The record-union., 1894-12-08
MUFFS And BOAS.
4 New York Farmer Raising
Alaska Sable"
His Skunk Business Brings Him In
Thousands of Dollars Annually
How He Cares for His Pets and
and Makes Money On Them.


days ago as we stood on the platform of
the Erie Railway depot at Port Jervis,
New York. sEs
who is he?' inquired hastily, as I
looked to see if the shutter Of my ever
present camera was set and ready for
work. Then, without waiting for my
friends answer, / said: II must have
his picture, because a man who can Gre
ate such an odoriferous industry as skunk
breeding and make fortune out Of it
deserves to have his portrait chronicleu
in the records of history"
''Well," returned my friend, as he
pointed out a well-dressed elderly man
standing before stand of cheap trinkets
-suspenders, neckties. socks and hand
kerchiefs-a few steps away; "he is a
farmer. His name is Isl Rapelyea, and
he lives at the upper end of the Mongaup
Valley, in Sullivan County, several miles
from here"
wait for me and tell me the rest when
l RETURN" l said to my friend. Then,
drawing near with the ever-present black
box to where the skunk farmer stood
examining t1imsy suspenders, the shut
ter clicked and he was mine-or rather
his portrait was, he all unconscious Of the
TACT.
OGChOuluS 10 my lTlSuQ L aSh6u. OO
you know him? L want TO talk to him
about his skunk breeding"
"Of course L know him." said my
friend, and then he stepped up to the old
man and began inquiring about the IN
dustry. AS l neared the object OF my
curiosity my nostrils were greeted by a
pungent odor of such a superlative qua
hty and strength that it fairly made me
reel with faintness. In a few minutes
We learned much about skunk farming
from the old man, and got Just what we
desired, an Invitation to visit the place.
g Two Gays later we went to Mongaup,and
aiter.a drive of several miles over the hills
and through the woods came to Rapelyeas
place. lie greeted us and at once conducted
US to an old Dutch barn, which he said
was his skunk farm. 1t did not look so
much different from any other barn, but
we were assured that hundreds Of skunk
pelts had been produced from the breed
ing grounds within the shelter OF the old
building.
when I moved up here, way back in
the fltueS," said the old man, Il went into
the hop pole, lumber and shingle busi-
ness. l came UP here from Morris County,
New Jersey, and never had any idea Of
staying except to clear Oft the timber,
make shingles out of the hemlock stumps
and cut Oft the hop poles.
well, there were times that we
couldn't work at numbering, and in that
and running streams, as the tim mber hadn't
been cut of much yet. The woods were
full OF deer and the ponds full of mink
otter, and once in the while we would
come across a stray beavy colony. When
we had no numbering work we turned
our attention to hunting and trapping.
For years we trapped mink, otter, musk
rat and other animals, until one day when
L was down 30 Port the halter l used to
sell my pelts to asked me:
Amt you got any skunks up your
way?'
Why, yes; they amt good for moth
ing, are they?' L asked.
Sure be said; and then, the pelts
bring good price III New York and Phi
buy all you bring down.
Il had never thought them pole-cats
were good for anything, although we
were pestered to death with them and the
woods was full Of them. At first l didn't
know how TO take them, because when
they throw their scent it spoils the pelt--
that is, the handling OF it. Well, 1 soon
liked up some traps for them by filling a
barrel half full OF water and throwing
some rye chaf on top of the water Then
run spindle through the barrel head
and fixed the head so it would tip and
throw whoever got on it into the water
Then l baited the head with a dead
chicken, and on the first night caught
three skunks, all of which were drowned,
without breaking their musk bags.
This was a good nights work, so /
made several more traps and baited them
with the carcases OF the dead skunks.
Well, we went on catching skunks, me
and my wife, until the time come for
them 10 go into their holes, when we
found we had over eighty skunk pelts
dried and ready for market. We mad got
these without any very great expenditure
or extra energy on our part, and they
netted me over 500 which was a pile of
money in those days.
1.-THE next year, / believe It was 1854
was good skunk year. and 1 caught
over twice the number that l had the
first year. l increased my number of
traps and spread them out, but found
none turned out such results as those
around the barn, and then l came to the
conclusion that the critters had their
breeding place under the barn and that
there must be a whole community of
them there. Well, L went on catching
skunks until about ten years ago when
my entire catch only turned out about
twenty skunks. Then ! sent 20 my wife,
Wife, skunks are getting scarce, and
Pm afraid they will soon be gone.'
'''Bred 'em, ST. she said, and then ]
began TO conjure up some plan TO breed
skunks. / finally come to the conclu-
sion the way to do it was to let the colony
live in peace under the barn; but to make
practice of feeding them. Then knew
all the skunks for mile about would
soon find the thing ont and gather under
the old barn.
Il tried this and for two seasons didn't
kill a skunk. at the end Of the second
season you couldn't move about the barn
for danger of stepping on skunk. In
the morning when the sun came up there
would be dozens of the old ones come out
each with their kittens on the sunshiny
side OF the barn to sun themselves. Soon
they got to know me as the one who pro-
vided their food for them, and first would
follow me, and then the whole 'passer OF
them would answer my whistle. Now |
can pick them up and handle them and
they don't try either to bite me or to per-
fume me. l had Erenchman from New
York up here last summer and he showed
me how to take the musk bags from the
young ones, and now all the kittens as
soon as they get tame enough to handle
are relieved OF the glands which secrete
the offensive fluid which, for a better
name, / call musk. / don't dare try this
on some of the old ones, however, bur
they are as tame as cats, and as keep
them for breeders I don't bother with
theIn."
While we were talking to the old man
an old female skunk, accompanied by
two pretty little black and white kittens,
had come out of hole in the foundation
OF the barn and stood eyeing US askance
That's an old she ono that's been
breeding four years. She's tame as a
tabby," said Rapeiyea as he advanced to-
ward the odoriferousaniInal. The kittens
ran under the barn, but the old one
hoisted her bushy tail in the air aud ad-
vanced to meet the old man, rubbing her
self up against his legs like cat, while
la rpaphed down and Stroked her back