The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1899-02-10
GRADE IN FURs.
Interesting Particulars OF the Bust
ness Given by q New York
Dealer.

ing 1TOm i've 10 Ia oOaIoIS. 40S ocoA-
er was asked why there should be such
q difference in prices.
I'm the first place." he replied, 1.-THE
Alaska sable, which il the cheapest as
regards price, is not a sable at all. 1t
is simply the fur of the plebeian skunk
made up to represent the genuine arti-
Gle. The pelt is effectualiy deodorixed
in the tanning process, and makes real
~ one of the best and most serviceable
furs we have. AS regards the others.
the price is graded according to the
country from which they come. The
further north the animals are killed
the finer the quality of the fur and the
greater the price. This stone marten
scarf, for instance, which sells for ten
dollars, is manufactured from sable
killed in Maine or the Adirondacks. or
some other moderately temperate re-
gion. Sable aud marten, as no doubt
you are aware, are only two names for
the same animal. One is the scientific
name and the other the name used by
trappers. The furrier borrows from
both, and uses the names with no par
ticular reason to distinguish his furs
according TO locality. After the stone
marten the next most expensive is the
Hudson bay sable, scarfs of which cost
$50 and upward. The Russian sable
brings the highest prices and cannot be
touched under $50.
I'm the case of the sable. the distinc-
ton in names helps explain to our Gus
toners the range in prices for the
principal grades, but with other furs
It is different. Take, for example, the
otter, and note how locality affects the
price. Here are two skins of exactly
the same color. The one from north
ern Canada costs S12, while the other,
which came from Florida. is dear at
one dollar. If the otter had been taken
in central New York the skin would
be worth ten dollars. while If it had
been trapped in the Hackensack
marshes the prices would drop to seven
dollars and for a North Carolina skin
to three dollars.
"This grading of furs as to locality
only applies in general way to the
cheaper varieties. A much more i'm
portant grading is based upon the
beauty of the pelt. and here the range
in prices is very much greater. Though
there are exceptions to the rule, as
general thing furs increase in value as
their color becomes darker. These two
mink capes will serve to illustrate the
point. Both are 30 inches in length
and the fur is similar in quality. One
is a shade darker than the other, which
adds greatly to the rich appearance OF
the fur, and this enables me to put
q price of $3.50 on it, while the other
only sells for $3.50. l sold fine dark
mink cape few days ago for $500. We
called the grade mink-sable, because
the fur resembled very closely the best
quality of sable. In fact it was quite
as handsome as $4,000 Hudson bay
sable cape. and few persons could have
told the difference"
The furrier was asked If $4,000 was
not an exceptional price for sable
cape. He replied that it was by no
means exceptional, and that capes of
this fur frequently ran up to $1,000
in price. Ermine, he said, was very
little in demand just now, and only
used in the evening at the opera or
some important social function. The
price has not. however. been affected.
The scarcity of ermine will always
make this fur costly. There seems at
| present little chance that beaver viii
ever again come into general use.
''The fur" he went on. (which has
recently made the greatest strides in
popularity is mink. This is daily COM
ing more into use, and dark handsome
skins are becoming more rare and in
creasing in price at the rate of Is or
20 per cent. each year. The different
| varieties of sable are also increasing
in value and are at the present time
perhaps the most sought after of furs.
though black, silver-gray and arctic
foxes as well as seal, Persian lamb and
chinchilla furs are of course in con-
slant demand. The market for furs is
practically limited to those standard
| varieties and a few others, and it is
| rare that q new skin comes into vogue.
A really beautiful fur and one that
| bids fair to become fashionable at no
distant day is that of the European
6tch.
"Electric seal, which will no doubt
replace the genuine article some day
when all the seals are gone. is manu-
featured from the skins of the Euro
pean cony. small animal of the rab-
bit family. completely metamorphosed
by a process of shearing. plucking and
dyeing. This is popular and service
q HE f,1r and will last longer it is said,