The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-01-13
Commercialize Coyotes
and Muskrats
Continued from page one

their lives cutting down and burning
walnut timber in Ohio and Idiana, so
they could farm among the stumps
and make living. No sooner was
| the forest destroyed than the ire
mendous demand began to develop
for walnut timber for manufacturing
| pianos and other furniture and the
men who had worked for an average
of Is cents day, destroying walnut
timber found that they had de-
stroyed vast fortunes. In all the
new states something similar and
equally foolish has been done. Down
at Aberdeen a few days ago 5000
| rabbits were killed and the fur alone
at the lowest prices quoted for rab-
bit furs in the worst condition would
be 10 cents each, or $500 for what
the Aberdeen people left lying on
the ground and this is very small
amount compared with the price of
the same furs if taken off and
handled by experts. The value of
the rabbit itself if placed in cold
storage and used for feeding wild
animals at geological parks land
breeding farms, would be a large
sum, and breeding farms can be con-
Quoted in Idaho better than in most
other states.
Rescue Our Dry Farmers
On our foothills and on the Snake
river desert, dry farmers are making
living by very hard experience, and
coyotes rambling over the plains are
considered an enemy to the settler
and stockman. The Idaho people
have spent fortunes destroying coy
otes and destroying the rabbits
which they feed upon, when these
same animals are as valuable as the
walnut timber that was destroyed
in Ohio. A pair of coyotes does not
stand for any value to an average
man and he is glad and anxious to
kill them. He gets a few dollars for
the pelts and sells them for ridicul-
ously low price, because of his lack
of information. In the eastern
states where people have studied
more and understand better the
value of animals for breeding pur-
poses and for producing fur, coyotes
are in strong demand at 500 a pair
and the price is going up. A pair of
coyotes is worth more for breeding
purposes and for producing fur, in
Idaho, than in eastern states, where
conditions are not so favorable and
where there is not the supply of their
natural food.
Dry Farmer Has Them
Why should not the dry farmers
on the Snake river desert fence in
an acre or two and accumulate all |
the coyotes he can and conduct a |
little breeding farm. 1t costs no
more to keep pair of coyotes year
than it does pair of dogs. Half a
one seasons increase will sell for
about $500, or their fur, when they |
are full grown, will bring about 5000 |
in the eastern markets or $32 each. |
1t would be easy for the average dry |
farmer to accumulate several pair of |
coyotes and if his income was $500 |
or 5000 for each pear, per season,
why should he worry about his |
wheat crop or his barley crop, when
six pairs of coyotes will bring him
an income of $4,000 year. The
natural feed for coyotes is at close
hand in jack rabbits, and during a
part of the season at least, they
could be fed on rabbits at little ex-
pense.
Throwing Away Wealth
For 800 years America has been
pouring a great stream of CONNER
cial furs into Europe and up to the
time Of the World War it was
thought that the furs of the world
had to be sent to Europe to be dyed
and treated, but during the war
Yankee ingenuity got to experiment.
ing with furs and we found we could
treat them and dye them better than
1t was ever done in Europe and now