The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-09
EIv1wesroN coUSrY,s sKUxk CROP.
Rsu-steS ~ e,oOe PeIt.-Hovv ths FrisHy
sna Oaorifsrous Littie Resst Is CSusht.

Esss@sted ~ s,0Oe PeIts-Hovv the Frishy
enc Osorifsrous Little Rssst Ts Cpuaht.
Avon, N. Y. April til the district around
about Avon IL any indication. the past winters
skunk crop In Livingston county IL the largest
one ever gathered. and Livingston county
never has small skunk crop, at that Avon
has m erchant who makes a speciality Of buy
ing skunk skins. and when the season closed
about the middle Of this month no had pur-
chased from the skunk harvesters 2.732 pelts
Of that odoriferous little beast There are
halt dozen other places In the county that
are skunk-skin buying centres and their
tributary districts have always yielded large
crops The Avon dealer estimates that IL
those districts have done rs well In proper
ton as the Avon fields have. the total
skunk-skin crop OF the county this season will
not fail short Of 5000 pelts. As these pelts
will average In valus 30 cents apiece. the
gatherers OF the crop make q very comfortable
thing out OF the work, for the most Of It Is done
By comparatively few professional harvest
ers the blood OF the average citizen not being
sufficiently sporting to prompt him to follow
the trail OF game so amply qualified to make
its presence known as the skunk is.
This was the best season we ever had in
Livingston county" said an old Avon skunk
harvester. because we weren't bothered much
by snow. When deep snow covers the ground
the skunk LAYS low in his burrow and we can't
get at him. The animal wants bare ground to
do his foraging on. He hunts worms and
Larvae. and when a few OF them get to
work they will root up acres OF ground In
q single night. and lot Of pigs couldn't
do It any better. good place to
look for 'em is in old graveyards. They will
travel q good ways - root mp graveyard. I
don't know why II is. but I suppose the food
they are after must be. for some reason, more
abundant in such spookish places The cellars
OF deserted or tumble down houses are also
favorite resorts for the skunk. and they have
great fun hopping and skipping about in the
shadows Of stone walls around pasture lots.
have seen at such places as many as dozen
skunks on moonlight nights. playing among
themselves like so many romping dogs
They seem to have regular hours for this
pastime OF theirs. but they never seem
TO waste more than ten or fifteen minutes at It
Then they scatter in all directions and 60 to
skirmishinR for food. At such times It is we'll
to keep your eye on your chicken COOP. II you
have one for the skunk's playful exercise
seems to give him an appetite for poultry. and
he will make the rounds Of the poultry yards
before morning. Like all weasels-for the
skunk belongs to that stealthy tribs-he doesn't
care SO much for the flesh Of the chicken
as he does for its blood. II he gets
inside OF a we'll filed hen house he will
and %o ssst au af he sSSS soS s'
d'Ris IN 81 80 Df full Of Chicken blood
BE dsDrsdation. Sns abe. Bodied S and SiOoS-
thirsty skunk viii think nothing Of killing q
~ II You are setting traps for skunks place
them In old cellars or along the pasture lot |
saae bss
The fa!l should be heavy nat stone. so that
most oi my pelts through the influence Of the
deadfell trap, but l also collect q great many |
he spsrt thsr. Is II. ~. Hunted 0 al Sorts rf
of small game. but never got as much sport |
e sEyns want ss ST. nsS
and a convenient graveyard. Nine O'clock 10
ns ps 70 q oS sae srbs on
feet t long; Il skI h are out forsging you VIII
Sss g TO na To-
You wi zee A. Sas 3 Itss chaD 5oc,lSs
on him as quiet as the shadows 81 the grave.
stones Il you are expert Per you win get within
1oa always approach il from Behind. hut
all toward you. Stand stili and stamp your
% % sss the 70 the
% win do next or you win be more than likely
:urns his head toward you, spoil i with
ypur club. It doesn't require much Of q
Il 10 quite important that you shouldn't miss
he skunk or fail to give fatal blow. II you
10. you will make an instantaneous and in
glorious retreat from the field, and your folks
will know you are coming before you get
within hundred yards OF home. took 1la
season and never changed the odor OF the air
% the slightest degree.
But the pelt 10 not the only return the |
'kunk harvest gives US for our work. There
sn.t better thing for rheumatism. Group.
md asthma than the oil we try out OF skunk
at. l soil q good many dollars worth of II |
,very year. and IL is always In demand"
Sssides she ..Sa sEp1 ,s the AvSn district
81 foxes, and 4l0 coons. and the whole lot OF
,elts was sold to New York fur buyer by
Henry Gedney last week for $4,000.