The Project Gutenberg eBook ofFur FarmingThis ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online atwww.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.Title: Fur FarmingAuthor: A. R. HardingRelease date: October 2, 2010 [eBook #33830]Language: EnglishCredits: Produced by Peter Vachuska, Chuck Greif, Josephine Paolucciand the Online Distributed Proofreading Team athttp://www.pgdp.net.*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FUR FARMING ***
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online atwww.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
Title: Fur FarmingAuthor: A. R. HardingRelease date: October 2, 2010 [eBook #33830]Language: EnglishCredits: Produced by Peter Vachuska, Chuck Greif, Josephine Paolucciand the Online Distributed Proofreading Team athttp://www.pgdp.net.
Title: Fur Farming
Author: A. R. Harding
Author: A. R. Harding
Release date: October 2, 2010 [eBook #33830]
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Peter Vachuska, Chuck Greif, Josephine Paolucciand the Online Distributed Proofreading Team athttp://www.pgdp.net.
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FUR FARMING ***
Some Young Black and Silver Fox.Some Young Black and Silver Fox.
Published ByA. R. HARDING PUBLISHING CO.Columbus, Ohio.Copyright, 1909By A. R. HARDING PUB. CO.
Chapter.PageI.Supply and Demand15II.What Animals to Raise27III.Enclosures38IV.Box Trap Trapping53V.Fox Raising63VI.Skunk Raising83VII.Mink Raising97VIII.Opossum Raising107IX.Muskrat Raising115X.Raccoon Raising129XI.The Beaver and Otter137XII.Killing, Skinning and Stretching146XIII.Deer Farming152
PageSome Young Black and Silver FoxFrontispieceEnclosure in Thick Woods32Corner of Enclosure39Fence with Wire Turned in at Top41Fence Showing Sheet Tin43Plan for Combined Enclosures46Box Trap for Catching Animals Alive55Box Trap with Swing Gate58Barrel Trap for Catching Animals Alive60Another Box Trap62Northwestern Fox Skins66Map Showing Where Fox Farming is Feasible72Plan for Arrangement of Fox Yards74Box Shelter for Female and Young75Corner of Fox Yard77Fox Yard, Showing Outer Fence78Yards of a Maine Fox Farm81Corner of an Ohio Skunk Farm90Mink Enclosure in Detail103Ideal Location for an Opossum Farm112Fur Farm Near a Farmhouse117Muskrat House in a Marsh122Barrel Shelter for Female and Young134Fur Farm on Open Ground135Elk in Enclosure163Tame Deer Eating Watermelon178
G. R. Harding.
Ever since Columbus discovered America, furs have been an important article of commerce, but at the rate of the catch during recent years, the supply drawn from the natural sources—forest, field and stream—will soon prove inadequate if not entirely depleted in some species.
Less than 30 years ago, there were countless thousands of Buffalo upon the Western Plains. Where are they today? In the 70's and early 80's they were slain by tens of thousands by hide and robe hunters. Does or does not such a condition face some of the American fur bearing animals at the present time? Many hunters and trappers must think that the supply will not long be equal to the demand, judging from the hundreds of letters written the Editor ofHunter-Trader-Trapper, asking information about raising fur bearing animals.
This work has been hastily gotten out to meet this demand, yet the sources of information from which the work has been gathered, are authentic. Much of the habits, nature, etc., of the various animals has been furnished by Mr. E. Kreps, a trapper of wide experience. Facts have also been furnished by those that have to a certain extent followed "Fur Farming" and as well some information has been added from the United States Government Bulletins.
A. R. Harding.Columbus, Ohio, April 1, 1909.
For years there has been a belief that the supply of fur-bearing animals would soon be inadequate to the demand. This belief is well founded and is apparent when the fact is known that the natural haunts and homes of the fur-producing animals are becoming less each year. The draining of swamps and marshes is destroying the homes and breeding places of muskrat and to a certain extent coon and mink. The saw mill and clearing of the land is rapidly lessening the natural resorts of coon, bear, wild cat and opossum in the South and Central States, while in the North, marten, fisher and lynx are being deprived of their natural homes.
