Evening journal., 1915-01-14
WEALTH IN STATE
NUSKRAT farming
$1,000 Profit Cleared by
w. II. llagan in Nine
Weeks Last Year
10000 RATS
LIVE IN MARSH

Special So THE EVENING JOURNAL
DEi4AwARE CiTY, Del. IAN. IA
one OF the stranpcst and largest
Farms m the Eastern part Of The
United states is the farm OF William
A lapan near here where musk
rats are the crop that De- harvested.
The farm comprises about 1915 acres
oi marshland of the 6i4 acre farm
that Nh liaean purchased from Mrs.
hudson snrankle. who inherited The
land from her father, Arthur Col
burn. who persisted in "a yachting
disaster with two al hts daughters ~
1901. in Long island Sound
This piece Of land has been trapped
fof the last 80 years. but MT
Hagan is She 6rsy one who has
"farmed" the tract with system Tie
+ has q commodious lodge on the farm
where she uapnors live Tho trap
f ners arc Grover CsrroNs head trap
per. CLAYTON Dunham. Frank DIM
/ ham. Michael Holiday and John
7 stewart Bach irapper has a GER
ttm section of land which he alone
traps III s systematic manner
Tho WannerE SEA out Ia NE morn
+ ina about z O'Clock TO look after
/ their traps and complete the trim by
Z l1 o'clock. when they return 10 the
house. where the muskrats are al
4 lowed TO hang and dry As a rule
/ thc muskrsts arc allowed 10 hans for
/ about day before they are skinned.
Tho afternoons are set apart For This
work and some oil the trappers have
become adept al This work Frank
/ ntnham has earned the reputation
oi being the fastost muskrsi skinner
la this part of the county having
skinned ono in q litle over 90 sec
onds He has record OF seventy
five muskrats skinned In one hour
After the rat is skinned. the hide
Is placed mon shaped board and SIS
taken 10 what Is known as tho dry
ins" room on the third noor where
me hides dry ahd are huns on spc-
cialiy prepared hangers The meat
obtained from me muskrats rs used
FOR eating purposes Most OF ID it
shipped to Baltimore, whore as
marsh rabbit ID sells readily. and ID
is often sold as diamond baCk-telus
pin The meat brings about lb cent,
in The Baltimore darkets. This
ycar 80 FAN Che meat has been In,
best paying part of the muskrat. th,
price for the hides heihe very low
this winter owing 10 the light de
: nand for furs for the last few years
and owing 20 the war IN Europe
This wear some records have beef
established thst cannot bo e0ualel
i IN MANY places IN this part of th
country Tie highest catch Tor on
day being 2Oi One week the trap
peers caueht nearly 600 muskrars
{ WheS closed tho season last yea
I with a catch OF nearly 5000
Although @ may seem strange th
section ol tho farm devoted % an
nuekrafs. paws better than fhc res
OF the form This section having pat
over $4,000 profit for d trapping sea
son of oni3 nine weeks nc rs esti
mated that the total muskrat nopu
ltfion oi me farm Is 10000
Mr. Haean expects 90 make 81 car
pond IN the mnrsh as we'll as cato
frogs for the dealers IN Now Yor
\ City The piece of marsh land
one of tho best IN This pnri of th
" country One can stand On the don
of iho lodge known as the ShinFl
I. Landing Farm. and shoot wild duck
in large numbers from me window
y of the hOuse Recently when en
was fired from the porch oi ihO lodp
p 40 stir The ducks li Is estimated ths
ai least 40 600 ducks were IN the ai
Y Mr. HaFan has taken number
= his friends 20 enjoy the wonderh
sport on This strange farm