Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-01-01

hundred are found that are of the
same identical shade and texture
| These choice ones are combined into
garment. Only the primest, heaviest
nelts can he used for these best grades
of imitation seal.
The finished garment comes back
across the ocean as Hudson seal, Aleu-
tan seal, or under half a dozen other
trade names that stand for the same
thing, and as such are sold. Price SOU
to $3.50 and up garment, depending
on size and quality. but just muskrat
after all, but beautiful from collar to
hem.
How Three Nations Helped.
World influencing projects are
usually launched when great nations
join forces in a common cause. Some
times, as in this case. small things like
the muskrat profit by one of these al
liances. Such a thing happened when
Uncle Sam, he car of Russia and the
mikado of Japan, fearing the fur seal
would become extinct, last year served
notice that for five years no seal
should be killed on the rookeries
owned by these nations in the Pacific
These grounds are the best hunting
grounds in the world.
As a result genuine seal has become
Very scarce and very expensive. Their
scarcity has doomed the rat fur mar
ket. and more ard more women are
wearing rat pelts sold as Hudson seal
CT under some similar trade misnomer.
Rat is Now Rat.
This demand. with the accompanying
advance in price. has brought to the
trade rat fur where no rat fur could be
found before. The case of the rat is
like that OF the skunk. When rat fur
was cheap none would own it under its
right name. 1t was too common, too
ordinary.
So it's identity was hidden under
such aliases as water mink. brook
mink. ard river mink. and it was dyed
and striped to initiate the genuine
mink There's charm in this name of
mink meaning the fur, because of its
cost and beauty. Hence the DECEPTION.
But. as in the case of the skunk, the
price has overcome the Wearer's aver
sion. who now buys rat as rat. Durins
recent years the price of rat fur has
been on the jump. Between jumps out
has craWled Mr.. Rat to have his fur
bought as rat, sold as rat, worn know
ing it to be rat with all concerned will
ing and none ashamed. SO the Iowa
,auskrat. like the skunk came into his
birthricht as it were
Fewer Producers, Higher Prices.
The demand for fur is so tremendous
that the pelt OF any fur bearing ami
NAL has a market value. This state
rent takes in the common cat. II you
have one whose fur is not too much
Scared and gouged by battles of the
night, he's worth more dead than alive,
It's a fact
His pelt will sell for as much as a
quarter right here in town. and that's
more than most tom cats are worth
alive.
Not many years ago 81 was a big
| price for a skunk. Now its a mighty
poor polecat pelt that's not worth So
If by some stray chance of good fort
une YOU should come across one and
the familiar forked white strip is miss
! ing from his back. or it has shrunk to
! A mere patch we'll up on the neck. take
! the chance Of having to buy new suit
and of being stunned as unclean by
-our wife, family and friends. but get
that peit. Really it's almost worth it.
! For when you've captured it. its q
( capital prize that will sell for 50 or So
The mink. always valuable, has
! trehled in price during a few years.
/ These illustrations give an idea OF
the trend upward of the pelts of these
! cornrnonest of Iowa's growers of furs
! And the demand and the price are twin
! forces working the destruction of these
| animals Srsn