding. It is a sure thing that if a dealer pays top prices he wants a prime, well furred skin and the trapper wants the prime price — and no matter how honest a dealer is he cannot suit all his customers. Some will yell "Robbed" when per- naps he really got more than his skins were worth, and the man who really did get robbed says noth- ing. All fur buyers are not robbers, neither are SHEDDERS, ETC. 67 they all honest. They run (by the large) the same as all the rest of human nature, some good, some bad, and all, trappers included, looking for their own ends. This is natural. But one thing 1 wish to state here, i. e. that if your animal is prime and well furred the color makes no difference whatever, as this is all changed when it gets to the furrier's and dyer's hands. And this color nonsense is only used to put up or down the price of a fur by the trapper or buyer, with one exception, and that is dark mink caught in the .north eastern states and along the north shore of Lake Superior and west into the Rainy Lake region of Minnesota. CHAPTER XIX. Selling. Here is where the trapper and the buyer come to the parting of their ways. A trapper sends fur to a strange firm with the understanding that he is to hold them until the trapper or seller accepts or re- jects the offer made. Now the slip comes and the seller is not satisfied and orders his fur returned. After a time he gets a letter saying the fur has gone into the general stock and cannot be found. Some- times this is true and sometimes it is an excuse to rob the seller. Then again perhaps the dealer is honest and has sent the seller all his skins are worth — and the seller not being a judge of his fur or his own property thinks he has been skinned, for prob- ably he has received several price lists and, being no judge^ thinks his skins are all No. 1 prime when they are probably not. His big mink perhaps is not so full furred as the buyer thinks it should be, or is a little blue pelted and drops down into the No. 2's. Perhaps the No. 2 is a good skin, full furred and SELLING. 69 prime and brings as much as his large mink. And the trapper thinks for sure he has got the hooks thrown into him. Then again perhaps the dealer is not over honest or is really a polite, well dressed sort of a porch climber or second story man, and the big mink is really a No. 1 prime skin — and there you are in a nut shell. Now I believe I have a way out of this Avhich I will here explain. I will say to start, that the nearer the trapper can get to the consumer the better, and this is the manufacturer. If the seller is some farmer's boy and has only a couple of rats and a skunk or two and a mink, he had better not bother much but sell to a traveling buyer ; but if he is a real trapper Avith a line of from 60 to 150 traps and has a fair bunch of fur, well stretched and cured, let him grade them into Nos. 1, 2 and 3 of each kind taking into consideration the fullness of the fur and the primeness (never mind the color). Now send a description of these skins to several manufacturers and buyers or fur houses whom you may have in mind and ask them what they will pay. After you have received your ans- wers select the highest bidder and if a stranger to you write him that inasmuch as you are both Strang- 70 GRADING, SORTING AND CURING PURS. ers to each other and until you get acquainted would be object to calling at the express office and examine them in the presence of the agent and pay- ing C. 0. D. or refuse to take them? Now if your bidder is an honest man he will have no objections to this. If he has, don't ship them, but if he says to ship, wrap your furs up nicely in paper and put them in a clean flour sack, take them to the express agent, tell him the circumstances, and he will mark your package (C. 0. D. with privilege to examine in presence of the express agent) and that settles it. The agent at the buyer's end of the line lets the buyer examine the skins before paying for them. If he refuses them the express agent sends them back to the office from whence they came and no harm is done as the express company has to stand any loss. I sincerely believe this is the best way for all concerned. I have laying before me a letter from a trapper who traps quite extensively in Canada and buys a few furs, and I will give a few extracts from his letter, also his mode of selling which I think is good. "In reply to yours will say, I have not shipped any fur to the States this fall. I sell my fur direct SELLING. Ti- to the manufacturer and I thus receive a much bet- ter price I get a lot of price lists from firms in the States quoting $8.50 for No. 1 prime mink, and this firm adds that they pay