The Greenville times., 1896-11-14
gl,nTg suJNKs ON a BIcYcLA
Maize Man Has Novel Way Of eaPtnr-
iax the Perlgmed Animals

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M.lss Man Has Novel Way Of eSptaF-
iax the Perigmed Animals
The wide meadows which streteh
IRON, the Penobscot river east 70 Clifton
make Bradley, Ne, one Of the BEST
skunk pastures in Maine In ordinary
years there are at least dozen laI
skunks to every acre Of land, and as
land is counted by the square mile OF
township thereabouts there Is no emu
IN The number Of sku1ks. In average
seasons, when the gIasshoPpers are
pleaty. skunks are fit TO kill during the
full moon of September. Owing TO the
scarcity of insects and the general de-
pression caused by hard times, the Little
animals have not fattened up as early
as usual in 1896. and the general round
I'D aud slaughter has been postponed
for a week or more.
The few hunters who have been out
report game plenty and the fur in ex.
eellent condition. James Sinclaire, OF
Eddiugton, who killed Al skunks III
three nights, says the pelts are heavier
and darker eolored than they have been
for years. Gus anderson, OF North
Brewer, who has caught about 20 in
traps near his henhouses, went on
skunk hunt the other night and brought
in is large ones before daylight. Be-
fore this year Anderson has always
used dog to help him tind the tni'
mails. On Friday night. having no dog,
he lighted a lantern and rode through
.he moved grass fields on his bicycle.
Whenever he saw skunk he dis
mounted and killed it with a club. He
likes the new method very much, and
says a good eushion-tired bicycle is
away ahead Of any dog he ever saw. He
offers to bet five dollars that he and his
bicycle can capture 20 skunks any fair
night.
Boys who want TO earn money with
which to buy guns and winter clothing
are the chief skunk hunters. Two wide
awake boys, accompanied by yelping
dog, go along the sides of fences and
brooks, killing all the skunks they can
lind. If the dog is greenhorn he shakes
the animals to death and is sorry after
ward. If he is an old hand at the sport,
he barks about his prey until the hunt
ers come up and do the killing with u
club. The animals are carried home,
md after the skin has been taken oil
and stretched on board the carcass
is put over slow fire and roasted for
the oil. A skunk will yield from one
to three pints of oil, averaging about
one quart This has always sold for
four dollars gallon TO the local drug
gists until the present hard times re-
duced the rate to 40 cents pint, or $500
a gallon. The price of skins varies from
25 cents for small ones that are nearly
white, TO SIPS for large, black ones;
rs cents Is about an average. From the
foregoing figures 1t can be seen that
every skunk nets the hunter about $1.50.
As two boys and a dog frequently kill
is or 20 skunks night it is a profitable
business while 1t lasts. Boys and bach.
elors are the chief patrons Of the sport.
Few married men have tried TO get liv.
Ing by killing skunks. Last year Han
cock county judge decided that the
woman who was welded to a chronic
skunk hunter had good grounds for
divorce. This pleased the boys SO much
that they say they are going TO elect
that Judge governor when they get big
enough to vote.
Though enterprising men In New
York and Connecticut have started
skunk farms of late, and are said to be
getting rich selling oil and furs, no
Maine man has yet made fortune at
the business. Three or four years ago
a farmer In Pittston, en- the Kennebee
river, fenced in some land and began to
grow skunks for the mar ket Though
he fed his pets on liver and offal from
the slaughterhouses and tomcods
caught from the river, he found that the
animals did not thrive we'll In confne.
ment. More than half of them emf.
grated to other towns. Those that re.
mained have picked up wonderfully
and produced large number of young
skunks, which will be big enough to kill
In another year. Last year Capt. Per.
VNI
kins, of Blue hill, fenced in three fe.
males and two male skunks and fed
them through the winter. In the spring
he found himself the proud owner o;
"a baby skunks, nearly half Of which
were almost pure black. Fortune
seemed about to come and make her
nome with him when ho went out one
day and found that the father skunls
mad eaten up all their Offspring. The
captain changed the diet of his captiyes.
and, feeding them on the best the mar.
ket Afforded, waited for the next litters.
which came along in August There
were % young ones that time. Thev
got olg enough to play like kittens
when they all disappeared, dying from
the same cause that had killed the
former broods. After this the captain
used his fence for restraining hens. and
let the skunks shift for themselyea-N
y. Sur. '