Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-01-01
or killed in Iowa. All go to make up
the bulk of the city's trade.
Tho Skunk Reqains His Own.

or killed IN iowa. All go To Hidhe ny
the bulk of the city's trade.
Tho Skunk Reaains His Own.
The law of supply and demand has
rescued from namelessness the pelt OF
the Mephitis Americana, which is the
high sounding scientific name for just
the ordinary low-down smelling skunk.
SO loathed was the word skunk as
applied to the fur of that weasel-liSe
animal, that no man dared to own 1t
for what it was. At least no furrier did.
But the skunk's pelt was valuable, so
they saddled on it all sorts of trade
names to hide its makers identity.
His coat came to the furrier re-
dolent, it is true, of it's past close as
sociation, but bearing no false name
tag. In fact the name was written
plainly in the air all about it. so all
who ran might read. The disinter"ited
bystander ran. The pelt went out de-
natured to the trade. robbed of its
name and labeled with such necessary
makeshifts as marten, black fox, or
lynx, but no longer reminiscent of its
former righteousness.
AS such it was sold as neckpiece,
muff, or coat to your wife and mine.
A Lost Name Resained.
-\Ole lIle use u TIC PAST ltiiSS, -
was sold.' 1t is sold so no longer. to
the entire exclusion OF its real name.
The skunk's come into his own. BY this
true name he is now known. and there
are few Who aTe ashamed. Least 81
all the woman who owns dozen or so
fashioned into a set of furs.
Why? Because she has thing of
value good to look at. tough i'll fur and
q IL
good sized skunk piece. You'll find the
purchase will require a small Wad of
bills.
The odd thing about it is that sold
as skunk the fur is worth double to-
day what it was ten years ago. when
t;cketed to the trade as marten and
fox. The demand. and fewer skunks.
have taken care Of that and. at the
same time, overcome the prejudice
against the name.
A Rat That's Seal.
That statements not literally true
of course. bat clever furriers have
come as near to making il true as
they could. Recently three big nations
took a hand in it and put new impetus
into four flushing in fur that was
getting across" without their boost.
The mere thought of genuine seal
coat strs longings for its luxurious
softness and comfy" coZiness in the
feminine mind that furriers We're
quick to turn TO their profit. Lacking
the bale of bills it takes to buy the
real thing in seal milady must have one
anyway. if it be seal in name on.v.
What she got was not even all seal in
name and it came not even that close
to being genuine seal fur.
But on her desire was built the
trade up which the ordinary muskrat
climbed to be a thing almost akin to
the seal. coveted by every woman. AS
but beautiful in the glory Of it's rich,
warm brown and serviceahle withal.
Making Fat Into Seal.
Certain French and German furriers
are cleverest at Transforming the rats
pelt into the finished fur called seal.
In Big Woods bayou" some place in
northern Iowa, the rat is trapped,
killed, and his skin sold in MARSHALL
town. It's resOld here and shipped
east, then exported. The first process
in the transformation is to pluck the
guard hairs. those longer, darker, hairs
that droop over and protect the softer
under fur.
The under fur is then clipped close
to the skin and blended. The latter is
the trade term for the process that
changes the shade of the fur while re-
tanning most of the natural color.
They are sorted. resorted, and matched
until out of thousands of pelts a few