The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-11-24
SKUNK FARMING.
Millions In It, According to an Asrl-
cultural Department Officials


cultural Department Officials
There's money in a skunk farm"
said an official OF the Agricultural De-
partment, and skunk farming will
some day be a great industry in this
country. There's a barrel Of money
In the business. and yet the man who
suggested it was regarded as being out
of his head. 1t does not take a pro-
longed and expensive investigation to
demonstrate the truth of what | as
sert. 1t is not necessary to send lot
of agents from this department heller
SHELTER over the country to gather
facts and figures Not bit. All that
is necessary is to get one of the old
time fellows who has spent his life on
a farm and in the woods. and who is a
close observer of the habits of var
minis and he can give all the infor-
nation needed
AN old fellow of this kind can tell
you when the first skunk was discov-
cred on the American continent. how
often they have young how many. how
fast they grow, to what age they live.
and. as | have said tell all that is
needed. From such information as
this it is easy to figure ont the facts
you wish. Coming from such a source
there can be no doubt of its accuracy.
While there are no official StatiS
tics on record it is known that skunks
the American skunk-will begin
breeding at one year old They breed
twice each year. and have litters of
from five to thirteen. an average Of
eight to litter II is said that skunks
can live on as little as any known ami
NAL, so there is little expense in rails
ing them They are of n different dis
position to the coon. squirrel and
many other small animals. in that
they cannot be tanned, and I do not
suppose that many people would care
to have one as a pet
There are two distinct species OF
the American skunk the jet black
and the black and white striped The
pelt of the latter can always be sold
for 81. The oil from the skunk iG
worth 30 cents an ounce and is used
in several cases of Group. colds and
kidney diseases. The oil does not
have the unpleasant aroma of the
skunk.
Now, it has been figured out that
a man who understands skunk farm.
ing can begin on twenty skunks fiji
teen females and five males and in Il
few years he will have a large and
very healthy bank account 1t is easy
to calculate how rapidly these twenty
skunks will increase in number If
you begin operations on the farm in
the early fall the skunks will breed in
December Right from the jump, esti-
mating the increase at the rate of
eight to the litter, you have an in.
crease of 100 skunks Well, in June
they breed again. and at the same
ratio of increase at the expiration of
one and one-half years you will have
1885 skunks. In four years, without
mishap, your skunks will have in
creased to 3,7S0,0O0.
This is good. big drove of skunks.
and, if the pelts are worth 81 each, the
pelts of 200 males skunks would bring
in open market 5000. and the oil at
so cents an ounce would be worth
$500 Then figuring as We did on the
increase of skunks. the peits of which
would be worth just as many dollars
as skunks killed. The amount of oil
gathered from from this number OF
skunks would amount to % 600 ounces
worth S14,SO0. At the expiration Of
four years you would have killed L.
100000 male sknuks, the pelts of
which would be worth 81 100000. and
the oil-15.120 ounces ST $50 600
and you would still have 100000
skunks left to continue business with
These figures are not at all extrav-
agant, and it will not he long before
some of our enterprising citizens will
be embarking in the skunk farming
business. do not know of anything
which will produce money faster than
this, and the beauty of it is that it only
takes a small sum to begin with. 1t
discounts raising five.ceHt cotton or
any other agricultural pursuit that |
know of. IN Y. Sun