all express charges on all shipments. And no wonder! I received right here $12.00 for No. 1 prime mink, $10.00 for No. 2 and $8.00 for No. 3. that is for large, medium and small. I sold in December last $975.00 worth of fur. Had I been foolish enough to send this fur to , I would have lost at least $275.00. Little wonder they would pay the express charges I am well aware how some of my friends have been fooled by some firms who promise to hold shipments until you accept their offer They never return the furs, they have a hundred and one excuses etc., and the sum is that our trapper gets it in the neck and has to accept what he gets The way I handle my fur is as follows : I trap only when fur is prime and what little I buy must be of first class grade. I pay the settler a high price for his prime fur, and they soon learn that a prime mink or otter is worth more than three common ones. I usually spend two months hunting and trapping each fall and when I come across a good pelt I buy it ; but I trap most of my fur According to my experience different 7 2 GRADING, SORTING AND CURING FURS. firms have different grades. What one firm will call No. 1 another will call No. 2 Many living in the same city quote different prices on the same fur. and that millions of dollars are stolen each year from the trappers both in the United States and Canada. Such a condition of things will exist until the trappers take their furs to the cities to sell them themselves ; it will more than pay them their extra car fare and expense When I have a lot of fur I fix a price on them. I then go to the dealers and show them the goods ; if the firm finds the price too high I go to the next one, and if none are willing to pay what I ask I leave my card with each firm and invariably I get my price. And invariably I never have enough to meet the demand about Christmas time. ' ' Now the man that sent me this letter is an old trapper and collector, also a good business man, and to the best of my belief speaks from experience. I believe his views are good and I believe what he says is true. But one thing a trapper or collector should always bear in mind, i. e. that any kind of fur that is selling slow and no demand for it, the buyers will grade it down for all the trapper and SELLING. 73 collector Avill stand, and I cannot too strongly re- commend to trapper and collector to adopt this way of selling their fur either through the Express Co. or as the Canada man recommends. But taken by the large the Express Co. will save you traveling to the city and its accompanying expenses. Of course if you have been dealing with an old established house and they have always treated you right it would be foolish for you to change a certainty for an uncertainty; but the system that I recommend, i. e. selling through the express companies, is best when dealing with strangers. A trapper should never attempt to tan skins of any kind if he is going to sell them, as every furrier usually has some fur tanning and dressing company whom he would have much rather tan his furs, as he is acquainted with his particular work and it gives satisfaction. Another thing, there is not the money made nowadays that there used to be in days gone by in buying furs. I know of an extensive traveling buyer who buys every season and loses money sometimes as well as makes a little some- times. It is not always smooth sailing for the buyer by a long ways. I have looked into the matter and investigated considerable and have about come to 7 4 GRADING, SORTING AND CURING PURS. the conclusion that the money is made after the manufacturer gets the skins, and between him and the store that sells them to the consumer the most money is made. I know that the big department stores figure on 33 1/3 per cent net profit, although they have some special sales to make a noise where they sell a certain line at about what it cost them plus the labor and shrinkage ; but never in good garments does this occur. CHAPTER XX. Stretching and Curing. No trapper or collector can expect or has any right to expect top prices for his skins unless they are well handled, stretched and cured. If a trapper thinks he can stretch a skin any old way and get first class price he will be disappointed and rightly so. If his skins are unprime or caught before prim- ing he will come a long way from getting first money. If his skins are not full furred from being caught too early, he cannot expect first money, nor if the skins are shedders as before explained, nor if his skins ore mouldy or mildewed. Taking it by the large, a skin that is jirime is full furred and a skin that is full furred is prime for the district it came from. Yet