The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-01-29
Tie .i.unk.Skin Harry. st.

ui.G stIoiti.iS along the streets ol
ndiSnSGnln eths other day q yeus ~.
posssl, i 5 'h,sty, cobwebby window,
saw 4 piecs a cardboard four OF five
inches square, on which was written,
'sPure skunk oil and coon OIL" A
moth-c7ten, weather-beaten coon skin
hunk above the door which the reporter
entered, following his nose, which i'm.
mediately put itself on the defensive.
"What DO people buy skunk oil ivrP"
said the proprietor, in his answer re-.
peating the question. ."Why, they buy
it for rheumatism, and, I say, it never
fails to cure. The reporter desired. TO
see some pure skunk Oil, having heard
there were many worthless limitations
.abtoad, and was shown a. pint flask of
Lib liquid of the. color of hnssed oil.
lie applied his fingers to The cork, and
'his nose rose in appreh"n ion. The
tlu.d had no more and no worse odor
than hard oil, and the alarmed organ
came down again. "We sell to Ill sorts
Of people, white, black and yellow, the
! richest and the poorest the proprietor
continued. "Ghis oil we get from the
skin. that's IS much of the skunk IS /
get--and the yield is usually about four
| ounces to the skin. Sometimes we get
halt q pint, and sometimes, though eel.
ldOm, As much as pint to- pair.
There is not more than one skin IN a
thousand that II yield a pint of skunk
oil. The animal il thin in flesh in sum.
mer, but very fat in winter. Skunk
hides last year, the best, quality, were
worth from Sl.75 to 81 60 each. They
Cill not be worth much nlbre than h;dl
as much this year. I handled 20,00(
skunk skins last year, nearly all OF
which Were caught in Indiana. Tht
talimal abounds In Southern and Cen
trial " Indiana. - There are 4 few
in this county, not many. The
skins have been worth as much a
$3.50, but they'll never Sc,
that price again-not very soon, a
least.' ''IIow are the skins classed?'
''Wcll, first comes the A No. l s,a1
skunk, selling at sl.75 last winter. Thi,
skunk has r-shaped white spot o,
the top Of the he'd, aud no more whit,
about him. The next quality, 1925, w
: Ical the sshort stripe Yhis has whit
stripe running from the white jt:ta abn.
each side Of the head Down tie neck {,
the shoulder. The next is the marrow
stripe This has narrow white s,real
that runs along each side, Of the back
bone (Which ha, a black stripe) to tn
IDptTof the tail. This sort of ski
! brought 40 cents. The fourth grade ha
a broad white stripe on each side, tn
entire length of the body, three inche
Or more in width, and is worth only %.
!, slsahsre any sny dat. ger of the skun
y crops ins this State bsibg exhausted?
.t"'None At MI. 'a' 4 skdnx will'have fror
three to seven young at . liLter-usuall
about FIVE. I've been. g. fur buyer io
, forty-two years, and there are NOR
skunks in this State than ever there wa.
There Hia,prejydice againstthe ANNA
, which makes 1t necessary to sell the flu
, TO ladies who wear it, under several pre-
Xm a'i:s asss TahS $Sssatsh n, an
+ into mufs and trimmings, skunk-skir
8 are extensively used in making fine ca
s lIiage robes" Mr.. Lewark said thel
i hadn't been skunk in the house fl
J. months, the trade only continuing du
d ing the winter, but the mephitic odo
Q like scent of the, roses round the sha
e tered vase, chung lovingly about IL
n place during the entire year.