The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-26
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
IMEQRMATION BUREAU
By FREDERIC j. HASKIN, Director.
Washington, ID. C.



government
This sounds strange enough, mas
much as the government is not gen.
orally regarded as a fashion arbiter,
but it is literally true. For the past
year the biological survey has been
waging war upon the coyotes of the
western prairies; because these ani-
mails are destroying great deal OF
livestock, especially sheep. The re-
sultant peltries have been sold to the
fur industry<by the government in or
der to defray the cost of the cam
paign, and in this way about twenty
thousand coyote hides have been
thrown on the market in addition TO
those received from ordinary chan
nels.
How Furs Are. Popularized.
1t is the regular strategy of the
fur trade. to popularize whatever furs
it has in large quantities, in rder TO
get rid of these, and also because
only furs on hand in large quantities
can supply the demand. The poPu-
larity of fox in recent years is not due
to the fact that the women prefer to
wear fox. but solely to the growth OF
the industry of raising fox in captiv-
ity At the same time the rare and
beautiful mink fur is not at all popu-
lar because the trade has not enough
of it to supply a popular demand:
Hence few mink furs are made up,
few are sold, and the price of the
raw fur declines. The big fur houses
nevertheless go on buying mink, and
when enough of it has accumulated
they VIII popularize it and sell off their
accumulated stock at high prices.
Thus the power of fashion over the
feminine mind is turned to good COM
mercial account. This year everyone
who can afford it is wearing fox, and
everyone who cannot afford fox is
ShRen-klllln2
coyotes, which is very commendable.
The coyote is a small variety of wolf
The true timber wolf is almost as
large as a panther. and his hide can
be used only for rugs.
Raising Fur Bearing Animals.
These facts about the fur industry
were gathered in conversation with
Professor Ned. Dearborn OF the Bio
logical Survey, who is the government
expert on fur-bearing animals. He
has a cabinet in-h office which con-
tains a large assortment of furs, with
which he illustrates his statements.
He has also in northern New York
near Lake Champlain a little farm of
ten acres where he is experimenting
in the raising of fur~bearing animals
in captivity. He firmly believes that
this is to become great industry, and
not only that great quantities of fur
will be produced from domestic fur
be very superior to that grown in the
wild state. Already ranch-bred fox
is recognized as superior to wild fox,
and the skunk, which is the only
other fur-bearing animal that has
been extensively domesticated has
been deprived of the white stripes
which make it necessary to dye the
wild peltries.
Professor Dearborn now has on his
farm blue foxes, fishers, martens,
minks and skunks, and is steadily in
cr1asing both the number and va
| riety of his stock He has already
done a great deal to popularize the
raising of mink in captivity, but the
| present scarcity and resultant I'M
popularity of mink fur has checked
| the growth of this industry. Profess
sor Dearborn is not now receiving
nearly as many requests for inforna-
| ton on the subject as he was before
| the war began. But he is confidently
/ looking forward to the time when
mink will again become popular.
What Electric SeaP' Is.
Perhaps the easiest proposition for
! a beginner in this new industry would
be the production of that beautiful
! glossy black fur known as electric
seal. You might think it difficult to
| obtain any electric seals" for stock
/ ing purposes, but as a matter of fact
| they can be purchased at any pet
|
| more than the fur of the common Bel
gian hare, properly clipped and dyed
Altho electric seal coats sell for large
prices, the hides at present bring only
Is or 20 cents each. If the demand
for them grows, however, the price
will also grow. And the great advan-
! tage of the Belgian hare is that his
| flesh is very good eating. In this day
| of high prices for meat the biological
survey is anxious to encourage the
production of Belgian hares for thei1
food value. The meat is very pala-
table canned.
The Jack Rabbit Is Exempted.
At one time Professor Dearborn
thought he had discovered a new and
important fur-bearing animal in the
American jack rabbit. The fur Of
some of them looks almost exactly
like that of the priced chinchilla Elk
| animation under the microscope
jack rabbit has a weakness in thai
there is a flaw in each hair, causing Il
to break when the fur is subjected tC
hard usage So the jack rabbit wa.
| saved from fame as ur-bearing
animal.
One of the most abundant animal
| in America of the fur bearing varie
ties are the squirrels; but none of tn,
more common American squirrel
produces fur of commercial value. al
lnO OF RUSSIAN SQUIRE
skins are imported every year Pro
fessor Dearborn found upon making ;
study of the situation that there is on,
American variety of squirrel which
has fur of the finest quality This i
the Abbott squirrel of the Southwest
1t is easily the most beautiful of tn
American squirrels, having silver
gray fur, an enormous silvery tail
long tufted ears, and is unusuaII
graceful in its movements. 1t in
min
of the lower slopes of the Southwest
ern Rockies, and is seldom found il
abundance. Professor Dearborn rea
Soned that this animal was wortl
more as an ornament in his nativ
woods than his hide would be drape
about the neck of that all-destroyin
animal-the woman of fashion. Henc
he has not said much about the fu
value of the Abbott squirrel 1t woul