Beaver and otter do not like civilization and leave on signs of man and his works. This is especially true of beaver; otter linger in waters fringed with timber longer even if settled.
Some animals, it is true, do well in fairly thickly-settled sections. Among animals of thiskind are red fox, skunk, mink and muskrat. Yet no fur bearer can hold its numbers against the ever-increasing number of trappers and the persistency with which they now seek the fur producers.
North America furnishes a large per cent. of the furs of the world—foxes, mink, otter, beaver, skunk, marten, lynx, coon, opossum, muskrat, wolves, etc. Considerable quantities of fine furs are still secured in parts of Russia, in Europe and Siberia in Asia; Australia furnishes great quantities of opossum, while from parts of South America, the trade in chinchilla is large. Yet North America has been for centuries, the great fur-producing continent and now that trapping is being pressed harder than ever and the natural haunts of the animals are becoming less each year, the question is,—where will the future supply come from?
In this connection the following article on The Fur Markets is reproduced from the April issue ofThe Hunter-Trader-Trapper:
The Spring or March London Sales began March 22 and ended April 2. During that time American Raw Furs were offered by Hudson's Bay Company; C. M. Lampson & Co., and A. & W. Nesbitt. In face of the fact that prices on some articles have advanced so materially that American manufacturers have bought sparingly,the outcome of the sales was awaited with much interest by the trade.
A year ago in giving the quantity of goods offered by the Hudson's Bay Company, this magazine said: "The quantity seems to be decreasing as the offering this year is less than 1907, and 1907 less than 1906." The offerings this year are still less than 1908, and for ready comparison the Hudson's Bay Company offerings at the March Sales for three years are given:
190919081907Otter5,3414,9686,933Fisher2,6713,2243,228Cross Fox1,4452,6784,490Red Fox2,9876,59810,200Silver Fox344526896Blue Fox146388White Fox2,0586,70311,409Marten21,57729,80843,798Mink10,96613,09132,817Ermine15,31414,28020,737Lynx8,85631,89256,611Wolf3,7564,2072,771Wolverine718865734Skunk1,4785,02311,430Bear, Black3,9433,7404,042Bear, Brown387353432Bear, Grey10812394Bear, White8959137Badger125169322Raccoon140243600
The combined offerings of C. M. Lampson & Co., and A. & W. Nesbitt were as follows at the Spring Sales in 1907, 1908 and 1909:
190919081907Mink82,575134,20075,600Skunk545,284416,000615,900Muskrat1,238,2571,015,0001,018,000Raccoon203,155316,00069,726Opossum225,671267,000225,350Marten8,16815,00018,600Lynx1,5007,55011,727Fox, Red25,60036,66031,870Fox, Cross1,5855,0215,080Fox, Silver5397281,015Fox, Grey13,60023,2708,961Fox, Kitt1,670388655Fox, White3,31014,0004,785Fox, Blue3,6302,6003,600Otter5,2119,0002,916Fisher2,9143,4401,705Beaver14,2826,80011,900Bear7,2406,9805,770Badger4,0704,4755,905Cat, Wild6,9255,8007,072Cat, House20,34415,80017,000Wolf21,36524,15012,100Wolverine350450323Ermine77,60077,000100,580Civet19,20033,00053,800
The noticeable falling off in the Hudson's Bay Company offerings can be accounted forfrom the fact that more "free traders," as the Great Company calls them, are yearly encroaching upon their territory.
The offerings of Lampson and Nesbitt is short of a year ago with the exceptions of beaver, muskrat and skunk. The advanced price of muskrat, no doubt, caused more trapping of these animals than ever before. Again the fact of the dry fall in many localities bunched the rats, so that they were much easier caught. The rats offered at the recent sales are largely fall and winter. From reports, the collection of spring rats will be very light—in many localities not more than one-fourth of an average collection.
