The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1908-09-18
Fuf's fm, But What Fur?
Black Marten May Be Skunk
end Also Alaskan Sable

enter a furrier's store know abou
the history of piece of fur" Tim,
spake an experienced fur salesman
Even the experts do not know every
thing about the origin of the furs."
His remark was illustrated bv ar
expert connected with one of the
best known of New York's retail fur
riers in conversation with a repre-
sentative of the New York Tribune.
How old is the animal from which
the Persian lamb skin is taken wher
it is killed." he said he had asked n,
another fur expert.
"Oh. two or three years" replied
the other in the offhand and cocksurf
manner of person who is pleased to
be able to show himself superior in
knowledge
The expert had been raised on q
farm, SO he did not accept this state
ment at its face value. All the lambs
that ne knew of began to grow wool
as soon as they began to eat grass
so he was willing to wager that the
lambs whose coats find their way IN
the shoulders of many women were
not more than two weeks old when
they gave up their lives at fashions
dictation. He determined to find out
the truth about Persian lamb. He
put the same question to another
dealer. This time he was told tha
the lambs" were about one year old
when their lives were taken.
An acquaintance was going To En-
rope to attend the fur sales. and he
asked him to get an authoritative an
swer to his query. In course of time
he received long letter from Lem
sic, the sum and substance of which
was that the lambs are really lambs
being invariably less than two weeks
old, and quite frequently only two or
three days old, when they are slaugh-
tered.
If this be true, then the article
published within the last year by a
magazine which aims to be exact and
informing, describing in an almost
heartrending way how the ewes are
killed in order that the coats of their
unborn offspring may be used to pro-
tect the carefully groomed bodies of
Americas fair sex from the wintrv
blast is sentimental dream.
Even the experts do not know how
many peits are obtained in the world
nor what the value of the animal
catch is. This is because the Hud-
sons Bay Company. which once AL
most had monopoly of the fur bust
ness OF North America, now has COM
petitors. A number of the fur deal
ers have their representatives in the
centres to which the trappers come
with their furs. Some of these men
plant their trading posts within
couple of hundred feet of the posts
Oh the company whose control was
ohce unquestioned. AS a result large
quantities of furs come to New Yort
the centre of the fur trade for the
United States, directly from the tran
pers, without the Intervention of tho
middlemen. The number and value
therefore, are not recorded in a NH
lie way.
Not only has the Hudson's Raw
Company competitors in the wilds Of
canada, but also in London. Many
years ago, when it had undisputed
sway over the fur catch of North
america, it established the custom of
annually selling its stock at auction
In the English capital. About sew
enty-nve years ago outsiders estab-
hshed another market, which was
neld at the same time and conducted
In the same manner. The only diff
terence was that those who MANAGED
u did not own any furs, but sold for
others. At the present day this mar
ket handles two or three times as
many furs as are taken and sold bv
the famous old company. 1t is at
these auction sales that the prices of
turs in the raw state are determined
The cheaper furs aresoid in "strinss"
OF a hundred. The rare and high
priced ones, of which only few doz-
en- may be taken in the course of
year, are sold by the single skin and
upon inspection.
Manufacturing furs is a very exact
term. With few exceptions, even the
most expensive furs are actually man.
fractured. Making fur garment is
more OF an art than most persons re-
aiize. 1t is not matter of taking
Few skins, cutting the legs off and
patching together the large pieces
winch once covered the body. The
foreman and designer of a fur mann
factory does notg salary of $4,000
UT $4,000 year simply for his knowl-
suse OF patching together large skins.
!. IS Tor his ability in cutting the
SKINS quarter of an inch wide and
tnen putting them together again so
mat the skins will be greatly in
creased in length while the shading
OF the original skin is preserved Tbo
skill required may be understood
wnen 1t is known that in some casas
IL would be cheaper to carve nm
SlO bill than to cut up incorrectly =
piece of skin of similar area. These
ribbons are all carefully sewn TO-
gether by machinery.
A few of the furriers save the skins
mat represent high values and de-
wise articles of wearing apparel in
which they can be used without cut-
ting. Muffs and stoles offer sucb
uses. 1e'
FINE furs rank with cash in the
measures taken for their safety