Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-05-11
UNIQUE INDUSTRY.
A Man Who Rears Skunks and Makes
1t Pay.

1t Pay.
Probably as unique an industry as ex
lists anywhere is that conducted by B. r
Burlington and consists of rearing skunks
The skunk is of the cat family but tn
different varieties have never yet beeI
classified and distinctly described by
natural historians. 1t is not-as manI
suppose-identica with the pOlecat, al
| the latter is much more like a weasel il
size and habits and is not to be found il
this locality. The skunk is larger thai
the ordinary cat, and is much more
beautiful animal, its hair being long anC
silky, and its long curling tail giving il
an appearance of jauntiness and rich
ness. 1t cannot run fast, but is great
jumper and exceedingly active. Its home
is underground, though it rarely burrows
using abandoned coal banks, or holes dug
out by its more industrious contempora
ries, and from which it drives them by
simply taking charge itself.
Mr.. Burlington has nearly three dozen
them, and several of his prettiest bear
evidence of the steel trap in having but
three legs. Some of them he has brought
up from kittens, and this years increase
there being some twenty five females
in the collectiou-will number at least
one hundred. The skunks are kept in an
earth covered kennel, which in anticipa-
tion of the expected increase, is being
made into large, strongly boarded
stock ade. The animals are remarkably
tame and docile. They submit to pet
ting and like to be stroked with the
hand, as well as any house cat. They are
fed on milk, bread or mush, and are fond
of all sorts of meat, not disdaining even
the remains of their defunct relatives.
Most of the collection are shining black,
only one or two show heart-shaped spots
of white on the shoulders. The object
of course, is to breed out all the white
haired individuals, as the black furs are
more valuable. None of that savory
smell, supposed to be inseparable from
the skunk, hung over the plantation on
the occasion of a recent visit, and the
kennel was no more odoriferOus than a
like assembly of dogs.
The owner puts his animals TO various
uses, and finds the industry remunera-
tive. A good black fur brings S1.25, a
number two. or partly white fur from SO
70 cents. The fat of the beasts carcass
and they are as a rule rolling in fat
is rendered into oil, and retails at high
figure. By process known ONLY to him
self, Mr.. Burlington makes this oil per
fectly limpid and odorless, and claims for
it high medicinal virtue in the cure of
rheumatism, and in making hair grow
on bald heads. He has made profitable
thing, too, out of the sale of the animals
for house pets. For this purpose no bet
ter animal could be found, as they are
beautiful and intelligent easily tanned ARE
perfect ratters and mousers, and do not
like the ordinary TOm-interrupt ones
slumbers with horrible nocturnal noises.
Mr.. Burlington has demonstrated to his
entire satisfaction that the business can
be made to pay, and he now intends 60
ing into it on much larger scale. He
is also experimenting with foxes, and
hopes to be able to succeed in raising
these also, though there is much more
difficulty in domesticating the sly Rey-
nard.