While the offerings now show some 200,000 in excess of March, 1908, and also March, 1907, indications are that before the year 1909 ends there will be a shortage in the total rat catch for the year. Considerable anxiety is felt regarding skunk, as the number offered was 545,280 compared with 416,000 in March, 1908, which is nearly 130,000 more. This is hardly a fair test. The offerings at March Sales 1908 were light from the fact that skunk were not in demand at the beginning of the fall season of 1907, when a good per cent. of skunk are caught for the following March Sales. Go back another year, that is March, 1907, and see what the offeringsof skunk were; you perhaps will be surprised to learn that it was 615,900 or 70,000 more than at this spring's sale. The offerings of beaver were larger than a year ago, but with these exceptions, there appears a decided falling off—note the quantity of fox, coon, marten, lynx—all much less.
Furs are fashionable throughout the entire civilized world, and the catch seems inadequate on many articles. This is probably responsible for the high prices. At any rate, some articles have advanced beyond all previous high record. Prices for wolf, fox, lynx, wild cat and muskrat are very high, as well as many other American raw furs. Skunk reached a price that no one expected the past season. Since early in March or shortly after, too late to get goods into the London Sales, prices were lowered on skunk, opossum, raccoon and some grades of mink, especially Southern and Southwestern, but at the same time it should be taken into consideration that the quality is not so desirable as during the midwinter months.
Many believe that by far the most of the furs come from the Far North. This is erroneous. It is true that the most valuable furs, such as silver, black and cross foxes, lynx and marten, come from that section. Some of the best otter, red fox and mink are also secured in the farnorthern country. Yet fully one-half of the value of the American catch of raw furs is comprised in the three following articles—skunk, mink and muskrat.
In the Far North there will be foxes, otter, mink, and marten for some time to come. But what about that part of the country, say south of the Great Lakes, west of the Allegheny Mountains, north of the Tennessee and Arkansas Rivers and east of the Rocky Mountains?—a section which has been producing about half of the furs.
This section is the great skunk producing one and as well as one of the best mink and muskrat sections. It also furnishes from the Southern States within the area outlined, great quantities of coon and opossum. When those interested in the fur business consider that half the value of the annual catch is skunk, mink, and muskrat and that the best producing section has hitherto been the section as outlined, one can easily see that the supply will not long be equal to the demand.
During recent years, owing to persistent trapping, the fur producers have been greatly reduced and if not practically exterminated in parts of the country, are destined to become nearly so. The fact that skunk, mink and muskrat have been so greatly reduced in the past few years has caused those interested in the fur industryto ask,—"what of the future?" with the settlement of the country and the draining of the swamps, clearing of the forests, etc., which deprives many species of fur producers of their natural homes, how can it be expected that the supply will last?
That skunk, mink and muskrat do well in settled sections, there is no question, but since their pelts are so valuable, more trappers are after them than ever before. In addition, magazines and books on the subject are more plentiful than in former years, so that the inexperienced hunter and trapper has far better success than in past years.
There is always a cash market for raw furs and since the discovery of America, raw furs have been an important article of commerce. In the early days, beaver was the leading article and even at this date thousands of skins are secured annually by the professional trapper in the swamps of the south and along the streams and lakes of the north. Scattered thruout the South, Rocky Mountain sections, Northern Canada and parts of the East, are several thousand professional hunters and trappers whose annual catch amounts to several hundred dollars each. The aggregate of these men, footing up to perhaps $3,000,000 or $4,000,000. In the settled sections are tens of thousands of boysand amateur trappers with here and there a professional. The annual catch of these foot up to perhaps $6,000,000 to $8,000,000, or double the catch of the professionals who leave civilization in September and are not seen again until May or June.
It is this class (boys and amateurs) that secures the greatest quantities of fur and as the number of trappers is so large and the grounds necessarily limited, here is where the animals are rapidly decreasing and at the present rate are in danger of extermination. In some sections there has been a wonderful falling off in the catch of late years, altho the number of trappers is larger.
An industry paying the hunter and trapper probably $15,000,000 yearly is one that should receive attention. At the present rate of extermination, some of the fur bearers are destined to soon follow in the wake of the buffalo. The demand for furs is increasing as the population of the world is becoming more and more. Again furs are being put to more uses than ever. While the demand for furs are increasing, what of the supply? The day, perhaps, is not far in the distance when the demand will call for two or three times as many furs as today. Where are they to come from? The natural supply is surely diminishing.
