Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1911-11-08

~ sAe cOntAo9ut. FOE several years hid
hide has besn dropping in prics. Last fal!
there was distinct slump In the prfcs,
bringing thirty CENTS to the trapper fol-
the average pslt. A lev years ago sea-
sons recsipts for this house ran q high
~ 750, 900 rat skins. Its fur largely il ussd
~ Innings now, while once 1t was sssiver
mink" when worked up into mum and
collarette of cheap prices. Michigan al
ways has produced the highest quality Of
muskrat skins. The skin Of the rat il
thin and easily torn, but they are 10
ceived stripped outside in, the frat" tail
amputated as is the opossum's, and
stretched on board.
THE FOX FAMILY.
The fox family is numerous In the
United States. Canada and Alaska. Red
and gray fox skins of good grade bring
the trapper about q each-a price which
confounda the average person when he
considers that q Minnesota skunk il
worth twice IS much. The white fox OF
Alaska, however, brings the fox family up
to standard among the high.priced furs.
My guide showed me twenty four skins
OF the white fox, received the day before,
for which the trapper got s4A net. These
skins were shipped with the long, snow
white fur on the outside.
The Eray wolf from Canada commands
about the same price a. the best mink,
ranging from % to 81, though in fur SUR
facs good specimen OF Canada wolf skin
will measure five times the square surface
Of the largest mink. The wolf from the
western portions OF the United States
ranges considerably lower In price COM
pared to his Canadian brother.
But speaking Of the marteni Here Ii
one OF the most contradictory Of furs
when viewed by the layman. The marten
Of the far north 10 no larger than q large
mink. Turn the skin of mink and the
average person would not detect that Z
difference existed. But while the best
Ontario mink brings his average OF q, the
best marten has established q trapper's
average of $50 skin. My guide stepped
into small dark room and brought out
two punches of tanned skins, fur side out,
and held together by wire loops through
the eyeholes OF the skin.
(which bunch would you run away
with II you had broken in as a burglar
and had to leave one string behind?"
made hssty examination-probab
as good as long one-and decided that as
one bunch was larger than the other I'd
take the big one. He laughed.
SgThoro,a Whara vnu3d Iooo Cr,t hOuf
1900 at least" be said. ssThis larger
bunch is made up OF light-coIored mink.
This small one is OF the best marten, .un-
colored, and our price to the furrier for
the bunch is 5000"
Yet a ten-year-old school girl could
have carried that 5000 bunch OF tanned
skins five miles.
The otter, in comparison with the mar
ten, is below in rank. The best otter from
Alaska is two or three times larger than
the best marten, but the Alaska otter
brings $35 skin, while the best grade
otter from Florida brings S16 at the trap.
In its uses the plucked otter-from which
the long hair is drawn-is most adapted to
woman's wear. In ITS native condition
the fur of the otter is used largely as
collars for overcoats.
HOW BUYER HANDLES SKINS.
All skins received are in the raw state.
and are packed tightly into manila bag
ging. The wrapping is heavy and Sc
curely sewed. The skins may range from
a pelt stripped six weeks before and
comparatively dry to the skin taken from
the animal day before the shipping. No
sailing is done, or treating OF any kind.
The first work after the grading of the
pelts in the receivers market is that Of
taking all flesh and fat from the skins.
For this purpose q stretching board COM
mensurate with the skin tightens the pelt
over the working board which in turn is
made fast to sloping "bench" at forty
five degrees, ending in a refuse box.
Working downward with tool resem-
bling the carpenters drawing knife, the
skin is left clean of all clinging flesh and
fat and is ready for the tanner. And the
tanner and the dyer would involve an
other story altogether.
When pelts have been cleaned they go
to the drying room. One OF the features
OF this particular drying room visited is
the ''postoffice" rack. 1t is made of wood
and wire bar sections, each Of size to re-
ceive one muskrst skin stretched on its
board. This postoffice rack will hold 1885
rat "letters'.
For the other kinds Of pelts drying
board in proportion is used, and the pelts
are staked on shelves along the walls,
with q two-inch space between, main
tanned by q nail on one side Of each board.
In drying, the temperature ranges be-
tween slightly and ninety degrees, and in
this room twelve hours are sufficient for
the drying allowing two filings in
twenty-four hours. When the tanners
work is done, the house has its crates Of
tanned pelts arranged ready for the fur
rier's buyer. But even at this selling
stage most Of the skins are set there, skin
side out, on the board upon which they
were dried. In average sales, too, the
L a