The hatchet. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1883-19??, 1900-05-06
A SKUNK FARM IN OHIO.
THE NEW INDUSTRY PAYS FAIR.
LY WELL.
What the Animals Like for Food
Price Of Their Fur-Little Skunks
Are as Playful as Kittens-The
Proper Time for Marketing.

Proper Time for Marketing.
The oldest and largest skunk farm
in Ohio is located six miles northeast
of Upper Sandusky, Wyandot county
and is owned by Silas b. DeBolt, who
has for six years past been engaged In
this enterprise. While Mr. DeBolt
has been ordinarily successful with
his undertaking, he does not express
himself enthusiastically as to the IL
nancial gains and success of the enter
prise Mr.. DeBolt is in a position to
do far better than many others, as
one of the requisites is said to he
plenty of room for the animals to run
and pasture, as they positively Will not
thrive i'm close confinement Mr.. De
Bolt has a piece of meadow land
amounting to four acres, which Is
called the park 1t is rolling, with
a stream of water threading It's way
I'm and out, the water being another
desirable feature The ground Is en-
closed by n fence about four feet HIGH
with two feet of wire network around
the base to prevent the animals from
digging or climbing out In summer
they are to be seen around the park
all day long and are able to hnd
enough to eat in the way of grass
hoppers, bugs and worms. AS the
weather grows cold they only come
out about four o'clock. or when the
sun is brightest; and in severe wealth
or they are not seen for days, only APP
pearing to get food, which, i'm winter
weather, consists of scraps from the
table or the offal from the meat mar
ket. The statement that they are
fond of chickens and will rob the
hen roost is contradicted, although it
is said they are fond of eggs.
Mr. peBolt is genuinely fond Of his
skunks. They are much in appear
ance like the cat, with shorter legs
and large, bushy tails. There are
some with only a small patch Of white
on the top of the head the rest of
the body u glossy black Others have
a broad white stripe down the back,
The less white fur the more valuable
the pelt, and as there are very few of
the very black skunks this Is one of
the reasons why there is not so much
profit as one is led to believe. The
blacklist fur will bring $l.35, but
where there is a plentiful sprinkling
of white the sum realized is 30 cents,
and sometimes as low as 10 cents.
The oil is said to be valuable in cases
of asthma, colds, Group and similar
affections, and while it Is said to be
worth so cents an ounce, the class of
men who engage in skunk farming
are not the class who are in a posi-
ton to dispose of the oil to advan-
tage, and half pint will bring but
10 to 10 cents. In regard to market
ing the fur, while the farmer is al.
lowed 10 to 80 cents for the pelts con.
tanning the white fur, the furrier is
able to sew the white together, dye it
and put it on the market as a sec.
ond grade of fur which will bring but
little less than the first grade. Only
few weeks ago Mr.. DeBolt shipped
$50 worth Of the pelts to Chicago and
New York, and a few weeks previous
he shipped another $50 lot, but he said
what he realized was much less than
half that sum. He has about fifty
skunks in the park.
In February Mr.. DeBolt received
letter from W. Fowler, of Halifax,
Nova Scotia, asking for pelts of
skunks or any other fur-bearing ami
NAL for the London house represented
by Mr.. Fowler, as he had been UNI
able to meet the demand for furs of
all kinds All furriers say the de-
mand for furs has been greater the
past year than ever before.
The skunks are trapped either by
the wooden or steel trap, and are usu-
ally brought in in a burlap sack.
Those engaged in raising the animal
will pay a bounty of 20 cents and al
low something besides for the pelt,
The animal is scientifically killed by
chloroform or a blow on the head,
The disagreeably odor which char.
acterizes the skunk is discharged
when it dies, and for this reason the
sooner the animal is skinned and the
peit cured the better and freer from
the unsavory odor. This fluid is only
discharged Wnen the animal is IflSnJ-
ened and as a means of defense. The
sack containing the fluid can be re.
moved from the kittens, but not so
well from the older skunks.
The little skunks are just large
enough TO be playful about the time
of planting in the spring. The kit
tens are particularly pretty, and it is
said to be pretty sight to see the
mother skunk with six to a dozen
kittens following the pillow across the
field When a worm is found she will
stop and give it to the first of the little
ones in line then the next worm is
given to number two and so on until
all have been fed.-Cleveland Plain
Dealer.
Thev Eat locusts