Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-01-01
QUARTER OF A MILLION DE-
LITTLE KNOWN BUSINESS.
MANY NEW BUYERS
HAVE DOOMED PELTS
Moro Than 100000 Will Be Paid Out
Here for Raw Furs This Winter
Local Furriers Have Been Big Fac
tory-Soms Interesting Details Of the
Fur Game.

Marshalltown has become one of the
largest fur markets Of Iowa The
reader, who is not informed of the sub
ject, may, at first thought, say this
statement is untrue. Before he does he
should investigate. If he does he vii!
find that this city ranks far above the
average Of it's size as a trading place.
where the pelts Of fur-bearing animals
are bought, sold and shaped and fash
toned for the retail trade.
In spite Of the big volume Of this
business not much is known of its de-
tails by the public, considered as
whole. The reason for this is that the
public's knowledge of the subject has
not kept pace with the local trafflc IN
furs, which has been developed SO eX-
tensively in not much more than i've
years. This increase has been made IN
spite Of the rapid decrease in the num-
Der of animals which grow the peltrE'
Quarter Million for Furs.
In the face of this lessening supply
almost 100000 was paid for raw furs
delivered here in the season of 19ll-l2.
An even larger sum will be paid this
season if the market and the quality
of the furs continue as good as they
have been up to this time.
Tracing the complete course OF the
local fur business by starting with the
man who first sells the raw fur, ana
following it on thru the middleman'
who bought it, and past him to the
second buyer. or furrier at which point
the pelt either leaves here or starts
thru the processes Of being made into
wearing apparel or furnishings, s2oo,-
600 changes hands annually in all OF
the transactions directly or indirectly
connected with this fur business.
Many Now in the Business.
A very large part of the fur handled
is Iowa fur. Much of the expansion Oh
this business must be credited TO the
increased number Of buyers Nhere
half a dozen years ago there was only
one firm that regularly bought l"rs'
a reporter recently found five resident
buyers.
In addition 70 these, three or four
;tinerants visit the city at frequent In
terva1s. Each local buyer employs one
or moro travelling agents. who search
the villages and towns of the state Tor
pelts.
Jews Active in Game.
Nearly all Of the newer fecrults IA
th,- fur game-and they will tell YOU
it's a good deal Of a gamhle-are Jews.
Most of them came to deal IN scla
iron and junk and stayed to barter IN
furs as an extensive sideline.
Their thrift and numbers makes
keen the competition. With their raclai
shrewdness for driving good bargain
they'll follow the scent OF punch
Of rats. minks or skunks that promises
q. quick turn Of money at proilt WIN
the same assiduity and enthusiasm as
does the hound when he puts tongue
legs and speed to the pursuit or the
red fox.
That's why their gross purchases
and sales mount into the thouSahcs
every season. Their activity has been
a force in booming the home fur mar
ket,
Manufacturing a Factor.
Fl. Willard. Son & Co. has been an
other big factor This old firm has done
q large business in raw furs FOR de-
cades A few years ago it established
A tannery and nanufactory OF fur gar
ments and the innuAnc" Of these de-
velopments has been to increase great
" the amount of money handled in
the local fur trade. Where il formerly
sold to furriers of distant cities the
pelts it gathered from wide terri
tory, this firm now fashions most of
them into coats, muffs, neckpieces and
caps and robes, rugs, and other fur
niShings.
But this story must skip over the
many processes Of the making OF fur
articles interesting as those processes
are It's purpose is to try to tell some
thing about the city as 4, fur market,
and few things about certain loWly
iittis- furrc;, animals which furnish
the most pelts. but which We're so un-
der the ban Of fashions disfavor that
their coats were forced 70 travel I'M
der all sorts of aliases and commercial
nom de plumes--if the phrase may ne
50 Observation-Disclosures Nine. Fashion
would not tolerate them about her
dainty person unless these small pro-
ducers' winter garments came to her
under high sounding. but manufac-
tured names, that meant nothing out
side Of the trade, but were less sug
gestive OF fetid origin.
But the ban on the names has been
lifted. These little fur makers have
regained their birthright. They have
even done more than that they've
come into favor.
Where the Furs Come From.
It's hard to realize that 10000 or
more muskrat, half as many skunk,
and opossum pelts are bought and sold
here every year. But they are.
They come from all over central
and northern Iowa. and from states as
far distant as Maine, Louisiana, and
California and Canada. Thrifty farm
ers and their sons furnish most of
them. Indians trap thousands. Many
an Iowa farm was paid for in part at
least during the sos and SOS with fur
money. And this winter hundreds of
Iowa boys and men are adding to their
income by running a line of traps"
Rats by tho Bale.
Because they are the most plentiful,
rats. the trades shortening Of musk
" rat make both in the number Of pelts
and In value the largest items OF the
home trade. The skunk, despised for
his fetor, whose pelt no furrier had the
courage to sell for what it was be-
cause of the long standing adherence
! its malodorous grower fostered, comes
second in numbers and value. After
lin trails the mink, coon, the civet-
the spotted first cousin OF the
-, and the oposum, with sprink-
wolf and fox. All are trapped