Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1882-11-23

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OF more or less Importance. having a
decided economic value The best
cross fox-skins bring $40 piece. and
10000 are trapped and shot yearly.
Blue fox-skins from Archangel. on the
White Sea and Greenland. are worth
$40. over 1000 being caught yearly.
Other varieties bring from fifty cents TO
five dollars, and of the red fox over
three hundred thousand skins are year
" taken. the figures in the different
eases telling the story of the value of
the fur-trade and giving some idea of
the amount of WORK, labor and exposure
il involves.
There are very few animals whose
fur is not used in some way-that OF
muskra. (and over 5000. 900 and some
times 5000. 900 are taken every year,
is used IN the manufacture of hats. The
New York muskrats are worth seventy
five cents, while Delaware and
Maryland produce an animal worth
twice as much. The innocent musk
rat is often utilized by dealers as
seal, and when dyed so passed upon
the public. Many lady who boasts
of her gloss black marten set, or
exquisite of his marten-trimmed coat.
little suspects that the rich fur has
perhaps once mounted the hen-roost OF
country-cousn worn BY the malodor-
Gus skunk. This fur, which isextreme-
ly beautiful. is well on the market, and
it is unnecessary to state, not sold to ad-
vantage under its proper title, but
passes muster under the above
pseudonym. They are used for collars.
mutfs, ETC., and somewhat of an idea
can be obtained of the popularity of the
black marten from the fact that over
$50. 600 year are used, and still it is
not safe to crawl under strange barn.
Ohio produces the most black martens,
as well as Presidents; the former and
the animals raised on Orange County
hens bringing 81. so apiece.
Cheap grades of furs are made from
the Siberian squirrel, muskrats, rabbits.
wildcats, badger, coon, and even the
common domestic cat. of which 1,OOO,-
COO and over are killed yearly; yet the
attentive observer about New York is
often reminded and forced to observe
that the supply exceeds the demand.
Other animals used in trimming, etc,
are lions. tigers and bears. Of the for
mer 500 are consumed by the trade ev-
cry year; while 10000 bears, 800 tigers.
100. 900 buffalo, 100, 900 chinchillas. and
5000, 900 squirrels have been and are
used yearly in various branches of
trade. Beavers TO the number of 20, 900
are yearly sacrificed and used in various
ways. and in fifty years 1t is safe to say
tbot tho ap;p,al- will have ha.np,a ay-
tinct. Fifty wears ago they were COM
mon in Maine. Now they are. if not
entirely gone, so rare that it does not
pay to hunt them. In all. over half
million foxes are caught yearly. and it
would seem that they will follow the
same fate. At Tristan d'Achuna the
islanders (English) kill every seal or
sea-elephant that can be found. One
vessel stopping at Nightingale Island
killed 1,500 seals in a few days, and
were chagrined upon returning the en-
suing year to find them gone.
Besides the aforementioned furs, the
common rat is n contributor to our
comfort in more ways than one, while
one of the most elegant furs is that of
the mole, which would also possess the
advantage of being so expensive that
few wear them. Tiger-skin vests are
worn by some. and bring. where the
skin is not ox-hide painted, one hun
dred dollars. White bear-skin is equal
ly valuable. The trapper must be some
what familiar with the taxidermist's
art to carry on his trade successfully.
The process Of preparing skins, how
ever, is simple, and when received by