The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1899-05-02
RAISING MUSKRATS.
The Crop Is Large In the Marshes
of Maryland.
Thousands of Acres Are Devoted
Solely to the Farming of the AMI
mails for Their Fur How
They Are Caught.

In the vast marshes OF the county OF
Dorchester. stretching from Fishing
bay, near the Chesapeake on the west,
to the Delaware line on the east, is
harvested Maryland's great muskrat
crop. Last gear the catch aggregated
10000 rats, aud this year, judging from
the start already made, the crop will
be even larger. The hunting season be-
gins January and closes March 81
The great marsh section of Dor
chester county borders mainly on the
Blackwater, TraHSguakin and Chica-
eomico rivers, in the election districts
known as Lake, Drawbridge and Buck
lo~n, where for miles the country is
monoionous level, the high grass shut
ting out from view the inky waters of
the rivers. which, though extremely
narrow, are navigable. A few years
ago much of the IzHd was looked upon
as an irredeemai,le waste, and it re-
NAMED Fart Of the public domain, be
ing the property Of the state Farm
ers pastured their hogs upon the grass
and there was 10 thought that other
use might be found for these tracts
The increase il the demand for musk
rat skins as well as for the fur of the
otter and mink changed all this, and
within TIE last few years the Maryland
land Office has issued patents TO thou
sands of acres taken up solely with 3
view to muskrat farming. There are
still thousands OF acres Of these marsh
lands in the possession of the state,
more than even the land commissioners
can trace. and all 70 be had merely for
the asking. Should Germany and Rus
STA. which now manifest such fond
ness for the skins OF the American
muskrat, continue to take all tazt We
can snip. there is no doubt that all
these waste lands will soon have OWL
ers. In these marshes otter and minks
were almost as plentiful as muskrats,
but in recent years the latter have had
almost undIsturbed possession and
have been projected by legislation.
The tyIGsal musLrat hunter is as pc
culiar product of this region as is the
muskrat- Though he lives in a section
that is fairly reeking with malaria, the
home of chiIls, fever and ague and
mosquitoes, he is a picture CT rugged
heath. and is hardy and long lived
The people Of these marshes are plain
and simple and very hospitable. Their
homes are small and rude built. usually
one story in height and containing but
two or three rooms, The children are
as hardy as their parents. though in
this country stranger can no more
keep in good health than he can in
~. = ? he
muskrat builds his house in the shape
Of mound and aims 10 make it high
enough 10 be safe from the highest
tide, but in the spring and fall tidal
waves sometimes flood the little struc-
lures, drowning the young. and then
follows shortage in the muskrat crop
The houses are built of grass, woven
into a sort of cloth.
There are several methods of catch
ing TIE little animals, the most common
being by the use of the ordinary steel
trap and gtgging. The traps are set
in the paths made by the rats IN their
travels through the marshes Gigging
furnishes the most interesting and ex-
citing sport The gig is weapon
about three feet long, having five or
six sharp steel prongs. each PA feet in
length and several inches apart. This
weapon is made just long enough for
a man to easily thrust it through the
grassy home Of the muskrat. The hunt
er must approach these little houses
against the wind, and windy day is
much the best for successful work
The animals sense of smell is acute.
and on detecting the approach Of hu-
man being all the rats scanper from the
upper chamber of the house to the
/ lower ones, where they are out of reach
/ of the gig. When the hunter APP
prcaches a muzkrat house properly it
/ is not unusual for him to catch a rat
On each prong of the gig. But no mat
ter how many there may be in the
I house, the first throw of the gig is the
hunters. only successful one, for those
he fails TO catch then make their es-
cape.
1 The days hunt over, the trapper re-
/ turns to his home and prepares both
/ the fur and the flesh of the animal
+ for market. With remarkable rapid
( ity the skin is removed. An expert
! can skin muskrat m less than half
! a minute. After the skin is removed
( il is stretched over y single to dry or
I cure. This process requires about four
days. The outside of a rat trap
I per's cabin is always hung with lunches
( of skins. and on the inside they are fire.
quen,ly hung from the rafters. The
meat of the rats is washed and pre-
pared for buyers who visit the marshes
4 almost daily, and they find ready mar
ket for the meat in nearby towns and
in New York and other cities. The
muskFat lives principally on roots.
+ These he gathers from the marshes and
+ mouating tussick washes them as
clean as bleached celery. The musk
/ rats viii eat ducks or any fowl they
can capture and kill, but nothing they
ind dead.
I The skin of the muslxrat row brings
about Is cents. Last year the market
price was q cents for blacks and u
cents for reds The black is a richer
and more desirable color. but the black
rats are not SO plentiful as the red.
i Now and then a white muskrat is
caurht Huyers from New York ard