The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-23
GOOD TRAPS FOR SMALL GAME.
How a Long Island Boy Made Big
Fur Coat, n Cap and Gloves.


Fur Coat, n Cap and Gloves.
New York. July 21.-This is the time of
year that the boys are laying schemes and
originating traps to use later in the sea-
son for such animals as muskrats mink,
opossums, rabbits and even the skunk.
And by so doing they are anticipating
an immense amount of pleasure and profit.
1t argues pretty well TO a boys credit
TO have invented a good trap TO catch
any one of these small animals; il makes
him stand well with all the other boys,
and the profit he gets from the sale of
skins makes a merry jingling in his peck
cts.
Muskrat skins are worth % cents apiece.
and with as many as three traps an ener-
geuc boy can catch in a day, at least.
twenty. If he does not care for their COM
mercial value, he will find them useful 10
have made into a coat, cap gloves or a
robe for himself. A young boy of Long
Island has all of these things made of
muskrats' fur, and very fine he feels and
looks when he is arrayed in them for
skating, or sleighing, as they are the re-
suit of his own eXertions and skill With
MS large experience, this same chap has
discovered that the best way to catch
muSkrats-they usually run about the
shore or III places where there is water
| is to fasten a large steel trap with a
single spring on to a board, and place
THIS board in slantng position from the
/ shore into the water. The trap should he
| well immersed. When the unsuspecting
muskrat therefore. takes advantage OF
the board 20 run up on to the bank. he
| Is caught, held fast and drowned This
| method of catching them under water
prevent their gnawng their legs off and
| escaping, as is the habit of these animals
| when caught on land.
In the winter on tho colt mo-, 7,,,..-- - -
! build regular house or hut of mud sticks
| and sea weed. Here they bunk together
| ana Keep warm. II is provided with five
| or SIX runaWays into the water A sharn
! eye IS then required to keep track of them
! ana guard the entrances into their fortifi-
cation. The traps should be set over night
and boy with the true sportsman's spirit
! VIII be up al or 5 o'clock in the mornfner
| to take in the spoils
Mink are attracted by having bits of raw
! meat fastened to the trap: and the board
| holding it is placed on the edge of the
bank. Before setting steel traps thew
! should be boiled with piece of raw roear
as these animals are particularly taen
| about seeming the human touch II is re
! garded as capital luck to catch a mink
| they are rather scarce and their tail alone
| sells Tor from twenty-five to fifty cents
me whole skin, if a good one, brings con.
siderably more
-Aiip'AANA OlISllldE Iued OF the chan
! Long Island is to pour a few drops of am
monta into the holes of small animals. Tho
| instant they scent it they naturally rush
mady out in all directions and are usually
embraced by one of the traps set about the
| hole. -
The same boy has also a simple and in
! genlOuS COntriVanCe for catching rabbits
He calls it a "box-trap." 1t is made nv
taking a large apple box, or one that is
| similar, and attaching the cover 10 one end
OF II by hinges. Knock out the bottom and
place 1t upon the ground. Then bore a
| mole IN the same side of the box as are
the hinges, and through it run a stick n
about The center of the box Let it project
some distance on the outside Whittle II
down TO point and loop a string over il
attaching the string, at the other end IN
the lid 50 as TO hold it in an upright posi
| tlon. 10 the end Of the stick within the
| boX tie an ear of corn. When The rabbit
therefore finds the corn and begins to ap-
pease mis- appetite, the moose over the 9th
er end of the stick becomes displaced and
the string fails off, thereby letting the
cover fall suddenly down and preven fin O
The escape of the victim
Another simple box trap is made by
placing pliab,e piece Of barrel hoop in
| such a position from the center Of me
box. that it viii uphold the lid The ad-
juStng of it must be very delicate. AS the
animal calmly nibbles a his ear of corn
he is sure to dlsodge the hoop. and the
lid naturally falls as soon as its support
is removed
Skunks are not 70 he despised either: for
their skins sell anywhere from 40 cents Il
$l5 apiece The al-over black ones
bring the highest prices. In fact, it an.
pears with ali Of these animals that the
darker they are in color the more valuable
they become
But a boys knowledge of trapping can.
not end here; he must also know how e.
cure the skins of the animals he ha.
caught. First of al. they must be
skinned and when this is dore sl,irful,
4 lakes not longer than ten miuutes. 7ui
downward he skin should then be tack.
ed to board. or single and rubbed oyei
light with salt and powdered alum. mixe5
together i'm the proportion of one half Gun
tui of alum to one cupful Of san In III,
morning rub and scrape off as much of tbt
remaining flesh as possible Cover mi,
time with pure salt and hang them I'D t5
dry for about a week. They must nor dry
too quickly and strong heat must b.
avoided AZ The end of the time COCO
deal more flesh and superfuous skin car
be scraped off, and the process is coucIud
ed by rubbing in wen a good quantity o.
pure grease. BY it. the skins are scftenet
and made ready for heir future use