in some few and isolated cases this will not hold good. Some fur bearers from being poi- soner are thin furred especially where the poison did not kill, then disease or some kind of sickness 7 6 GRADING, SORTING AND CURING FURS. that gets among" them and they fail to fur out al- though the skins are full prime. But these are rare cases and the veriest tyro or greenhorn can tell these after seeing one. But if the trapper or col- lector has a bunch of No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 prime furs he should get the top market price and not be swindled out of part of his profits by some jokey fur house or buyer. If the trapper will follow the instructions here mentioned under the chapter of ''Selling" he will get what his furs are worth and if he is too slack or careless to do this then let him take his medicine and keep his mouth shut. In regard to the sections from which skins come from I believe that there is more made of this than there is call for. Of course skins do not fur so full in the south, yet they make up for this in a Avay by being larger. Sometimes you will strike a skin from the north that is not full furred because of in- sufficient food or starvation. Then a great cry is. made about colors as before stated, and I have it from first hand that it cuts no figure to speak of with the manufacturer, as the furrier and dyer have to match these skins by tipping or dyeing them any- how, otherwise they would not look presentable in fur garments. A good deal is said by buyers in re- STRETCHING AND CURING. 77 gard to fleshing and scraping etc. I have laying before me, as I write this, a letter from one of the largest fur houses in the Northwest and I believe as square one as any of them, and they say: ^ * # . . . ."On mink and marten skins Ave find no ad- vantage whatever in having them scraped, so there is no need to waste labor on them. If they are scraped too close as many do it is a positive in- jury." I have shown elsewhere that no sharper instru- ment should be used than the bowl of a table spoon and this not too freely. It is only the large chunks of flesh and grease that should be removed such as usually are found on skunk and coon; and as the fur dries and grease appears it should be wiped off with a clean rag. And as before stated hang your fur in a cool dark place where there is a circulation of air, if you possible can, and keep them there until they are dry enough to rattle when removed. Then take out the boards, tie the furs in bunches through the eye or nose, in bunches of 8 or 10, and hang them up in the same place or under the same conditions. In regard to stretching boards and 78 GRADING, SORTING AND CURING PURS. sizeS;, I believe there are none better than Morton's* patterns of which he sends ont hundreds to buyers and trappers. They have been adopted by nearly all of the large trappers and many of the better class of fur buyers and fur houses. The trapper and collector will make no mistake in using them for size and length. Don't stretch your fur too tight as it is better to have a No. 2 well furred than a No. 1 poorly furred, and you can make the fur thin by overstretching. Tie a string through the lower lip and nose of the skin when puttiug it on the board and sew up any shot or bullet holes, pull it down on the board fairly tight and even and tack Avith galvanized iron tack. Make your stretching boards of not thicker tha,n % inch lumber, planed smooth and the edges nicely rounded. One can often pick out boxes at^ a grocery store that will make good stretchers. Make your Avedges as all the rest of your boards by the Morton pattern and you will make no mistake. As regards large animal skins, as before stated in this book, the taxidermist is the proper place to market them. # n ^' C. F. Morton, Newburyport, Mass. STRETCHING AND CURING. 79 It is not half a bad idea for the trapper to learn tanning himself. Get a book on tanning and ex- periment on cat and No. 3 or cull rat skins ; but friend, don't start in on a nice No. 1 prime mink as I did once 15 years ago. Most of the recipes given are worthless. Then again your chemicals may not be of the be'st as the drug stores do not always handle the pure goods. These things you will have to try out for yourself. CHAPTER XXI. General Remarks. Sorting. In this book I have shown the sorting that is made at the London Sales, i. e. large and small. I have serious donbts if it is any more fair and jnst to the trapper than our way of grading into three sizes. For instance supposing we are sorting a bundle of skins, we lay aside a couple of No. 1 large prime well furred ; we now come to a No. 2 prime or in other words it is smaller than our No. 1 and larger than our No. 3, now where is this skin going? If it goes into the No. 1 pile we are winner, if it goes into the No. 3's we are loser, so it is an even chance. But here is another case where we win. Supposing we come to a No. 1 large, it is a little blue pelted and not too full furred; in London this skin would surely go into the No. 1 large, while here in this country it w^ould surely drop down into the No. 2's and perhaps the No. 3's or be cut in GENERAL REMARKS. 