Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-10-22
New goods arriving daily, at
H. e. HILLMAN & CO.'S.
WHERE AND HOW WE GET FURS
A Familiar Talk About the Animals That
Bear Them.

A Familiar Talk About the Animals That
Bear Them.
Before the discovery of gold in Alaska
the chief source of wealth of the great
northland. including the valleys of the
Mackenzie river and the Yukon, the Hud-
son Bay Territory and Labrador was
found in the pelts Of fur-bearing animals.
The more southern parts of Canada and
the northern frontiers of the United States
also yield valuable furs, but In less de-
gree, because the farther north these ami
mails are taken the finer and closer as well
as longer Is their fur. In the central and
southern regions of the United States the
furs obtained are relatively valueless, ex-
cept, perhaps, in the higher mountain dis
tricts.
The family of quadrupeds known as the
weasels yield the most costly furs, with
the exception of the arctic and the silver
gray foxes, and, of course, that most val
liable of all, the fur seal. To the weaseIs
belong the otter, the sable, the fisher, the
wolverine. the pine marten, the badger, the
skunk. the mink, the weasel and the err
mine, all more or les sin demand, the first
two named standing highest Minks, mar
tens and skunks outnumber all the others,
and their pelts are, therefore, most album
dant in the markets. More than two mil
lion skunk skins are taken annually in
Canada and the United States. Skunks
have been raised in domestication, but only
with partial success. The most valuable
are the black varieties with the white
stripe on the back much abbreviated Wea-
sells and ermines are so small that several
skins must be joined to make fur garments
of good size
In addition to the typical fur animals al
ready named there is large demand for
the skins of the muskrat the beaver, the
bear, the raccoon and the gray and red
foxes. Skins of the wildcat the panther
and the ocelot sometimes get into the
market, but they have no regular demand.
The fur of young bear cubs, sometimes
called astrachan, is valuable and rare 1t
is curly, soft and brownish black, with a
fine sheen. The domestic animals furnish
some cheap furs. Black, long haired dog
skins and the pelts of domestic cats, es-
,, pecially the pure black and white are in
some demand, but are always sold under
misleading names. Beaver fur is now very
scarce and seldom offered.
The prices Of various furs differ widely.
Otter skins not infrequently bring from s25
to $50 for single pelt, and the skin of
the arctic or silver gray fox sometimes
sells for $50, or even SIS. Striped skunk,
on the other hand, is worth from 40 to 50
cents, and the muskrat only 10 to 20 cents
Nearly all the fur animals are taken by
traps, the steel trap and the dead fall be-
ing most in use. With offers, fishers and
minks means must be taken to prevent
the animal, If caught by the feet in a steel
trap from getting away by gnawing off its
feet or Its claws. This may be done by
attaching a drag so as to pull the trap
under water after it is sprung If the an
imal is not frequenter of waterways the
deadfall is substituted for the steel trap
Philadelphia Times.