Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-09-07

lllc Ill'n Dul nave dlSb recently '"tI
received from Canada. Several Of the
states have already formulated a for
estry law based on the Maine law and
modified to suit the conditions of the
State in which they have been csta5-
| .ished
All kinds of inquiries are put up to
the secretary of State in the course of
his daily business at the Office and they
are of a variety that is almost without
limit, but one of the most rOvel That
has been received for some time ar
rived at the office Il day or two ago
and was enclosed in an envelop" which
bore the postmark of Wcavorvillc, n.
| G. The main feature of the letter
was Il request fer a copy of report OF
the department Of agriculture" Wii' H..
| the writer said. had contained an ari-
Gle on the skunk industry in Maine,
and was supplemented by quest ions -
the secretary asking for information
concerning the industry and also ",rat
special kind of skunk was used in m"
industry. The writer went on t. say
that there Wor" no ekrnkS in the west :.
cru part of North Carolina and inti-
mated that he " puld like t" secure
few choice samples of that common tut
net over popular animal for pr"paSa-
tinn purposes.
Tho. secretary, V ho is probably On"
of the best Informed men in the State
in a general wa, does not profess to
10 an expert on the McphitiS Ameri-
cana. but * posSesScd of an amount %
know lc.!ge concerning the animal and
In
value to the gentleman in Weavervili".
should he decide to embark in the m
dus,ry. In speaking in general way
upon the subject Of raising SkunkS Tor
the ma; ket in North Carolina the Sec
rotary expressed the opinion that 1t
would hardly be profitable, inasmuch
rs tho skunk in that state would not
hibernate 80 long as he docs in Maine,
as the North Carolina winter is lnlid
and not nearly as long as that OF
Maine. and that being The case the
Shank would cat much more than II"
docs in Maine. which fact would cut
down the margin Of the profits. The
Maine skunk sleeps about five months
of the wear, except when he ventures
ont during a mild spell in til" winter.
and bv this means his board bill dur
| ;np the winter months is reduced to =
minimum.
A feature of the industry when
| could he improved upon. SAID the sec
rotary, was that of the warren. or nome
of The skunk. Instead of allowing me
animal to make its own nome IN cap
| tiyitv by digging q hole IN the ground
| which always results i'll the location 81
the den being somewhat Of mystery.
| no would make the den center u,
several underground passages built OF
| p,ank and ramifying StifhclentlN To sun
| the taste of the skunk regarding MS
| household arrangement, ana nave THESE
| messages located several lnchcs under
| Ground He would also have at the
| mouth of each passage a small SWINE
door 81 that while the skunk could Stt
his head outside the door he could not
follow it with his body.
| In this way he would feed the ant
mails hv placing the food AT the end Oh
q stick and advancing 1t 10 the door.
| The skunk is not particular ABOUT nav
ing his food perfectly fresh, ana IN
| fact would prefer to have II d'cldediF
| "yamcy." and in this way Wheh the
morscl was placed at the entrance o.
one cf the passages he Wouih smell u
and come out for feed. w men th'
skunk WAS desired for the market IL
would he a simple thing to SUBSTITUTE
| a RAG 1ippcd in chloroform lor me 1000
while HE animal had his head out "t
the door. and he would thus pass from
the here to the hereafter without any
of the ,jisagreeable results which make
his ranture somewhat ObjectOnablc
1t is not known that the secretary
will send the above information 10 til'
Writer of the letter. but 1t can easliN
be seen by anyone familiar with IN
habits nf the animal that it would h'
more or less practical.