81 price instead. Now I wish to here state : There seems to be no uniform size or grade in this country among buyers and manufacturers. Each have a different system and some no system whatever, only to skin the seller. I have been in a town where there are several manufacturers. Each had a dif- ferent system and size and tried to do the scjuare thing at that. As before stated in this book, color should cut little figure (not over 5 per cent on a prime skin) whatever, let it be light or dark. Mink are usually some of the shades of brown, and if you are selling to a man who goes to grading you down on colors, the sooner you quit him the better for yourself. I will here state that there seem to be mink that are found along the 45th parallel and as far west on this parallel as Wisconsin, then on the 46th and 47th as far west as western central Min- nesota. These mink are small, dark and have very fine full fur. The Nos. 1 will stretch over our No. 2 board and the Nos. 2 over our No. 3 board and they should bring a better price than our Nos. 1, 2 and 3, not on account of their color so much as the fine full silky underfur. Another thing: If the buyer grades your skins down because they are caught in the coast states and the skins are prime and full 82 GRADING, SORTING AND CURING PURS. furred ,or fairly full furred as they will be unless caught where the rainy season prevails in winter, quit him, for he isn't giving you a square deal. I heard of a case where a fur house call skins caught in the Panhandle of Idaho, Pacific coast skins and graded them down fierce. This could not be done if sold by express, as I have explained before in this book. In grading skunk you must keep in mind the stripes as well as size. For instance if a skunk is a No. 1 large and is wide long striper it will have to step down into the No. 2 on account of the stripes, even though it is well fured. But if you have a No. 2 for size and it is black it should go up into the No. 1 pile etc. We give a picture of the differ- ent stripes. Perhaps the best way is to sort your skunk first for stripes : Black, short stripe, narrow stripe and wide stripe, making four piles. Now sort these piles for Nos. 1, 2 and 3, i. e. No. 1 short stripe, No. 2 short. No. 3 short and so on through the four piles. I assume the trapper has trapped his fur after they are prime and furred, and not cut down his profits ■ from 50 per cent to 70 per cent by trapping out of season. You can apply this same system to all your fur. Rats, Coon, Fox, Mink etc., with the exception GENERAL REMARKS. 83 of course that the above have no stripes like skunk. Also sort 3^our Otter for thickness of fur, more than for size, i e. if you have a large Otter and a medium one — if the medium one has a fine coat of underfur and the No. 1 large would simply be medium well furred, your medium or No. 2 should go No. 1. An- other thing : A shipper should bear in mind that it is not always the proprietor of^ a house that sorts the fur, but some employee who wishes to make himself solid for his job ; but the proprietor is res- ponsible just the same. In getting the facts for this book I have been collecting data and probed deep for a long time, and I hope I have shown the collector and trapper how to market his skins to the best advantage, and will say once more : That I have assumed that the trap- per has sense enough to trap only when fur is prime. I have said nothing about blue, thin furred skins for the reason that there is no more sense in trapping fur when it is unprime than there is in picking apple blossoms from an apple tree before the apples form and ripen. As before stated in this book, if 1 was buying fur and a trapper sent me blue skins I would throw them in the fire and send him a bill for the express an^ my trouble. I have said little 84 GRADING, SORTING AND CURING FURS. about length. As a skin that will stretch comfort- ably over a "Morton" three piece stretching board of any of his No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 sizes for differ- ent animals, when properly pulled down and tacked at the tail, edges and sides, the length will take care of itself. Stretch your skins comfortably