The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-07-09
Three Millions Of Dollars From Skunk Skins
Suggestions For Raising the Animals as Source Of Income

their diet permits a good deal of lsti
tude In feeding, whereas, the marte,
and the mink require a diet almost OK
clusively of meat. The problem of pro
viding pens for rearing them is alst
less complicated in the case Of th.
skunk.
An incloseure for skunks should oc
cupy well-drained, sandy hillside
partly shaded by trees and partly oper
land covered with grasses. An acre will
afford room for about so adult skunks
"A three-foot fence made of poultry net
ting and having an overhanging barrier
at the top is sufficient to confine the
anlmals The wire should be of No. l6
gauge, and the netting Of one-inch
mesh. This low fence, however, is not
sufficient to keep out dogs, unless the
overhang is very large and extends on
both sides Many breeders prefer a
tight fence of boards or sheet iron or
even stone wall. The fence should
penetrate the ground to a depth of two
or three feet to prevent the skunks
from digging under it.
Beside the general inclosure, a sepa-
rate breeding pen for each female
should be provided. Cheap boxes with
wooden floors will serve every purpose,
but they must be dry inside. Contact
with the soil improves the fur but damp
ness must be guarded against.
VIII Eat Most Anything.
Meat, fish, insects, bread, cooked and
even raw vegetables, and ripe fruits are
included in the great variety of foods
which skunks will eat. Table scraps
will keep the animals in good condi-
tion, and the food for a large skunk
ranch may often be procured from no.
tells when usually it will cost nothing
but the labor Of removing it. Espe
cially to be recommended are cakes and
mush made of corn meal and bits of
meat, fresh milk, cooked green corn and
hominy. Little more than the amount
Of food required for a cat will supply
the wants Of a skunk.
While skunks usually breed but once
a year in captivity, occasionally a sec
ond litter is produced. One male should
be kept for from five to eight females.
The mating season is in February or
early March. The young are usually
born in May and are mature with prime
fur In December. Careful selection year
by year will result in better grade of
fur and in three or four generations it
is possible to secure strain of skunks
the furs OF which vii, all grade "No.
l." A No. l fur will bring from So to
$3.50 or more in the New York market.
AS skunks inhabit most parts of the
United States, they may usually be OBJ
tained in the neighborhood where it is |
desired to breed them. The best method |
Is to dig the young out of their dens
n the summer. Additional data of in
terest to the skunk raiser may be had
n the new bulletin which gives dia-
grams to aid him in making an inclosure
Tor the animals.
In capturing the wild skunk for it's
sur, trapping is better method than
'hooting, for shooting impairs the value
II the fur and generally results in its
'eing de4led. Skunks are neither sus-
'icious nor cunning and are easily
raped. They are often caught in un-
'aited traps placed in the paths they
ravel; yet the head of . fowl, spar
ow or dead mouse makes an excel
ent bait. skunks when trapped do not
ften discharge their scent SO as to de-
lie the fur, but care is needed in re-
1oving them from the trap.