The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-10
HOW DRUGGISTS OBTAIN MUSK.
Swimming Rodent Of the Jersey Mead
ows the Main Source of Supply.
from the Nor Vorb S,,,

From the NeD York Sun.
"As TO musk, now" said the young man
in search of information, ''I dare say that
the race Of fragile but aromatic little deer
from which musk is obtained must be nearly
extinct by this time, is it notg"
"Wel," replied the frank druggist, mot
the fragile and aromatic little deer that
furnishes the musk sell That fragile and
aromatic little deer isn't any nearer extinc~
ton now than when he first began to dive
and burrow, and that was way back In the
pristine years"
why" exclaimed the young man in
search of information, THE animals that sup
plies the musk Of commerce lives among the
palm clad..hills of Central Asia, where pict-
uresque native hunters follow its tiny track
risking their lives and undergoing greet toll
and hardship to secure the almost infinitesi-
NAL sac which envelops the precious per-
fume, and by painful journeys of miles and
miles bearing it to the marts of trade,
where 1t is sold for many times its weight
in gold. Everybody knows that"
yves >" replied the druggist, 1--WE heard
OF that. But the way l find the facts is
different. The animal that supplies the
musk of commerce around these parts lives
largely in thosa luXuriRnt realms of bog
ana malaria known as the Jersey marshes
where the following Of its trail is attended
with no risk to life, no toll, no hardship,
that l ever heard of. never knew ID to be
attended with much of anything but a jug
Of rum and a long-handled spear. The
hunters are picturesque, though. An old
fur cap, a large chew Of tobacco oozIng
over unprotesting red chin whiskers,
and a pair of gum boots filled with the
legs OF hickory overalls, and long, lank
Jerseymsn-that ought to pass for pictur-
esque, hadn't it, But none of these hunters
ever said anything to me about an inhni-
tesimal sac enveloping precious perfume,
nor ever complained about having to
Journey many painful miles and miles to
reach the mart5 Of trade, nor have any
recollection Of their demanding many times
its weight in gold for the precious perfume
Not any hunters that ever dealt with.
They just jumped aboard a ferryboat,
landed on this side, and hoofed it up here,
and, chucking on the counter what they
had to sell. said:
"'There We be, cap'n Didn't hev much
luck yisterd'y, an only sleshed the pods out
O. ten. They're good uns though. OF to
be wuth 10 cents pair, cap'n.'
Eyes. Those picturesque hunters who
risk their lives on the trail OF the musk deer
in Central Asia mountains can do better by
packing their grips and coming over here
and chasing the willy muskrat on the Jersey
marshes They might have to wear more
clothes, but they'd get more musk,
and find market right under
their noses. Yes, my son. The effete
orient is no place for the musk hunter
nowadays. The robust occident beckons
him, and he had better come. He needn't
fetch his spear with him. He can get one
here for so cents"
"But, insisted the seeker after informa-
ton, surely somebody sells the genuine
oriental musk yet"
Yes; o, yes" replied the frank druggist.
There's a good deal of it sold yet. But it's
all nonsense. What's the use2 A drop of
Jersey musk will reach just as far and last
JUST as long as drop of the most aristo-
cratic article that ever came from Asia. A
lady carrying drop of the imported musk
to church with her will not make the COM
gregation bit sickeT than if she had in
situated some Of the homegrown stuff into
her garments Neither will tho nigh
collared youth who sits down next to her at
the tbeater, exhaling "reminiscences OF an
Asiatio musk deer hunt, arouse within you
any greater impulse to swoop down upon
him ike an army with banners and dust the
floor with him than will the same young man
il he as simply exhellng pervading sus-
picion that there is a muskrat hole hard by.
Then | say, what's the uses There amt
any. No one can tell the difference, and l
keep the home article. Some Of the finest
and most Q6lcab9 COlORnes sell TO -uay get
their pungency from the aromatic secretion
Of she muskrat of the Jersey marshes.
mention myself but if / should place 100
New York druggists 10 a bunch and let you
chunk a stone at the bunch you couldn't hit
a man Ia it who doesn't have just as init
mate relations with the Jersey muskrat as
I have"
"Then," said the information seeker,
1.-THE Jerseynen who hunt the muskrat
must make a nice thing out OF it."
GAS far as it goes, yesn replied the drug
gist. But as ten or a.dozen pair Of muskrat
PODS will make enough extract 20 last
year in any drug store with fair trade in
perfumes, there might be more money in it
for the hunters than there is. But then,
Won see. the musk pod isn't all there is 60
the muskrat He is an animal of great
resources. the muskrat is. For instance,
he furnishes the material from which
many thousands of sealskin caps, gloves,
muffs. and trimmings are made, and ne is,
10 a large extent. the rabbit stew Of the
cheap restaurants. SO you can readily see
that neither the musk deer, the seal, nor the
rabbit will be extinct SO long as the great
American muskrat lives, breathes, and has
his being"
Penelope-Our minister is awfully slow
performing the marriage ceremony. Van
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