The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-07
BIG FUR AND WOOL MARKET.
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN SHIP
MENTS EVERY MONTH.

Nearly $4,000 Worth shipped since
Christmas-The shipments Are Di-
rect to LOndOn-SaVannnh Is the
Largest Fur Market In This Sec
tI0n, Except JacksOnvilIe-The
Biggest Wool Market in This Part
OF the COuntry-It Receives a MIL
lion Pounds Every Year.
The annual fur trade of Savannah aggre-
gates between $4,000 and $4,000 During
the last two. weeks Ehrlich Bros. have
shipped direct to London $500 bale of
furs, and D. Kirkland shipped 81 800 bale.
These are the last made, and are about
the usual value of such shipments. There
are scores of farmers in Savannah's ter
ritory who make "A great deal more out
of the Shipment of hides to this city than
out of their farm products. An otter
skin, we'll dried and free of punctures,
brings from 81 to 81 in this market Beav-
err and mink skins vary in price, but are
ready cash 10 farmers.
Silver gray fox skins. skunk skins. coon,
opossum and rabbit skins also find ready
sale. A rabbit skin is worth only one-half
cent, however, and not many are offered
in market, because not many hunters are
willing to skin two rabbits for a penny
One dealer said that Savannah takes all
of the skins brought here, and pays the
highest market price for them. In ad-
joining counties the Savannah dealers
have agents, who buy up all furs offered,
and in this way about all the skins which
farmers have are cleaned up every sea-
son.
Trapping begins in early fall and con-
tinues until spring AS soon as possible
after harvest, farmers devote as much
time and energy to their traps as they
did earlier 10 their crops, and they make
probably more clear money trapping than
farming. This branch of Savannah's COM
merce has been going on for years ana
years, and it has improved very greatly.
Some fine trappers have been developed.
About the best evidence of a successful
trapper ds that he is a poor farmer And
very many farmers, who found it hard to
make buckle and tongue meet" years ago,
are living easy now. IL thew
meet with slender success dur.
ing summer with crops, they look
for a remunerative harvest in wintor
Wheh fhey count up their furs. Dealers
mere have been great help to the farm
ers in quoting the market generally reg
ularly through the season to their agents.
VINO post them for the information of tram
pers. And where farmers We're. one time
annoyed by having to pack and bale hides
ana then hunt up somebody to buy them
or somebody to whom they might ship.
they now have buyers coming to them
ready to take their skins the moment that
they are ready to let them go.
The preparation of the skins for the
market has been study of trappers late
years. And they are getting more from,
their work than they used to- They do
not puncture a hide in removing it. They
are careful to take all of the meat from
! 1t, and they are successful in preserving
! the original color and in preventing the
hair from falling off. OF course, this
adds to the value of the fur, and trap
pers can do it right, without additional
| time or money.
Savannah has always been the best
| market in the state for furs In fact, the
trade in skins here is greater than any
two or three other markets in Georgia
and, excepting Jacksonville, is the best fur
! market in this part of the country
! ''Trappers have been wonderfully fort.
innate this season so far" said one fun
dealer, lin being able to obtain the usua
| good price"
From now on, the price paid for skins
will be off. The European markets are
| lower and the demand is by no means
| strong. Il have gone into the stores
here" the dealer said, dealing in finished
furs, and l have priced pieces that were
| cheaper than the price paid for the raw
! material" This, he said, was some time
! before he noticed the decline in the mar
! ket quotation and when it came he was
not surprised. A good many skins are
! shipped to Savannah through the sum-
| mer. but they are not as valuable as the
| furs coming in during fall and winter
OF course. they all find market, but II
| is not as remunerative to farmers The
skins are not as strong and the coat is
! not as rich. Most farmers who trap dur
| ing summer do so as a side line and only
! at odd times, and in rainy weather en-
ploy their time in going after them.
! The fur dealers of Savannah are also
| the wool dealers And it is not generally
known that Savannah is the first wool
market in this section of the country. In
this state the annual crop of wool is
about 100000 pounds. Savannah gets
| 100000 pounds of it.
The growers have been greatly aided by
| the merchants Of Savannah who handle
| it. They have improved their product
| by careful shearing and particular keep
ing and when they are ready to sell an
| agent in their own town is waiting to
| take it off their lands at the market
price.
These dealers take all of the beeswax
and tallow offered by farmers and a smart
sum is realized by farmers from this
| source.
Lord Roberts has enterep upon the fif
tieth year OF his military career.