tight, but don't strain and pull them so as to make the under- fur look thin. * I suppose there will be exceptions taken by both buyer and seller in regard to grading for either light or dark colors. I will here state that my ;authority on this subject is a very large buyer of furs at the London, Leipsig and Russian sales. He is also a large manufacturer and dyer, resides in England, is on the job all the time and knows what he is talking about. I cite this man as an authority for the reason that we cite the London and Leipsig sales, where he buys, for our prices. It seems to be the clearing house for the fur business and England for dyeing and dressing. All or most of our seal- skins are dyed in London. In my opinion no coun- try can beat them at this business. When our cot- ton mink get to the English dye house they come Fur is not sold by the yard. GENERAL REMARKS. 8 5 out as good as any of their more aristocratic broth- ers. Therefore I say that grading down good prime and well underfurred skins on account of color is humbug. I have made no mention of Beaver in this book for the reason that it is against the law to catch or kill them in most parts of our United States. A word here seems to be in order in regard to time to begin trapping. It seems to be the opinion of nearly all the better class of trappers and fur buyers that in the central and south central sections trapping should not commence until Dec. 1st and in central and north central sections not before Nov. 15th, extreme north Oct. 15th to Nov. 15th, and for extreme south Dec. 1st to 15th. Of course some skins will be prime before this in all these sections, but the animal caught probably don't know the difference and you will get same unprime, this cut- ting down your profits- 50 per cent. And as animals of the fur tribe mate about March 1st it is obvious that you should c^uit February 29th at the latest if you want any skins for the next season. CHAPTER XXII. Northern vs. Southern Fur. It had always been a question in my mind iP there was as much difference in the quality of northern and southern fur as the fur buyers made out there was. Having never seen much southern fur, and in order to investigate this matter thor- oughly, I had to do as I did in regard to the wheat grading, i. e. I sought and obtained employment in a large fur dressing and dyeing establishment as a common hand or laborer, and then I began to find out ^'somc things" as the Dutchman says. This firm would receive as high as 6000 Muskrats at a time and from ^2000 to 4000 Mink at a time besides Bear, Beaver, Otter, Marten, Fox, Stone Marten, Skunk, Wombat from Australia, Weasel and in fact every conceivable kind of fur skins (barring sealskins) from the far North, East, South and West. My first move was to get next to the head furrier, which I soon did. I also found that south- ern muskrats are far inferior to northern, even at NORTHERN VS. SOUTHERN PURS. 8 7 their best. Beaver and Otter seem to hold up the best and come the nearest to northern quality, but the inferiority showed some considerable in Mink, Wolf and Coon, and of the AVolf we received stacks, both summer caught and winter caught, scalped and unscalped (for the bounty). The next question was to find out how far south we could go and find northern quality of fur. I probed deep into this matter as I had a splendid chance to do so, having the privilege to examine more skins in a month than the average collecter and buyer sees in a life- time. Taking it by the large you can start and draw a line on the map starting at the extreme southern point of Connecticut, draw a line straight west to a little south of Columbus, Ohio, then north- west to about north central Indiana, then next to about north central Illinois, then southwest to north central Missouri, then west to central Colorado, then north to the southwest corner of Wyoming, then northwest through south central Idaho and Oregon to the Pacific ocean. Fur caught much south of this line, at their best, are inferior to one's caught north of it, taking it by the large and not splitting hairs. For some reason Rats and Mink caught south of central Ohio and Indiana are what 88 GRADING, SORTING AND CURING PURS. the fur dresser or tanner would call ''soft,'' i. e. thin leather, thin underfur and tear easy. Rats from Delaware and New Jersey hold up in quality with fur caught north of there ; but with Coyote, Wolf, southern Kansas, Colorado and Nevada hold up better than other furs. Southern Pennsylvania skins make a poor showing with northern Pennsyl- vania skins. Altitude don't seem to make as much difference as some think, as fur caught at sea level in a cold climate seems