The matter of 'Supply and Demand' is one that there is considerable difference of opinion upon. Hunters and trappers, as a rule, are of one opinion and that is that the number of pelts secured upon a certain territory is becoming less each year. Trappers going over their lines are surely the ones who know whether the fur is holding out or not.
The number of persons seeking fur is larger each year. In localities furnishing as much fur as ever, the chances are that the number of animals left for breeding is less each year. If such is true the day when these localities will show a falling off in the receipts is not far in the distance.
Until recently, many dealers and manufacturers believed that the supply of wild fur-bearing animals was practically inexhaustible—that when wanted, trappers would go out into the "wilds," catch, skin and send the pelts to market. These people are beginning to awaken to the true situation and while they send out price lists, circulars, and traveling buyers after raw furs, they say it is much harder to secure the goods wanted than formerly.
A well known dealer in Minneapolis in sizing up the situation, says: "With the vast fund of information about trapping being sent out and with improved traps for catching and the greatstimulus to trapping owing to high prices, in five to ten years, there will not be one-fourth to one-half the fur bearers that there are now, unless stringent laws are enacted to curtail the trapping."
"Under proper conditions, with intelligent care, no doubt, raising fur animals can be made to pay. The raiser starting on a small scale and increasing as their knowledge increases. Most all successful business is built up by starting small."
The dealer who wrote the above advertises quite extensively for furs. The territory tributary to that city has always been considered a good fur producing one. During recent years, the supply has fallen off materially in face of the fact of improved trapping methods and a greatly increased number of persons seeking the fur bearers. The same conditions are true to a greater or less degree in many parts of the country.
The American people, however, can be depended upon to meet all emergencies. They have already set about to provide for the future raw fur supply by raising the animals. As early as 1884, experiments were made at raising foxes on the islands in the Northern Pacific Ocean, along the coast of British Columbia and Alaska. The experiments, as a rule, proved successful andthere has been for years a number of successful fox raisers on the islands of the North Pacific. More will be said about them elsewhere.
In various parts of North America, experiments have been made, principally with skunk, altho a few have tried mink and other animals but only in a small way, or by men who expected to get rich quick and who did not give the enterprise the care and attention that is necessary to make a success at any business.
There is a bright future to "Fur Farming." The person who knows something of the habits of the animal or animals that they expect to raise, will be the successful ones. A person who has always lived in the city would not be apt to make a success at general farming or fruit raising. The same applies to "fur farming." The person who has followed hunting and trapping or the farmer who has given attention to fur bearing animals are the ones most apt to be successful.
Foxes, no doubt, will be the animals that the majority would like to begin with, especially the more valuable species, as black, silver and cross. These for breeding purposes of course can be secured, but the present raisers do not seem to care to sell any of their stock unless at good round figures. They want to further increase their own numbers.
A good many attempts were made at raising skunk a few years ago, most of which were failures. Some entered the business on a large scale, knowing nothing of the animal, and ofcourse failed; others "penned up" a few skunk and as they were not properly cared for resulted in failures.
The recent advanced price for skunk skins has caused a revival in their raising. This time, an entirely different class of people are taking up their raising, and they are going to succeed, why? Because they know something of the animal and are going at the business in a calm and business-like way.
Mink, at present prices, look good to the fur-farmer. They are small animals but yield a pelt worth from $3 to $7, depending upon the size and color. Raccoon and opossum are compared with many fur-bearing animals as producers of cheap furs. This is true, but at the same time, they offer the most promising future for the fur-farmer in many localities. They are easily raised, and in addition to their fur, the carcass finds a ready sale in most cities.
Opossum and coon will not dig deep seeking escape, but are good climbers and considerable precaution should be taken to see that the wire netting is either extended in several feet at the top, or that a strip of tin a couple of feet wide is fastened to the posts some three feet from the ground.
The "fur-farmer," should the market be low for certain animals, can keep over; or the betterplan would no doubt be to kill off the surplus males and perhaps some females. At such times do not make the mistake of killing off too closely, as some will do, claiming that the fur is low and that there is no need of trying to increase. Nine times in ten, this is the time to raise as many as possible, for by another season, that particular article is apt to be in demand.
