Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-01-03
PASSING OF THE rRAPPER.
fur -Bearlng Animals Are Becoming
 Scarce and Profits Are Small.

United States, and as product of past l conditions he is disappearing as surely l as the game which he has hunted. In the great northern belt of states bordering upon the Canadians line he is found in dwindling numbers, vainly striving to make living in his precari- ous calling and bemoaning the times when it was an easy matter to find enough animals in his traps each day to keep him supplied with money. It is now the work of week to gather the skins that formerly came to his traps in day.
 The popularity of furs has not de- clined, In fact they are more in de- lnand than ever, and fashion decrees that they shall be worn every winter on garments for men and for women. Most of them command a, higher price than ever in the history of civilization, but the trapper does not profit so much by this change as might be supposed. The fur-bearing animals are disappear ing faster than the prices for furs ad- vance. Other unsettled regions of the globe are being explored to help supply
 
 and science is doing everything in it's power to utilize the common skins of the demesticated animals. The fur of the eat, dog, sheep, lamb and other am imals of our barnyard and household has already become valuable commer- cially, and through the dyer's art and the curriers' skill the wearers of cheap furs are totally deceived.
 It is not an easy matter to ascertain the relative value of important furs, but those taken from the forests and woods of this country are much higher than in former days. The silver fox, that abounded so plentifully in our northern woods, is now comparative ly rare animal, and from $100 to $200 are paid for first-class specimens. The darker the fur of the silver fox the more valuable 1t is, and consequently the further north the trappers go the better luck they have. Those over the Canadian border trap more and better silver foxes than can befound anywhere in the United States, although northern Maine and the Michigan peninsula have yielded some excellent silver foxes. Owing to the great demand for this fur, the animals have been trapped and hunted so consistently that they are very scarce and the few remaining ones are more timid and harder to catch than the common red fox.
 Bear skins generally come next to the furs of the silver foxes, and they run all the way from $40 to $75 apiece for the raw fur. E Dealers grade the skins according to their idea of the value, and the trapper is not always sure that he will receive the highest quotations even after he has shipped his booty to market. The cross fox fur comes third on the list and is generally worth from $15 to S20, accord ing to size, general beauty and richness of color. The fur of the otter is nearly as valuable, and good specimen will command SIS either at the country store or in the city markets. The beaver is not worth more than $15, the wolyer- inc $10, the lynx and black raccoon $6, and the common wolf and marten $5. These are the principal fur-bearing ani- malls caught by the trappers in this country, but a long list of cheaper ones are brought to market, such as the mink, skunk badger, wild cat, red and gray fox, muslrat and rabbit. The prices paid for these vary from q few cents apiece to several dollars. The rabbit skins are so cheap that the trap pers would not take the trouble to ex- press them to the cities if 1t were not for the fact that they can be packed in with the others at no extra cost.
 The trapper is essentially what his name implies, and not hunter or sportsman. The shotgun is not his inn plement, for this tears and injures the skins and furs. The trap and skinning knife are his chief articles of trade. The traps are usually divided into three classes deadfalls and steel traps. The steel traps vary in size from the small ones set to capture the little muskrat to the large double spring arrangements known as grizzly bear traps" These latter are man. moth affairs, weighing 40 pounds, and with rows of sharp teeth spread 16 inches apart. When the jaws of such a trap close upon any creature they are pretty sure to break the leg and hold the captive prisoner until relieved by some outside person. The grizzly bears have been known to tear the heavy traps from their moorings and drag them mile or more through the for ests, but they have never been known to pull the leg away from the relentless teeth.
 The deadfalls are made both for large and small animals. In the small horse shoe inclosure tempting bait is fast ened on delicate trigger which, when slightly moved let down upon the ami mal's back number of heavy logs. These fall squarely upon the back or shoulders of the hungry creatures, and either break it or crush out the life. The animal caught in a deadfall rarely