The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-10-14
|MOsKRAT FARMING
|PAYs BIG DIVIDENDS.

That Minnesota will, within a
few years, be placed at the head of
the states in the production of raw
furs and will supply the largest
percentage of peits demanded by
the manufacturers of expensive fur
garments is the opinion of Chas. w.
,Henke, former assistant game and
Fish commissioner of Minnesota.
Mr.. Henke recently resigned his
position to become vice president
of the Ten Thousand Lakes Fur
Farms corporation in charge of the
Brainerd Office of that company.
Mr.. Henke has had occasion while
assistant commissioner to study the
new industry closely and to become
informed of its possibilities. Hun
dreds of small farms have been es-
tablished and the state department.
officials are kept busy answering
the inquiries regarding the require
ments necessary to be fulfilled be-
fore obtaining the necessary fur
breeders permit.
The conversion of thousands of
acres of muskrai marshes and land
heretofore considered worthless in
Minnesota. is going on rapidly and
| lowlands in many farms have sud-
denly become an asset instead of an
eyesore to the farmer who began
business in the northern part of the
state. The lowly muskrat has been
kicked around under foot and used
as a source of income for boy trap
pers during the winter until re-
Gently when it was found that the
production of the pelt on large
scale could be made source of
huge profits on account of the GER
tain reproduction of the animal un-
der close supervision and protection
in its wild and native state. In
stead of selling the pelts at from
five to twenty-five cents, which was
the case a few years ago, nice
prime skin now brings from $3.50
to 1925 each.
The ranch control of muskrats
by well organized concerns has been
brought about by the fact that the
outlaw trapper would easily deplete
the species very quickly and make
absolute extinction a possibility if
he was allowed full sway. He has
been encouraged by the present
high price of raw furs. The state
protective forces and conservation
laws are absolutely inadequate to
cope with the situation. There are
some wonderful examples of the re-
suits obtained by volume produc-
ton on large areas of land con-
trolled, fenced and developed by
well organized concerns in some of
the eastern states as cited by the
figures published by the Bureau of
biological Survey which estimates
an increase of thirty-three rats per
female during the breeding season.
The western states such as Mime
sofa are much more suited to the
development of such farms and
have awakened to the possibilities
of the new industry. A few mo-
ments figuring with lead pencil
to cover one breeding season to
another will disclose some astonish-
ing results. Mr.. Henke states, how
ever, that for safety's sake a basis
of much less than government fig
ures should be used and the Ten
Thousand Lakes Fur Farms corpora
ton has selected an increase of ten
to fifteen as positive average of In
crease per female per season.
While l was assistant commits
sioner of the department we --ere
beseiged with requests for permits
on the part of farmers to ttclean
out" the rats on account of the
alleged damage to road beds, pas
lures, ditch banks and sloughs. The
fact that the animals have demon
strated their value has decreased
these demands" he continued, ''un-
til they are at minimum and
those interested in the farming of
fur bearing animals have found
themselves suddenly confronted with
possibilities of success beyond their
widest dreams. The supply of raw
fur in this country has decreased
fully fifty per cent, according to
government figures"
The fur of the muskrat lends it.
self readily to dyeing and tanning
and is very durable. A general
Improvement in the quality of the
fur is noted when rats are raised
under control and are much supe-
rior to pelts from rats raised in
the wild state. In fact, experts
state that the semi-domestication of
muskrats will be necessary in order
to bring about a very necessary inn
provement in the quality of the
available supply.
Muskrats are very prolific and in
stances are known which prove that
those of the first spring litter will
reproduce late that same fall. The
fur market is prime in February
and March