The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-10-20
Cur @lio.
FURs OF ALL KINDS.

FURS OF ALL KINDS.
The Strange Animals Valued by the Trade-Mon-
keys, Cats, Rats and skunks-The American Fur
seal-The Silver Fox and the Royal Ermine.
From the Philadelphia Times.
''There is hardly an animal that has fur
or feathers, said large importer and ex-
porter of furs, "but is utilized in some way
as an adjunct to the fur business. People
little think when they wear their comfort
able wraps and sacques what labor and often
suffering is entailed in its makeup. Many
of the animals have to be captured in the
dead of winter, when the fur is in good
condition, and nearly all furs are made up
and worked on in the warmest weather, so
the workers are subject to both extremes.
One years trade is about the same as an
other, except that rare furs yearly become
scarcer, and consequently prices rise in
proportion, but unless there is some great
| depression in the money market, sales aver
age about the same. The retailers, of
course, govern it to more or less extent, as
they create the styles, and seal-skin coat
that was in fashion last year you will find
out of fashion this. Wealthy people of
course buy new garments yearly, not only on
account of the old style, but they get tired
of the same thing; and then costly furs are
so striking that they are recognized year
after year So you see that after all the
people that buy the most expensive and
costly furs change the oftenest. But we
make the most money out of the cheap
grades, however, and it would astonish you
to see some of the animals we use, and, y
continued the wholesaler with laugh, sit
would astonish the wearers still more [
know sporting man that bought coat,
the ornamental skin of which came from
Maine. He wanted something striking and
cheap, and what do you suppose he got ?
Give it up? Well, he calls and thinks it
Australian mink, but it is good, honest
American skunk good fur, too, and sells
well, only the name would kill it if we re-
tained it. Over three hundred and fifty
thousand skunk skins are handled by the
trade every year. New York and Ohio
furnish the majority. They bring from
the trapper fifty cents to a dollar. They
are deodorized by new and satisfactory
process, and are very popular under fancy
names.
WHAT FURS ARE.
"What we call fur in the trade, said the
expert, taking up a skin, sis this. You see,
by spreading open the hair of this seal there
are two kinds of hair; one, the fur that is
short and lies closely to the skin, and an
other the overhair, that is long, and what
wesee at first glance of the animal The
difference between the two is very great,
the fur being soft, downy, silky and some
times curly, while the overhair is coarse
and rigid. Each has peculiar value for
many purposes, but particularly in felting;
the fine, upon treatment to hot water, read
lily joins in a solid mass, while the long
hair can be woven and spun. When the
animal is alive the uses of the two hairs are
seen. The fine underhair keeps out water
and cold, while the overhair prevents felt
ing and entangling. In some cases one is
extremely valuable alone, and in others the
combination is equally so.
"In former times" continued the dealer,
"the fur trade was controlled by vast mo-
nopolies, but now is in the hands of private
individuals. One of the largest companies
is the Alaska Company, formed about fif-
teen years ago. They have certain privi-
leges, and only one hundred thousand ami
mails are allowed to be taken year. They
also pay certain amount to the govern
ment for all the seals taken at the Pribylov
Island, but beyond this and few restric-
tions in Russia the trade is open to all un
der the given restrictions. The old Hud
son Bay Company, at least in name, is still
in existence, but has its principal Office in
London, where, in the months of January
September and March of each year, all
their skins are sold at public auction.
''The raw skin of an American fur seal,
salted, is worth about S18, perhaps more or
less. The largest are about three by six
feet. But the very best fur comes from the
Antarctic waters, the Shetland Islands prin-
cipally. The fur is remarkably fine and
light and they are worth $40 or $50 askin
in first hands.
0New York gets the bulk of American
skins, and from there they are shipped to
London, Leipsic and various cities. At the
latter city they have spring and autumn
fairs, like our state fairs, where skins are
bought and sold in great numbers At the
great fairs of NDni-Novgorod, Kasan and
Irbit, in the Ural Mountains, there are great
fur sales while the same is true of Kiachla,
in Siberia. The great centres all have their
peculiarities. Thus staple furs, or those
made into hats, ETC., mainly from the rabbit,
come from Russia, France and Germany
but the great fur trade centre of the world
is London. All the world-North and
South America, Asia, Africa-send their
goods there. These skins are all shipped
dried, the meat and fat having been care
fully removed The fur seal pelt, however,
is shipped in salt After f1rs are made up
the clippings are all sent to certain places
and made into hats, etc., of various kinds.
Nothing is lost.
''In our country the sea bear of the north
ern country is, of course, the most valuable,
aud so many are caught that they are rap.
idly disappearing, though | believe laws
have been formed to protect them to some
extent. Here is a table that shows, accord
ing to Elliott, the number of sea bears
taken in thirteen years, but since 1862 over
half million of the animals have been
killed on Behring Island alone These all
relate to the same locality" Here are the
figures
1s67.27, 500 1s72......-29,31s 1s77......21,5 ,532
1s6s......12OOO 1s79.........3OSg6 1S7S..-.Sl $40
1862 900 1S74.........3l292 1S79.....42,752
iS7O. ...24OOO 1S75........36274 1SSO........4s5Oi
1871 l..... 1914 1S76.........269O0
"At Pribylov the catch has been still
larger, and it has been estimated that in
the last eighty years nearly four million
o,;rnnl, hara heen slanohtered for their