to be as well furred as fur caught at a high altitude. If any of the readers care to test this out ,he can easily do so by taking a cased skin of any kind, cutting it open on the belly (cutting from the flesh side) and from the chin to the tail, the same as the fur dresser does. If you have done this with both a northern and a southern skin and they are laying before you flesh side up, and other things being equal, note first the differ- ence in the length of the fur, second the difference in thickness, third the difference in the color along the edge of the cut you made in opening of the skin. This will tell you the whole story in regard to Northern and Southern skins. I found in my investigation that nearly all of our cheap furs are made out of Possum skins, dyed, NORTHERN VS. SOUTHERN PURS. 89 and very low grades of Fox and Wolf, the better grades being used for higher priced fur. I also found that some cities use hardly anything and don't want any skins but low grades and culls. I cannot account for this in any other way than the furriers or manufacturers of these kinds of goods are located in large manufacturing cities, and most of their customers are salaried people or working people and not the "Big Business" people who can pay the price; hence the cheap skins. I also found more rabbits being tanned and worked into fur than one would suppose, also many brown weasel. I also found many Coon being plucked and being made into collars, also that a ver}^ superior grade of Coon came from Iowa. The fur dresser calls them "blue Coon," a name of his own invention, the fur seem- ing to have a blueish shade when compared with, other Coon from the same district. I It might interest the readers to know that nearly all our seal skins are bought, dyed and dressed by a family by the name of Rice in England, the dye- ing of these skins being a family secret and handed down from father to son. "^ Thinking it might benefit the readers of this work, I obtained prices for tanning single skins and 90 GRADING, SORTING AND CURING FURS. small lots, should any one wish some. Skins tanned and dressed for their own use. All fur skins shrink €j[uite a little in tanning and dressing. Bear, $3.00 to $6.00 each. (For rugs, head and claws). Deer, $1.00. (For rugs, no buckskin dressed). Dogs, 50c. (Rugs $1.00). Wild Cat, 50c. (Rugs, head and claws, 75c'). House Cat, 12c. Lynx, 75c. (Rugs, head and claw^s, $1.25.) Squirrel, 8c. Otter, 75c. (Plucked $1.00.) Red Fox, 50c. (Rugs, head and claws, 75c.) Grey Fox, 35c. (Rugs, head and claws, 70c.) White Fox, 75c. (Rugs, head and claws, $1.00.) Mink, open, 20e. Mink, cased, 25c. Coon, 20c. A¥olf, Timber, $1.00. (Rugs, head and claws, $1.25.) Coyote, 50c.. (Rugs, head and claws, 75c.) Badger, 25c. Muskrat, 15c. Possum. 15c. Beaver, dressed and plucked, $1.00. NORTHERN VS. SOUTHERN FURS. 91 Mountain Lion (Rugs, Head and claws, $2.50). This firm does splendid work, guarantees all work and makes good any losses through bad work or otherwise, and does dressing and tanning for some of the largest manufacturers in the United States. As I have before stated in this book, it will pay the southern trapper best to market his fur in the south as it is better understood there. # * # It was of great interest to me to know^ how Col. Roosevelt's skins were preserved, being killed in a hot climate and no season when fur was prime that I know of. I had formed the opinion that it must be somewhat of a job to preserve them until they reached the United States from the African jungles. I therefore wrote the Smithsonian Institute at Washington, D. C, inquiring into this matter and received the following reply. I also wrote them for a formula for tanning fur skins. Smithsonian Institute, U. S. National Museum. Washington, D. C, Apr. 11th, 1910. Mr. A. F. Wallace. Dear Sir : — Hon. Wm. J. Gary, M. C, has referred your let- ter to us of April 3rd containing the request for in- 9 2 GRADING, SORTING AND CURING PURS. formation as to the kind of brine which is used hy the Smithsonian Institute for preserving skins of large animals collected by Colonel Roosevelt in South Africa. In reply I beg to say that the brine is ordinary Rock Salt brine. Very respectfully, W. RAVENEL, Administrative Asst. The tanning for the Smithsonian Institute is done by an outside firm, and their formula is pri- vate property and of course cannot be published. The skins were put up in barrels the same as meat is in brine. The Roosevelt collection of furs or skins was the most perfect ever received there and arrived in perfect condition. Therefore according to the above evidence I do not believe salting fur hurts them in the least, providing brine is