To illustrate: skunk were low in 1907, yet had the raisers gone ahead, they would have had a supply to kill during the Winter of 1908-9, at prices that were indeed satisfactory.
Had the opossum raiser, during the low prices for this fur in 1907 and 1908, sold off his breeding stock at low prices, as he would have been compelled to do, he would not had a supply when the prices advanced in January, 1909.
Some farmers make the mistake of selling off all their stock when prices ease up, expecting to go into the raising again when a reaction takes place. This is not the way to make the most money; when a reaction comes, other farmers who have continued raising this certain animal, reap the harvest, selling to the market or to their neighbors at high prices.
The prices paid for the various articles shows about what the grower may expect for his "crop." The demand, of course, will have much to do with the price. Fashion is constantlychanging but indications are that owing to diminishing supply and increased consumption, prices will be on a fairly high level always. Trappers and hunters often catch fur too early and as a consequence have blue pelts which are graded down. In the spring shedders and rubbed skins are secured which are sold as No. 2 or lower. With the "fur farmer," there will be no early caught blue skins or late caught spring and shedders. The animals will be killed when "prime," and will bring best prices.
Some reports from those that have experimented in a small way at raising fur animals is to the effect that they do not fur properly. This is true in regard skunk, when kept in a box or a small enclosure for weeks and fed largely on meat. The writer when a fur buyer has bought skunk that had been kept in a "pen" or small enclosure for weeks and in addition to being thinly furred, the hide was much thicker than it should have been.
Indians and professional hunters and trappers of the north say that they can notice a difference in the fur of foxes, lynx, marten, etc., when the food supply is abundant. The fur is thicker and has a healthier, silkier and glossier appearance. The secret, no doubt, is to give the animals plenty of room and feed should be varied. Here is where the person who knows thehabits of the animal or animals he is raising is valuable. When cattle, sheep and hogs are fed properly they take on fat readily and produce a healthy coat of hair or wool. The same applies to the fur bearing animals.
What animals offer the best inducement to raise? This is a question that each individual going into the business must largely decide. The place you have in view for the starting of the "farm" will have much to do with this. Is the location one best adapted to skunk, mink, coon, fox, muskrat or some other fur bearer? Again, your experience should be taken into consideration,—what fur bearers you are most familiar with. If you live near a large city which offers a market for coon and opossum carcasses, this should be considered as these animals are easy to raise and opossum especially are very prolific, producing from six to twelve at a litter. While the fur of coon and opossum will never be very valuable, yet, as both fur and carcass have a cash value, they will prove greater money makers than many believe. Muskrat are another animal that should not be overlooked as they increase rapidly and their flesh is now being sold in many of the larger cities.
Marten and silver fox should not be raised in the south, as these are animals that do best in the cold sections. Otter and mink are twoanimals that the sun fades the fur and as the darker the fur, the more valuable, it is important that as little sun as possible shines upon them. For this reason it is advisable to have the enclosure for these animals in the woods or thicket. In fact some trees should be in enclosures for all animals. If raising coon or opossum, they will be "at home" in the trees while other animals will enjoy the shade in the summer and will make use of the leaves in the dens for winter.
Enclosure in thick woods.Enclosure in thick woods.
There are some animals such as marten, fisher, wild cat, weasel, badger and wolves thatdo not seem promising to us to raise for various reasons. Marten do best in the high mountain sections; fisher and wild cat would be hard to keep in an inclosure; weasel and badger are not valuable and would both be difficult to keep in; wolves are not valuable for fur and would require considerable attention and food, hence, not desirable to raise. In most states there is a bounty on wolf and coyote scalps but the raising of them for the purpose of the bounty would not work—the bounty would not be paid if county officials knew from what source they came.
Among the animals promising the best for raising are the black, silver, cross and red fox, skunk, mink, coon, opossum and muskrat. The otter, beaver, bear and lynx under certain conditions may be well worth considering, especially lynx at present value.
Do you think present prices for furs will continue? Generally speaking, yes. In fact, some articles are liable to go higher. On the other hand some furs may go lower but are sure to sooner or later react. The chances are that raw furs will not soon sell at the low figures of past years.
