Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-10-16
ALL ABOUT FURs.
WHERE THEY COME FROM,
THEIR COST AND VALUE.

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 America, but many of these AM
erican furs are imported from Leipzig,
Germany, for this market. How is that
you may ask. The answer is easy. Lon
don is the fur market Of the world. 1t
regulates the trade in all other cities.
These American furs that are to be dyed
are sent abroad, and 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, the seal,
the opossum, the sable, foxes, beaver,
raccoon, wolf, otter, mink. muskrat,
lynx, wildcat and skunk When the fur
is dyed the name is not changed. Some
are dyed in London and some in Paris,
but the greater part of the furs sold are
i subject to the dyeing process in Leipzig.
1t might be added that all the seal skins
are dyed in London.
A fur or skin that has 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 krimmers,
not very poetical name, but one that
has a 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, the
skin of the cony. Germany gives the
squirrel skin, the stone marten, and not
the least known fur is that of the British
hare. The traffic in the hare skins is very
large, but it is when the hare is 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, a species of fur that
is very seldom seen. Russia sends the
sable, the raccoon, the muskrat, a much
more odoriferous and smaller animal than
the homemade article, and the fox. Af-
RIGA 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
countryin their raw state and are dressed
and plucked in New York. The nutria
is fairly presentable fur, but is not
equal to the beaver of the North. It is
largely sold to clothiers, who use it in
cloaks and overcoats as trimming and
for collars and cuffs. When the nutria
is stitched to garment it is palmed of
on credulous public as genuine beaver.
To be sure it is heavier, but of cheaper
grade. It could not be used so exten-
, sively if it were not for the fact that il
is so cheap. 1t will cost about one-third
! as much as the sum asked for the beaver
of the North.
Every person of ordinary intelligence
knows that the buffalo, save a few that
are confined in Lincoln Park and some
! that are scattered about the country as
curiosities, is extinct. But the inequality
of the fur dealers is quite equal to the
emergency. The buffalo may come and
: 60, but these robes and heavy coats will
continue to be manufactured for the
comfort and convenience of the deal
public. What is one persons loss il
+ another's gain, and it is very cold win6
that does not blow someon some good
' Hence, when the sun of the buffalo sci
: forever that of the China dog and goa
rose with an encouraging effulgence
, These dogs and goats are an importan
3 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 formerl,
4 monopolized by the buffalo. 1t is
|. cheap fur, but serves the purpose yer.
{ we'll, and so long as the China dog AM
goat will stay with us, so long shall W
!, not complain of the absence of the mon
arch of the American plains.
The most expensive fur is the Russian
: sable. AS high as $3.50 is paid for
: single perfect skin. Russian sables cal
q be bought as low as $25 to $50 skin
b but they are not Of the best quality. The
are not much used in this country excep
d for trimmings on cloaks and overcoats
!. The next most expensive is the silve
Q fox. This animal comes from the Hud
: son Bay country in British North Amer
! lea. They will range in price from tn
- lowest, $55, to the highest, 1926, a ski
d according to quality. The sea-otter
valued from 800 to 5000, but even a
q these figures it is not so expensive as th
/. Russian sable, because the sea-otter
Ie about ten times larger than the sable.
the sable were equal in size to the otte
70 Russian sable skin would cost full
$1,000. These are the highest-price
u furs.
= Seal skins are not SO expensive. FroI
4 $25 to $50 is fair average price for
tirst-class seal. These are the Alask
product. Japan furnishes an inferie
d seal, the fur Of which is largely used fc
- trimming and the skin is valued froi
SIS to $25 each. Beavers are worth frol
[e 81 to $12 each and the American ottt
A. from $S to SIS. Mink used to be yer
ID expensive fur. But the mink has bee
"a superseded by SO many other fine fui
that mink has taken decided tumble
y Western mink skins are priced at So cen
to 81. so, and the minks from Maine an
New York bring as much as "a and SO.
IN A fashionable fur is what is known }
,y the American marten. 1t is ricl
glossy brown. and would add new lust