used. The collector to the contrary notw^ithstanding. If "t was a warm season and I had any skins, Moose, Bear, Deer, Elk, etc., I should not hesitate one min- ute to use this method. But bear one thing in mind: Use Rock Salt and not the stuff sold out of grocery stores called table salt; this stuff won't do. The packing houses all use Rock Salt to preserve NORTHERN VS. SOUTHERN PURS. 93 their meat and no other. I hope this will be of use to trappers and. collectors alike. A salted skin should not be let dry and become hard, but be kept damp and limber or frozen after coming out of the brine, for dry salted fur don't tan good and the collector is within his rights when not paying full price. This book will be revised from time to time as the circumstances demand. Very truly yours, A. F. WALLACE. Perhaps you have read "Land Cruising and Prospecting." If so you notice I mentioned my old pard, i. e. "Moulton," one of the best trappers in the west for his particular animals. While on a visit to his sister last year I obtained the formulas for making his scent baits. Also I knew before of his methods for trapping mink all winter, both vmder the ice and on snow, for he used the trap after everything froze up tight. He often told me that water sets were all rigitit for new beginners. He trapped Miink, Otter, Beaver and Muskrats in water, on snow and under the ice all winter long and made his best catches after it was frozen hard and way below Zero. Moulton's trapping was done in tlie Bad Lands, Dakotas, Yellow Stone river and its branches, also on the upper Missouri where animals were more shy of human beings, than tliey are now in a cultivated country. I have never seen these sets or scents in any "Trappers' Guides Magazines" or in print. If any trapper wants to try tliem and is not satisfied I will return him his money. Mink Scent Formula -jOc (Tlie methods of setting go with tliis formula free.) Otter Scent Formula 50c (The metliods of setting go with this formula free.) Muski-at Scent Formula 50c (The methods of setting go with this formula free.) Beaver Scent Formula 50c (The methods of setting go with tliis formula free.) *Prairie Wolf Scent Formula 50c (The methods of setting go with this formula free.) *Timber Wolf Scent Formula 50c (The methods of setting go with this formula free.) These were Moulton's 6 specialties and he was successful with them. 1 used tlie Mink a-nd Rat scent and methods last winter , and cleaned up all the water I trapped on. I do not cai-e to be bothered with making tlie scent, so I send the formula or recipe, assuming the trapper is not fool enough to give it away and spoil his own business. I include the methods of setting with each formula free, as the scents to be at their best require the proper set. A. F. WALLACE, 472 WALKER ST. MILWAUKEE. WIS. To all Prospectors, Land Cruisers, Trappers and Hunters — - send for our catalogue of our Compasses and Maps for your use. * This is not the U. S. Government formula ; I consider Moul- ton's much better. TRAPPERS AND DEALERS Do you wish weekly market, reports? If so, CAMP & TRAIL is what you need, as it publishes each week market prices and conditions from the leading markets of Raw Furs, Hides, Pelts, Wool and Roots. This handsome weekly was established December 4, 1909, and from the very first same was receiv* with favor. Why? Be cause the publishers and editors gave "you fellows" what was wanted. In general Camp & Trail is devoted to Hunting, Fishing, Camping, Boat- ing, Prospecting, Trapping and kindred subjects. One of its strong features is the "Old Pioneer Depart- ment/' in-cidents of the Early Days from all parts of America. The Brother- hoocl GaJIerij — Pictures a^d Sketches of Camp & Trail Outdoor Enthusiasts is re- ceiving a royal welcome. In this department, as well as many others, the full address is usually given, so that readers can correspond. If you are a hunter and and wish to know what .J "fellow hunters'' are do- ing, read their accounts of recent trips in CAMP &, TRAIL. If you are a trapper, read the accounts of "fellow trappers" from various parts of America ; if you like fishing, camping and boatiing you will find the accounts of "your fellows" in this weekly ; if you are a trader of fur pelts or roots and wish to "keep posted" you will find the fur markets given each week during the season as well aS' market letters from the various Raw Fur Centers. CAMP & TRAIL contains 24 or more pages during the winter months, 7%xl0% inches, 3 columns to the page, printed on good quality papei. and splendidly illustrated — and all for only $1.50 a year in the United States, and $2.00 in Canada. If you have never read a copy, send 