Suppose thousands engaged in the business of raising fox, skunk, mink, coon, opossum andmuskrat, what effect would it have upon the market? Would they overstock it? How many hundreds of thousands of persons are today raising cotton and wool to furnish clothing to the millions of people and there has always been a market. The same will be the case with fur. In fact, unless thousands engage in the fur raising business, the demand is going to far exceed the supply at no distant day.
Furs in the north are a necessity as no cloth will repel the piercing winds. Teamsters and others much out of doors wear fur overcoats, caps and use fur laprobes. Farther south, say in the latitude of New York, Pittsburg, Denver, etc., while furs are not an absolute necessity, yet they are much worn for comfort. In all the cities of the north, furs are worn eight or nine months in the year; in the central sections perhaps six months; while in the south only a few months. In addition to this, American furs are worn in all civilized countries of the world.
The farmer or stock raiser, as a rule, who is making the most money, is the one who raises not horses, cattle, sheep or swine alone, but often two or more of them. The same can be applied to fur farming. Suppose an enclosure of a few acres is made for skunk, why not take in a pond and raise muskrat, coon, fish and frogs.There is a ready market in all cities for fresh fish and frogs.
The farmer that raises sheep not only sells the wool but fattens and sells some of the lambs, wethers or old ewes from time to time. The farmer is in the business to make the most out of it and such will be the case with the fur farmer. In the cities there is a demand for the carcasses of coon and opossum at prices ranging from 25 to 75 cents for coon and 10 to 50 cents for opossum, depending upon the size of the carcass, as well as the city in which you are marketing. In New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, there is a ready sale for all coon and opossum carcasses at good prices. Other cities that use large quantities are Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburg, Detroit, Chicago, and Milwaukee. There is no city of any size north of the Ohio River but offers a market. St. Louis, Louisville and other southern cities being near the coon and opossum producing sections does not offer so good a market. Muskrat are now served as "marsh rabbit" in Baltimore and other cities. The trapper realizing from 5 to 10 cents each.
With the exception of muskrat, fur bearing animals breed only once a year, unless the first litter are killed or die, when another is sometimesborn and it might be said, such is frequently the case. The number that the various animals produce at a litter is given in the chapter dealing with that animal.
It is not all that are successful bee raisers who have gone into that business, yet how few failures are there among men who began in a small way, learning more of the business and gradually increasing the number of hives in their apiary.
One thing is important and that is, get the animals accustomed to their keeper as soon as possible. The old will be wild for some time but the young soon become tame. Skunk and coon are easily tamed and even beaver, otter and mink have become so tame when secured young, that children have safely handled them.
A man who has been in the "fur farming" industry for years, in response to the inquiry, "Will the business pay," says: "Yes, it will pay the right man big dividends on the capital invested." The right man is one who has "natural aptitude" for this sort of work, and who is "cut out" for "fur farming." If he has an "inkling" for this sort of work, he will study the nature and requirements of the animals and attend carefully to their every want.
Fur farming as an industry is only in its infancy, in fact, not begun. The future looksbright to those who engage in the business in a business way. To those who expect to make a fortune at the business in a year or two, we predict failure, but to all who are willing to go at the industry, building a substantial enclosure, paying the same careful attention to the feed and care of their fur animals, that they would to other "stock," to get best results, far more than ordinary profits should result.
This is indeed, one of the important things in connection with "fur-farming." Some of the first experimenters in raising skunk and other fur animals, dug a trench from 2 to 3 feet deep, putting in rocks or boards edgewise to keep them from digging out, on top of which they constructed an upright fence of boards from 4 to 7 feet. On top of this fence was fastened a wide board to keep the animals from climbing out.
The enclosure should be an acre in extent and 2 to 5 would be better. The "ranch" should be located where the water will drain off quickly, so that the dens will be dry, making a good place to burrow. The ground should not be level, or at any rate, should have good drainage. Skunk and perhaps other animals are liable to disease, if kept in damp and crowded quarters, such as sore throat or similar diseases, which may cause death.