The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-27
JERSEYS BANNER SIX USK co UNITY.
It Has It's skunk Lore and a Farmer Who
Has Raised Skunks for Forty Years.


II Has 1t. skunk Lore and a Farmer Who
Has Raised Skunks for Forty Years.
ALLowAY. n. j., Dec. 26.-Ailoway township.
Salem county. is celebrated for its skunks. 1t
has the honor of being tho banner skunk town
ship of New Jersey, and n good many curious
and interesting experiences with the bushy-
tailed despoiler of hen roosts are related by the
residents of that corner of the State. Elias
Hnlbrook of Swings Corners had trouble with
n dozen or so of tho creatures a short time ago.
He tells the story in his own Language thus.
I'D been over to job Thompson's to play fer
a dance that Jobs girl, Lucy, was giving to
some OF her chums. Cider was going round all
the evening ut n purity lively rate, and l got all
I could hold conveniently. Twas about three
months old. and getting ruther hard, so't a
fellow couldn't drink more'n' a jug full without
feeling it more or less.
Along bout midnight l began to get kinder
log. Couldn't seem to touch the tunes up on
the old fiddle to suit everybody. There was
more or less remarks made about the way I was
playing. till finally I got tired on t. and. stop
ping short off in the middle of a quadrille.
wrapped the fiddle up and started for home,
not saying 'Good-by, hope you don't care or
nothing.
Twas a purity sharp night. and. sticking the
fiddle under my overcoat, | started across lots.
l could cut Off about a mile by going that way.
Tho path was through Beck's holler. which Is
one OF tho best skunk hunting grounds in the
township. But ] wasn't hunting skunks, and
didn't think about running across any OF 'em.
When l got about half way through the hollow
l smell s6unks, and all Of q sudden l came
across n couple fUoling round in the path square
ahead OF me-. WASN'T feeling very good-natured,
and picking up q stone ! let it drive Mt 'em.
Twas a good shot. and one of the skunks was
knocked heels over head.
Il presume he thought the other skunk had
knocked him down and 1t made him madder'n
a black bull with n red shirt ahead of him. He
got up. and the way he sailed into the other
skunk was a caution. Twas a rough and tum-
hle fight, and in less than four minutes there
was a dozen or more of the creatures mixed up
in II.
II thought I'd take a hand in 1t myself. and,
picking up n stone. let 1t drive plumb into the
middle OF the pack. That broke up the fight.
Every burned skunk in the lot sot his eyes on me.
and, with his tnil up in the air. came toward me
on the jump. When you see n skunk making for
you with his tail up you want to make yourself
scarce, and it don't do any good to run.
for n skunk can beat YOU every time.
The only thing to do is to climb a tree.
II there's ono around handy, and that's
exactly what l did. There was a young
chestnut by the path, and | went up 1t as
fast as ever | Skinned up n tree in my life. The
skunks cam down and went into camp right
under me, waiting, I suppose, till undertook
to come down. | could see 'em plain enough,
and for n while ! amused myself by cutting off
pieces of the lin bs and throwing them at the
pack. But they had no notion OF Koin' away.
They were calculating TO get even with me.
at got over being funny purity soon. l shifted
In the tree. butt couldn't get comfortably fixed.
np1 ,,voo N +tJpp coii.r cynrr rpIputa Jpst to
make 1t Il little more interesting for me. the
skunksw would get mp once In n while and walk
around, waving their tails In tho air. and then l
had to hold my nose and the limb all at once.
All tho time | was getting sleepier and sitter
In tae legs. l couldn't think out any plan to
get away without getting mixed up with the
skunks. which was sumpthin' that I didn't
want to do. for I had my best clothes on.
I'D heard tell about ANIMALS being charmed
BY the music of the fiddle. and ! thought I'd try
j., So got out the old fiddle and tuned her up.
Whsn Ia got 'er II shape ! struck up a purity
their tails more'n they did before. l couldn't
fddling and cudEelled my brain for some plan
to fool them. Finally struck it. took the
pocket and | tied 'em together. Then | cut a
stick about two foot and Il half long and tied
| pulled Off my overcoat and, sticking the stick
in the arms just as we do when we make n scare
crow. %buttoned it mp and crspt out toward the
end of n low limb and lowered the coat down ms
far as 'twould go; Then tied the other end OF
the string to the limb.
y soon ns the skunks saw the coat coming
down they got under 1t and swished around like
us if they were crazy. 'Twasn't any place for
fast ms / could and, sliding down tho tree.
skipped for home. | lost the cont. but l was
S TtiItns to f E,se oy vt TP to S gs1 sT Sn tE E!f Iim my y S WesE
and nobody seemed to want to take 1t away. 30
went over one day with some kerosene oil and
burnt 1t up"
Not long agon skunk held the entire popula-
ton Of Birch Plain, at bay for nearly a half a
thing ike thirty persons. Jared Donlres keeps
tho store. and It was the store that fell into tho
to open tho establishment for business one
morning he found standing on a pile OF calico
that lnv on the counter a large skunk. That re-
twitch. Without protestation Donires vacated
the premises ort ana d6 ,o,d his nSlghh h,rt rov,or
Not much" replied Donires. II don't want
my stock ruined"
Then the population got on the fence across
the road from the building, and with eyes on
the open door beat its brains for Il scheme that
would bring the skunk outside or that would
damage to the stock. Three or four men car
RED guns, but these could not be used To advan-
tage unless tho skunk should take a notion to
como outside.
The problem was solved by Ezra Tinker. He
killed one of Donire's chickens and threw the
body on the step in front of tho store door. The
chunk scented the warm blood and sneaked out
t!us 70 get u tasie, ~ was haraiy OUTSIDE OF the
and 1t was stretched out without having an OPP
portunity to use its natural means OF defence.
There is a man In Alloway township who
handles skunks as freely as he would rabbits,
He is Jonas Zane. He has what he calls a
skunk nursery. about a mile and a half from
Hancock's Bridge. He raises skunks for the
market with as much zeal as a farmer raises
calves. The polts sell for 81 to $3.50 each, and
the grease has a nigh market value.
"fcalculate, said Zane, recently, "that dur
ing the forty odd years that l have been in the
skunk business | have raised more than 90. 900
dollar to me. clear OF all expenses. There is
one thing about skunk raising: a fellow doesn't
run so much risk as he would IL he was raising
chickens, for he has no trouble with thieves. I
have known but one man to try to rob my
skunk houses, and he was sorry he did IT. 9ThRt.