5 cents for one — you'll like it. Remember CAMP & TRAIL comes weekly — 52 times a year. The HUNTBR-TRADER-TRAPPER is an up-to-date illustrated magazine containing from 160 to 200 pages each month about Steel Traps, Snares, Deadfalls, S'cents. Baits, Trapping Secrets, Raw Furs, Hunting Dogs, Fur Farming, Root Growing, etc. In fact this magaziine publishes so much about hunting and trapping that Columbus, Ohio, is now known as "The Center of the Hunting World." Single copy 10 cents, yearly sub- scription $1.00. A. R. HARDING PUB. CO , Box S. S. G. COLUMBUS, OHIO. REPEATING GUNS Solid- breech, Hammerless Modei-n in every respect. Remington determination to give the sportsmen tlie l)est that can he produced is I'ulfiHed in the hetter service that these hest guns unfailingly give. Remington guns won five of the last ten Interstate Handicaps— as many handicaps as all guns of other manufacturers comhined. These victories conclusively demonstrate Remington super- iority — ^prove tliat tlaese guns of the day lead all other makes. TJMC metallic cartridges and steel lined shells are made for every known arm and shotgun. We test our ammunition for every gun in whicli they are to he used — rifle, shotgun, pistol or revolver just like our own. TJMC Steel Lined shells made a clean sweep at the firing line in 1909 and 1910, winning every Interstate handicap — ten successive victories hy amateurs shooting TJMC Steel Lined Shells. TJMC and RH^MINGTON— the perfect shooting combination. THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE GO. THE REMINGTON ARMS CO. Bridgeport, Conn. Ilion, N. Y. AGENCY, 299 Broadway, New York City. Same ownership — Same management, Same standard of quality. Links you to Success Fur Ne\¥S Magazine hv g im iB wtfl'KWj m' i T HMfiw^rt w tttti is different from all outdoor publications; it not only contains man^^ interesting and entertaining stories about Trapping, Hunt- ing and Fishing, but it contains regularly every possible line of information of import- ance and value to Every One in Any Way Engaged in the Fur Business. Seeks solely to merit the confidence of each subscribe!'. Issued First of each Month— f l.UO a, year. FUR NEWS PUBLISHING CO. 71 W. 23rd Street, NEW YORK. The Sure Death Trap. This trap catches animals by the neck instead of the feet killing them instantly without injury to the pelt. A humane fea- ture that is certainly commendable : besides it saves every fur for the Trapper. It i sthe very acme of the Trapmaker's art ; the foot pedal trip sets on a line with top of the lower jaw, and has the best trigger action ever put on a trap. When set at entrance to animal's den the hole is entirely clear and open for animal to go in or out whi-ch it is impossible for it to do without stepping on the pedal, and springing the trap. It can be set over baited holes, and at blind sets in driftdoow, and at the ends of hollow logs, etc. t will catch and kill anything from a house-rat to the largest jkunk or groundhog. This trap has made a great record for itself .:he past season. One Trapper caught 18 Mink and 10 Muskrats ia 3 traps. Sample with Trappers' Guide postpaid 70c. Send a nickle for our illustrated Ti*appers' Guide. It explains everything. The Davenport Trap Co. Box R, DAVENPORT, IOWA. J ■*^l 1^-- SHIP YOUR FURS TO Funston Bros. & Co. ST. LOUIS, u. s. A. Where you get HONEST GRAD- ING - QUICK RETURNS -and MORE MONEY for your Furs than you can get in any other way. Write for Trappers Supply Cata- log, Trappers Guide, Tags and Fur Market Reports — All sent FREE. One copy del. to Cat. Div. ire the Largest NG FASTEST. imv LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 018 371 108 8 !BLE'S GAME - GETIEH fiPN MODEL 1908. Made with .22 upper barrel and .44 smooth lower barrel, 12, 15 and 18 inches long; also with two rifled barrels: 22 and .25.20, .22 and 32-20, .22 and .38-40; lengths 15 and 18 inches. The average pat- tern of shot made with the .44 barrel is 70 No. 8 and 125 No. 10 in a 12 inch square at 50 feet. Flying or running game can be bagged as easily as with any gun of its bore. A .44 ball penetrates 7% inches of pine at 15 feet. Has killed deer at 100 yards, mooi-e at 35 yards and bear at 25 yards, with one shot. Hammer is instantly set for either bai-rel or at SAFE. Either barrel is used without any change of sight or adjustment. Guaranteed for use with smokeless powder. The recoil is slight. Stock locks at any di-op desired. Is easily removed. The .22 & .44 Calibers Style Shoots 22 Short, Long- & L. R. 44-40 Shot Cartridges 44-40 Round Bullet Catalog of Marlble's 60 "guaranteed" Specialties for Sportsmen Free. MARBLE SAFETY AXE CO., 235 DELTA AVENUE, GLADSTONE, MICH.