The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-04
KILGokE's BEAVER FARM.
He Ropes to Make Lot OF Money Cut
of the scarcity of sealskins.


of the scarcity of Sealskins.
From the ST. Louis Globe Democrat.
BAsCoM. GA, June 13.-"You have never
heard of Dick Kllgore's beaver farms That's
queer" The speaker was old MUD Catn
Williams, who had been fisherman In the
southeast Georgia streams for forty years
Dicks gong to make q pile OF money
this year" he continued, ION account Of this
country and England getting together aud
agreeing TO closed season in Boring sea.
You sac there will not be any sealskins for
market next season, and beaver skins, which
make splendid substitute, will be largely
used, and will bring about $40 askin in New
York.
Dick has about 200 beavers, young and
old, but there not more than twenty to ba
killed for their skins this year. It's a new
industry, an experiment with him. and he
don't want to kill apy except the surplus
males for the present. But suppose you go
out with me and see the FARM
A drive of ten miles through the swanps
along Briar creek and the Kilgore place,
or BeaverDam hollow, was reached,
"Now, here's the farm" said Williams,
pointing TO the creeS across which
every few yards were rough dams, and
above them, In the almost still water, were
mounds Of earth, rocks and sticks coming
out few feet above the surface OF the
water.
You know beavers don't show them
selves mnch in the day. They do their
work at night. Dick owns about ! 200
acres running up and down the creek He
has the land posted and keeps everybody
off, but it is not fenced. Fences would not
keep the beavers in, but there is no danger
of them going Off, for this is a natural home
TO them, and every beaver here knows old
Dick. He feeds them every night, and they
come when he calls, like hOgsn
Kigore has been farmer down here for
years, and beavers have been in the creek
for all time, but it was not until recently
that he began 10 protect and care for them
with view to making beaver raising a
regular business. 1t will be profitable bUsl-
ness for the scarcity of sealskius has in
creased the value of beaver skins. and they
will continue to increase year by year. A
few years ago beaver skins sold as low as
s. per skin, but they should now bring at
least $40 each.
Beaver skins sent to London and properly
dyed a seal brown are spleAdid limitations
Ut the seal. The seal fur, you know, is
naturally, gray. The reason send beaver
skins to London is because that Is the only
place in the world, it seems, that furs can
be properly dyed. However the fur Of the
beaver is naturally reddish brown, and is
beautiful fur.
The beaver ia queer little animal. When
full grown it Weighs from so to 80 pounds.
Its hind legs are lis principal propellers,
both When in and out of the water, The
hind feet are webbed, aud the front ones
have claws, which are about as convenient
60 tie beaver as a monkeys hands are to
him, They can carry stones and sticks
about in them with ease. In the water es-
pecially, beaver can carry quantity of
freight, for be swims with his hind feet and
carries his load in his mouth
just after dark Mr.. Klgoro went down
to the edge Of the stream to feed the
beavers.
II don't often feed them in the summer
be said, "for they get all they want along
the banks OF the stream. T1ey eat bark off
the trees, and at this season there is an
abundance of fresh, tender bark aud grasses
and roots. In the winter they lay up a
supply Of foed for themselves along the
banks and in their holes in the dams, which
they build Of roots and sticks and stones. I
feed them nearly all the time in winter.
when they flock together and unite in build
ing dams, bu: in summer they scatter
every fellow for himself-and [ only call
them up occasionally, just enough to keep
them tame. As they are scattered off for
miles around, but few will come to call
food"
But there were dozen rompinS about in
the stream then, and in few minutes quite
number had gathered. And them were
score or more of little fellows born only a
month ago. The females have from two to
six young each annually, and as a conse-
quence the families increase very rapidly.
mixture Of green food and a little grain
was thrown out on the ground TO the herd
Of little animals, and they scampered
around and picked it up like so many hogs
Some of them would gather up an ear Of
corn or a young cornstalk and dive OFF with
1t into the stream. They were tame, but.
like hogs, would scamper off if you tried to
catch one.
A beaver seems to be almost human In
intelligence. They actually gnaw down
young trees, drag them into q stream and
let them float down, swimming with them
10 the place they want to build d dam
Then they will drag stones, and roots, and
sticks, and grasses, and, indeed, everything
used TO dam a stream, until they have,
practically, as substantial dam as a man
could construct. They do this to make the
water above deep enough to sport in and
placid enough to build their homes of sticks
and mud 10, which are very warm and com
Portable in winter, and large enough for
family of eight or ten. The beavers
principal tool in building these homes is
his tail. The tail is scaly trowel-
shaped appendage, about ton iuohes long
and four or five iuches broad The beavers
main strength is In the tail. he can take
up soft mud on it, place IL against the sticks
aud stones used TO build bis home, and pat
II down with the bail as firmly aud as well
as man could do the work with trowel.
Besides its fur, which is the main revenue
from the beaver, 1t furnishes castoreuu, q
product used in medicines, aud its flesh is a
food that, when properly prepared, is ds-
hoious
While Mr.. Kilgore has never vet shipped
any large number of skins, by next year he
Will have somsthing like 200 or 800. AS it
costs practically nothing TO raise beavers