Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-09-17
FACTS ABOUT FURS.
a. paul MINI, IL the leading Oity
In the Business
-. uesr Furs Come from the Tseth-
-..tern States-Many of the Fur
nearing Animals Have Been Al
most Totally Exterminated.

-nateru Stot00-mUuy VI shO = OH-
u..rinr Animals Have Been Al
most Totally Exterminated.
perbans incredulity will sit in the
.ros If the readers, but it is neverthe-
,sss n fact that in st. Paul every year
there are upward of COO dogs cut up
for the manufacture of fur coats. In
the last year or two there has been a
scarcity of dogs, and the prices natural
10 have advanced. The dogs come from
China. and are that peculiar animal
with the black mouth and Lack tongue.
They are a queer animal, and arc l.nown
N China by the name of 1.-THE monks"
Nobody is prepared to believe, per-
hans. that in this city annually about
$4,000 coonskins are cut up aid made
into coats. but it is true, for VIC have the
word of a prominent fur ME- who deals
extensively in all kinds of skins, from
the skunk to the seal. In 1855 |. 8 firm
cut up 10000 coonskins alone. and will
keep it up so long as the animals exist.
There are certain animals that have
snryiyed civilization, as, for instance,
the skunk, the raccoon and the opos-
sum. while the wolf, the bear and ami
mails of their nature have almost en-
tirely disappeared.
In Louisville there lives an old fur
BUYER by the name of John White, who
has followed the business of buying and
selling furs for the past so years. When
| asked short time ago by II st. Paul fur
man what difference he noticed in the
| business now from the first time he
went into it, White replied that the
people are getting more coons. opos-
sums and skunks now than ever before,
proving conclusively that these animals
are not affected by civilization, and go
ahead multiplying without stint.
The vast majo. ity of the otter, beaver,
mink and other skins of that illl are
captured in the northwest, throughout
Manitoba and the northwestern states.
The wombat of Australia was for many
years drug on the market, and dealers
found it impossible to dispose of them
until the coat manufacturers of St.
Paul took them up. They were found
making, and the hunters who had pre-
yiously become discouraged and refused
to kill any more found their occupa-
ton renewed and profitable. In the last
two years the stock has been cleaned
out, the wombat has become scarce and
the prices have advanced prorortionate-
ly. Everything seems to be declining i'll
quantity but the raceoon, the skunk
and the Chinese dog OF monk, and these
constitute the bull, of furs from which
the coats are manufactured to-day.
The buffalo coat nj one tine was the
most popular of them all, aud it was the
prevalence of the buffalo that gave St.
Paul such start in the industry of fur
coatmaking. At the time the buffalo
were plenty on tho western plains fully
30 per cent. of the fur coa:s r:anufac-
tured We're made Of buffalo skins. /,
was great industry, not alone for the
Indian, but the white hunter, who
locked to the buffalo swans by the
hundreds. The decline OF the buffalo
was SO rapid as to almost exceed belief
When the industry first started the
plains fairly swarmcd with the animal
and it was the easiest thing IN the world
to kill all that were desired, but in three
years this noble animal was almost On.
tlrely extinct. When the Northern Pa
cific road was put through to Miles
elty, Mont, in 1883, there were 225 ,00t
or 100000 buffalo hides shipped out o.
that town. That was i'm 1889 alone
All that number had been killed 10y
white hunters, while the Indian coilec
ton amounted to 10000. The Indians
OF course, were not possessed Of the i'm
proved firearms and other methods q
destroying the restless creatures, ant
mat accounts for the size of their col
lection. So that in 1889 the collection
all told, amounted to about 27O, 900 hide
and robes.
IN 1854 there were not over 10000 col
'ected by the Indians and white hunt
erS, and in 1885 there were less thai
o,ooo' In 1856 there were none, and nov
tue only buffalo that exist are the prop
.rty OF the government and live unde
aus protection in the Yellowstone park
W 1000 III VIC SoutHcih hSAN
were killed of, then the northern herd
, were attacked, and ,hey disappeared
"seemed. in the twinkling of an eye.
one fur that is not used extensivel.
N 81. Paul is the seal, although grea
u " ladies' garments, coats, muffs an
',e IKE are made from this most desil
. .ple OF furs. Strange to SPY, every sea
mat Is captured in Canadian or Ameri
lsn waters must be shipped to London
England, for dressing and dyeing. The
aio then returned to the United State
ano made up. Naturally, all this trans
Nstatlon adds to the cost of the gal
uen.' and that explains why seal is
Isch higher than the other furs. RAY
.Aas' OF course, have no duty on then
.no most other skins can be made u
ms country, but all efforts to dres
.u dye the seal successfully in thi
.'untry have failed.-St. Paul Dispatch