Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-11-07
RABBIT SKINS FOR MARKET.
Long cared PeIts Imported from Aus
traIiA and New Zealand.

Long cared Peits Imported from Aus
traIiA and New Zealand.
Here is a set Of sables hit for a prin
cess. " said the dealer; fifteen dollars
seems cheap for them. does IL mott
That is because they are really made
of rabbit skins from Australia The
fact is that there is hardly any fur in
the market at present that is not imi
tated closely by the skillful preparation
of these same long cared pelts New
Zealand also exports them TO the mum
Der OF 10. 900. 900 yearly. Their pro
duction is one Of the most important
aud profitable industries of that colony
Most of them are shipped TO Euro
pean cities, where they 20 through the
necessary processes of manufacture be
fore being disposed of to the retail mer-
chants. The art of coloring rabbit hair
has attained such a high degree OF per
lection that it can be. made TO counte
felt seal. otter, ernIine or almost any
other sort of fashionable fur. The
skins are largely made into felt hats,
which are very Jeautifu! and soft TO
the touch. When the fur is long 1t Is
sometimes cut il two and the finer or
inner portions are mixed with WOOL
Various machi es have been invented
for construct : hats Of rabbit pelts
some of which distribute the hair with
marvellous rapidity and evenness on re
volving meta one
The rabbits are skinned Immediately
upon being killed, the heads. feet and
all the fat being removed II the
weather is fine the pelts are dried in the
omen air, but in bad weather they are
hung up under sheds. When thoroughly
dried they are turned outside In to pro
tect the fur from injury, and then they
are tied In bundles of a dozen 10 twenty
each and packed in bales. each OF which
contains from 5000 TO $500 skins. a
little carboIic acid powder is used II
the packing to preserve them from at
tack by insects. In this crude stat
they are worth from fifty TO eighty cent
a dozen. according to quality
The history Of the rabbits introduc
ion into Australia and New Zealand
affords an illustration Of the daIuag
man may do by interfering with tn
distribution of animals which natur
has chosen TO make In the world
When Captain Cook. the celebrate,
navigator. first visited those countrie
be found a fauna entirely ditIereu
from that Of any other part OF IN
world. In Australia gigantic marsu
pials. ike the kangaroo. were chieti
conspicuous. while in New Zealand tn
only land mammals were two varietle
OF the rat and one Of the common bal
Since then 'acclimatization societie
have done their best to introduce ther
all sorts of creatures on four legs an
v legs that could be brought troI
elsewhere. In many instances these e
forts resulted most unfortunately
Several years ago some dozen pairs {
common gray rabbits were ilnporte
for the purpose Of supplying sportsme
with an object for the chase. The O
casion Of this interesting experimer
was made one of rejoicing, and I'll
beasts were let loose with speeches an
banuuets to welcome them The
multiplied 70 fast that the people d
not have to wait long for all the spo
of that kind they could desire.
In fact. they 500 Overrun Il
country in such numbers that it b
came a question whether they or Il
colonists should occupy the land Gre
areas we're entirely denuded Of veg
tation by them, so that the sheep di'
by millions and the raising Of crops :
came almost an iI~npossibIity Was
ington Star.