The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-12-12
Fitch Fur in Present Favor,

! Fitch is one of the seasons fancies in
| furs. 1t is not altogether new thing.
In Paris they have used it on hats for
| four years. They have also combined it
with shirred velvet and ribbon to make
fancy muffs and scarfs, but it has never
won wide popularity until this season,
when the French demand for yellow has
brought it into favor.
1t is too early to determine whether
it is fad and luxury or whether it
will take its place among the staple furs,
says the New York Sun. The skunk not
SO many years ago was just as much
within of the moment, and it has no
more real beauty than this yellowish
brown fur. There was great demand
for fitch early in the season; then it fell
off, and now it seems to be picking up
again. Well-known fur men of New
York predict a future for it. 1t is not
cheap fur. A fine skin muff of the
German fur sells for 500. The Russian
fitch is not so expensive.
Fitch has long been known to the
trade. 1t is the European polecat, and
the word fitch or fitchet comes from the
old Dutch word "vitsche." Another
name is fourmart or foul marten, 1t
looks somewhat like the mink or sable
and the whole skin is about % inches.
When it was cheap it was used by the
trade to dye into Chinese or some fancy
named sable, and it makes very good
imitation of the expensive skin.
The hair over the head and shoulders
is short and for this reason furriers do
not like to use the animal. Also it has
an odor. Most of this can be worked
out by the various processes of cleaning
it, but if it is wet or in warm room
its natural qualities come back in spite
of all they can do. This is its greatest
fault. As a fur it has been rated in
ferior to marten.
There are two kinds of fitch on the
market, the German and the Russian.
The German has been the market fitch
until the demand increased, and then the
Russian was tried. The German is
brown, shading into rich yellow. 1t
has become expensive, the skins ranging
from 81 to $40. There is a great deal
of waste in the fur because only half
skin can be used in scarf on account
of the difference in the head and back
of the animal. For a muff the short
haired part is put on the under side.
The Russian fitch is the same animal
as the German, but the coloring is diff
ferent. Instead of yellow, the fur I'M
derneath the body is cream color and
makes greater contrast with the brown
back. In Russia it sold at so kopecks
about rs cents) and then advanced to
a ruble, or so cents. Last winter fur
riers bought.th skins for rs cents until
spring, when rumors of the coming fash
ion ran the price up to sl.25. Now the
Russian ranges from $3.50 to So a skin.
The Russian fitch has more odor than
the German and that will tend to keep
it at much lower figure.
ut was just the same way with as
trachan," said wholesale furrier. "My
father worked in astraehan. There came
time when no one wanted it. You
couldn't sell it.
Zone day | went to the fur market
and heard about the new caracul. What
was it but the old astrachan under a
new name! That fancy name increased
the price of astrachan five times.
1T is just the same with fitch. Some
Partisan dressmaker has a fancy for us
ing fitch. Everybody must lave it, and
you can hardly buy it,"
Dorothy Dexter.