The Progress., 1892-07-02
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A PLEA FOR THE SKUNK.
Ey Right of Its Good Works This AMI
NAL Claims the Farmers Protection.

ry Right of Its Good Works This AMI
NAL Claims the Farmers Protection.
The skunk Is ii bad odor with the
world at Urge, and yet every farmers
boy knows tie commercial value Of its
soft fur: Il value of sufficient cOnsidera-
.ion to have created special and reinu- |
lucrative industry known as skunk |
farming" This industry consists in
breeding these little animals for their
pelts alone. But these furry pelts, az
cordir- to obseyv&ut farmers, are OF
small importance compared with the
rood work wrought on the farm by the
live animals. Here is what a Michigan
farmer had to say recently III The Rural
New Yorker OF the subject:
Were potatoes so badly grub eaten
twenty-five years ago as tLey are at the
present time: According to my memory
they were not. Neither was bounty
offered on woodchucks in those days
nor was there one rabbit where there are
ten now. In my opinion, II these were
rot killed of with shotguns, hounds and
terrets, they would in five years become
about as great Il pest III Michigan as they
are at present in Australia. Why: Be
cause their natural enemies are so few.
The skunk is nearly eXtermiuGted for his
fur. while there are literally no hawks,
owls, minks. weasels, etc. ! remember
counting twenty-five skunk tracks that
crossed the road one night after a light
tall of snow III going about half mile
10 school. The skunk enters the holes
Of chucks ana kills and eats the young.
and il his nocturnal wanderinGs finds
thenests If young rabbits, destroys them
and also any amount of bumblebee nests
for the honey.
The white grub is think the worst of
all pests at present, and is increasing IL
sandy and l0alny soils, and works on
nearly everything the farmer raises.
some wheat fields have been entirely
destroyed by the pests, but their worst
havoc is IL potatoes, cora and all kinds
Of roots, Strawberries, raspberries and
the grasses. Out OF 500 bushels of my
own potatoes last season at least one
third have been rendered unmarketab!e
on account Of the grubworms, and
and in 1890 five acres of corn We're de-
stroyed by their eating off the roots.
hundreds CT hills rot reaching height
Of eighteen inches. By digging into
these hills could get from one to half
dozen grubs to the hill. Besides, have
lost hundreds Of raspberry and black
berry plants by their eating the bark
from the roots. The damage done by
these pests every year amounts to mil
lions OF dollars in Michigan alone, and
it has long been known that the skunk
IS the most common enemy Of the nui-
sances by digging them out of tine
ground during its nocturnal wander
ings. Now are we to allow this little
animal-one Of the best of our friends
to become extermiaated Just because he
happens to have some soft fur that the
ladies want TO wear? Woodchucks are
terrible pests in all sandy or lilly por-
tions of the country. Even my hired
men and almost every boy know thai
the skunk ought to live for the good he
can 90 in the above ways, and that he
ought to be protected by the imposition
of a five or ten dollar fine for the killing
Of each one. The skunk goes into the
woodchuck hole or stays there through
the day, and goes forth in the night and
destroys insect life. He works all night
and is entirely harmless, except that h(
will sometimes get a chicken or two
from the shiftless farmer, but this losi
can be avoided.