New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-05

helping us to Kill of the Canadian poachers
They must have found this year among tho
skins they took hundreds that were absolutely
worthless to them by reason Of the branding
marks the fur.
THE SYSTEM OF BRANDING.
This system Of branding consists in placing
the mark the back of the animal with hot
IRON SO that wherever the iron touches the fine
fur is destroyed making the skin 50 operated on
entirely worthless for commercial purposes. Up
10 the present season it has been our custom to
perform this branding operation with red-hot
bar, but We found that needless pain was being
inflicted on the animals by this process, so we
have made a change in the method. f. L.
Farmer Of STANFORD University. has invented 4
platinum wire pencil which draws It's power
from an electric dynamo. This pencil main
tains a white heat and can be used with the
greatest freedom, any sort OF a mark being
rapidly and easily made. Its great merit Is that
il infcts no pain whatever on the animal
The branding idea originated in the mind Of
Joseph Murray now Chief Government agent @;
the rookeries. He was formerly a prominent
cattlenan in Colorado and It was his expert
ence with herds that gave him the idea OF put
ting distinguishing marks on the seals. Much 10
our surprise our branding experiments ~ last
year have taught US that the seals Do not re
turn as we imagined TO the same r5okerIes "a
they were born on. but that they come back .
any spot within reasonable distance ~ their
birthplace This season we found seals branded
bv US last year some distance away from whore
the operation was performed
"Pelasic sealing must be stopped even II We
have to make it a criminal offence. II not an
other seal is caught for the next four years tn
herd will continue to decline until 1901. which
would be the very earliest moment that natural
results can begin 70 increase the number. one
thing that the Government should do, and do at
once. is 10 announce a prohbtive tariff on the
skins Of female seals brought 70 this country
from England The United States is the biggest
market for fur garments Of this kind and such
an act would. therefore. practically mean the
destruction OF the Industry.
A RESERVATION OF YOUNG MALES.
"As further means OF preservation Of the
seals we thought II best this year to begin CON
serving young male pups, and several thousand
Of them are now corra!led. Il | may use the ex-
preston. in a salt lagoon On st. Paul Island
This lagoon has narrow outlet 10 the shore
and is entirely surrounded by specially con
structed wire fence. the most north"r!y wiFe
fence by the way, in the country. This reSeT-
walton OF young males Will work still further
harm to the prospects Of the Canadian poacher
who is forced 10 depend these as well as
female skins TO help out his catch. The young
seals seem perfectly content In their corral, and
the experiment VIII no doubt be repeated next
year with even larger numbers.
Il have sent my report on TO Washington. AID.
while am not at liberty to divulSe It's contents
may say that the representations made therein
20 to show that the American contention before
the Paris tribunal was absolutely correct and
that everything that has occurred since that
time has only tended to Justify our stand on the
question. That there were only twenty thousand