Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1890-11-01
ALL ABOUT FURS.
WHERE THEY CONE r1olr.
THIIR COST AND VALUE.
Many Animals Contribute Their
Pslts for Mans Comfort 4lb0
Paid for Single Russian sable
Skin.

FurS are the product OF the world,
They come from all the northern coun.
tries and are varied in kind. In the fur
business one meets with curious para
dox. Most furs are really the product Of
North Amcrisa =, but many OF these Am
erican furs are imported from Leipzig,
Germany, for this market. How is thst9
You may ask. The answer il easy. Lon
don is the fur market Of the world. It
regulates the trade in oil other cities.
These American furs that are to be dyed
are sent abroad, aud then the dye artist
does his work and they are imported for
the home traffic. Some furs are dyed in
London. but the great majority are thus
prepared In Leipzig. The principal furs
OF North America are the bear, tho zeal,
the opossum, the sable. foxes, beaver,
raccoon, volt, otter, mink. m,skrat.
lynx, wildcat and skunk. When the fur
10 dyed the name Is not changed. Some
are dyed in London and some in Paris,
but the greater part of the furs sold are
subject to the dyeing process IN Leipzig.
It might he added TIM. all tho seal skins
are dyed in London.
A fur or skin that haa lately sprung
into wide popularity Is the Persian lamb
and the Astrachan lamb. The Persian
lamb skin is white in its natural state
and is very easily soiled. But after the
Leipzig dyer has had It awhile it be.
comes q beautiful black and is sold in
large quantities. In their natural state
the Persian skins are called krimmors,
not very poetical name, but one that
has = very business-like sound to It.
They are not the genuine Persian lamb
until they have been dyed black. France
and Belgium furnish cheap fur, tho
skin Of the cony. Germany gives the
squirrel skin, the stone marten, aud not
the least known fur is that Of the British
hare. The traffic in the hare skins IL very
large, but it is when the hare IL dyed
that the public likes it the best No furs
other than these hares come from the
British islands. From Norway we get
the squirrel and fox, species Of fur that
is very seldom seen. Russia sends the
sable, the rsccoon, the muskrat, much
more odoriferous aud smaller animal than
the home made article, and the fox. AZ
rica and South America give us the
ever welcome monkey, which is dyed be-
fore it adorns the backs and shoulders OF
our American beauties. From south
America also We get species of beaver
which is called in the trade nutria.
Thousands Of these skins are sent to this
country in their raw state and are dressed
and plucked in New York. The nutria
is fairly prcscntablc fur, but Is not
equal to the beaver of the North. It is
largely sold to clothiers, who use it in
clOaks and overc0ats az trimming and
for collars and cuffs. When the nutria
Is stitched to q garment it is palmed OF
On credulous public as genuine beaver.
To be sure 1t 8 heaviss. bot of q cheaper
grade. Il could not hs usad G. snkaaS
sively ii Il were not for - sscs tkak n
Il - cheap, II Mn 0aat Ahest g. s,ssin1
Of the North.
Every person Of ordinary intelligence
knows that the buffalo, save few that
are confined in Lincoln Park and some
that are scattered about the country as
curiositics, is extinct But the inequality
OF the fur dealers is quite equal to the
emergency. The buffalo may come and
go, but these robes and heavy coats will
continue to be manufactured for the
comfort and convenience of the dear
public. What is one persons loss is
another's gain, and it is very cold wind
that does not blow some one some good.
Hence, when the sun of the buffalo set
forever that of the China dog and goat
rose with an encouraging effulgence.
These dogs and goats are an important
industry in China now. They have .
thick, coarse skin, in brown, black,
yellow and gray colors, which is manu-.
factured into the coat and robe formerly
monopolized by the buffalo. It is q
cheap fur, but serves the purpose very
well, and so long az the China dog and
goat will stay with us, so long shall we
not complain of the absence of the mon-
arch of the American plains.
The most expensive fur is the Russian
sable. As high a. $3.50 is paid for y
single perfect skin. Russian sables can
be bought as low as $25 to $50 q skin,
but they are not of the best quality. They
are not much used in this country except
for trimmings on cloaks and overcoats.
The next most expensive Il the silver
fox. This animal comes from the Hud.
son Bay country in British North Amer
lea. They will range in price from the
lowest, $55, to the highest, tis5, skin
according to quality. The sea-otter Is
valued from 800 to $500, but even at
these figures it il not 70 expensive A. the
Russian sable, because the sea-otter is
about ten times larger than the sable. II
the sable were equal In size to the otter
. Russian sable skin would cost fully
$1,000. These are the highest.priced
furs.
Seal skins are pot 90 expensive. From
4s5 to $50 Is fair average price for =
Hrst class seal. These are the Alaska
product. Japan furnishes an inferior
seal. the fur Of which is largely used for
trimming and the skin ID valued from
415 to $95 each. Beavers are worth from
81 to $12 each and the American otter
from Is to 416. Mink used to be very
lexpensive fur. But tho mink has been
superseded by SO many other 6ne furs
that mink has taken decided tumble.
Western mink skins are priced at 65 cents
| to 81. so, and the minks from Maine and
New York bring - much - "a and >6.
A fashionable fur 10 what ID known a.
the American marten. II il . rich,
glossy brown, and would add new lustre
to any fine costume that might be donned
lby pretty woman. The ladies fairly
Idote on it and think that for richness and
elegant effects it cannot be equaled BY
any fur in the market. Truly, It, i q
pretty coat - Dame Nature ever fur
nished to fou legged animal. But thu
lovely marten fur Is nothing moro nor lesa
than the outside covering Of the malod.
orous, ubiquitous American skunk.
! Nevertheless, . skunk by any other name
will smell ~ sweet, and, although thl
American msrtsn i really ths A mssioau
skunk, 1t ID = fur that d generally I'd.
mired. These skunk skins are worth
| from ol.60 TO >5 each. They aTe made
into capes and muiIs and are largely used