West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1902-02-12

Allegheny County Trappers Making
Big Profits This Year.

Biz RFOut0 AnAS c@F.
The trappers and fur buyers OF
Allegheny county are having the
most prosperous season In decade.
Vim. II. Dawson, of WellsVille,
one of the most prominent buyers,
who has been In the fur business
for 4S years, has already purchase d
over 600 skunk skins, large part
OF which cane from the town OF
Wellsvllle alone, for which he paid
the trappers S425 cash. an average
of 70 cents each Extra choice
skins are now worth 81 ~ to the
trappers There are probably IS
or 80 buyers in the county and 1t
IL estimated that they will pur
chase not less than $4,000 skunk
skins during the present season
from November I into April, and
pay the trappers from 20 cents to
81. so a skin, aggregating probably
$780, 900. At this rate skunk trap
ping Is one of our most profitable
industries. It Is recogniz. d In the
markets that the fur on this little
animal natives to the counties of
Allegheny, Steuben, Cattaraugus
and Chautauqua Is the highest
grade In America. and In the latter
county prominent gentlemen have
started skunk farm to raise the
animals for their valuable furs. 1t
Is likely that owing to the extreme
present style of black furs, several
of your lady acqualntances are
wearing skunk skins, called by the
trade Russian sable, etc., and
when plucked and clipped the
handsome black martin. In Eng
land these furs are very popular
and last month the American mar
ket received quite lift by the pur-
chase In New York. by an English
firm, of 10000 skunk skins.
There are more muskratS trapped
In Allegheny county than skurks,
but the skin of this animal won't
average the trapper much more
than eight cents each. This coun-
ty, however, will turn over to the
buy ers not less than 20, 900 of these
skins and hold them up for $40 o
TOR them this season
1t may surprise you that 1t Is
considered low estimate on coons
in Allegheny to place the trap this
season at 1900, which should aver
age the trapper 90 cents each, or
5000 In all. Properly, the coon is
called the raccoon, and Is the, same
fellow so we'll known through the
South His skin Is fixed up to I'M
itate fox.
The handsome little mink Is the
most valuable of our animals, but
he Is becoming we'll nigh extermi
mated In Allegheny county. The
lightest catch of mink ever made Is
reported this season. It Is doubt
tul If there will be 700 In the entire
county. Many of these. will be
small and poor and average the
trapper not more than $I.25, though
worth much more This would
make the mink harvest reach about
5000.
Clever Reynard with his bushy
tail and thick golden fur also seems
to be diminishing rapidly in mum
bers hereabouts, and may soon be
scarce indeed. His skin easily
brings the trapper or hunter 81 Sc
and the intense search for him will
induce his already few numbers by
possibly 200 which will enrich the
trappers by half thousand dollars
and damage the fox family so that
1t will have difficulty Ia ever re-
covering.
| With. the skunk, muskrat. coon,
mink and tor. the, present fur In.
dustry here closes the most active
and profitable year 1t with ever see.
The skunk may increase despite
the ravages of the trapper, bat the
other animals will grow fewer and
fewer and fewer and the skunk Is
not likely to ever bring much more
money than at present. Styles In
furs as In other things are quite
variable and browns and whites
are very likely to succeed the blacks
In the popular fancy. And then
again this season has never been
surpassed for ell kinds OF Wild game
Partridges were never 90 plump. and
rabbits never 90 juicy. Woodccck
were fairly plenty In some parts Of
the county and more ducks were
4 r. -