Morning journal and courier., 1880-12-18
Price Four Cents.
The skunk-skin Harvest.

How the Natives of the HoOsier state
 Make Money Ont of the Odorous Ani-
 mals.
 While strolling along the streets of Indi- annapolis the other day, Neaos reporter, in 8 dusty, cobwebby window, saw piece of cardboard, four or five inches square, on which was written, 'Pure skunk oil and 'coon skin hung above the door which the reporter entered, following his nose, which immediately put itself on the defense s'What do people buy skunk oil for?' said the proprietor, in his answer repeating the question. "Why, they buy it for rheuma tism, and, say, it never fails to cure' The reporter desired to see some pure skunk oil, having heard there were many worthless limitations abroad, and was shown a pint flask of an oily liquid of the color of linseed oil. He applied his finger to the cork, and his nose rose in apprehension. The fluid had no more and no worse odor than lard oil, and that alarmed organ came down again
 ''We sell to all sorts of people, white, black and yellow, the richest and the poorest, :" the proprietor continued. fThis oil we get from the skins-that's as much of the skunk as I get-and the yield is usually about four ounces to the skin Sometimes we get half a pint, and sometimes, though seldom, as much as pint to 0 pelt There's not more than one skin in thousand thatll yield pint of skunk oil. The animal is thin in flesh in summer, but very fat in winter Skunk hides last year, the best quality were worth from $1.75 to $2 each. They will not be worth much more than half SO much this year. I handled 10000 skunk skins last year, nearly all of which were caught in h. diana. The animal abounds in southern and central Indiana. There are a few in this county, not many. The skins have been worth as much as S35O but they'll never see that price again-not very soon, at least.'' How are the skins chased ?' "Well, first comes the No. l star skunk, selling at $1 75 last winter. This skunk has a star-shaped white spot on the top of the head, and no more white about him. The next quality, $1.25, we call the short strip This has a white stripe running from the white star along each side of the head down the neck to the shoulder. The next is the marrow stripe' This has narrow white streak that runs along each side of the back bone (which has a black stripe) to the root of the tail. This sort of skin brought 40 cents. The fourth grade has broad white stripe on each side, the entire length of the body, three inches or more in width, and is worth only 20 cents.''
 ''Is there any dauger of the skunk crop in this state becoming exhausted ?" 'sNone at all skunk will have from three to seven young at itter-usually about five. I've been a fur buyer for forty-two years, and there are more skunks in this state now than ever there were. There is prejudice against the animal which makes it necessary to sell the fur to ladies who wear it under several pretty aliases, among which are fitch and American sable.' Besides being made into muffs and trimmings, skunk skins are ex- tensively used in making fine carriage robes" MT. Lewark said there hadn't been skunk in the house for months, the trade only con- tinuing during the winter, but the mephitie odor, like scent of the roses round the shat tered vase, clung lovingly about the place during the entire year.