Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-03-23
A BdCkW00dS
War Declared
By Muskrafs

y y
inhabitants of two muskrat farms are warning with
intensity equaed only by the bhtzxreg
going between Germany and Great Britain
1t started in odd way. man from Dover-Foxcroft
up into the woods and started muskrat farm on
q small stream a and developed into good
sized place with hundreds muskrats Then along
a chap from Dexter who started another musIrat farm
the stream half mile below the first 1t was
close old trappers predicted roubleand 1t came
when heavy Fall rains made a young flood The waters
carried the dam and the wire at the outlet
the first farm. Naturally. the freed muskrats just
padded down and started to join the thousands OF
the lower farm The of the escaped rats
hurried down stream and demanded his rats back in
uncertain terms
why sure" grnned the other muskrat farmer. Just
go and pick out rats but be mighty you don't
take Of mine"
But the musirats took things in their and
neghbong tribes began fighting each other
fercey and not until night did they stop Dead bodies
noated bellies upward the little pond. Amazed and
buried their differences and hepessy watched
the slaughter They tried every they could think Of
to stop the animals, with no luck
Each morning the battle resumed. Dead and
manned muskrats noaed everywhere In the beginning
there thousands of rats the two farms but the
number soon dropped hundreds and it's down to
Total humiliation of these tribes of rodents
inevitable. Trappers and woodsmen can't explain
this deadly enmy for muskats have always gotten along
well together.
AS to the value of muslrat apart pelt
difference opinion The prime great demand
and trappers claim that properly prepared,
flesh is delicious The United States Department
Agriculture goes far in recently published
Farmers Bulletin TO give three recipes for cooking
muskrat. Here is one of them
Wash the muskra thoroughly and cut in quarters Let
1t lie In then wash dry with
cloth and DIP the pieces in prepared batter
and dust with flour meal Place lard in frying and
let 1t get hot Then put in the mus<rat and fry slowly
for hour Prepare gravy of milk butter flour and
parsley and taste After it thckens it
the cooked muskrat
OF course Indians the animals they did
everything they could trap They boiled them with
early settlers learned to do the story
that's okaha and
a slow fire 1200 muskrat for single Winters
Those who have eaten the meat that 1t is first
parboed salt water the gamey taste muskrat
hardly be distinguished from wild duck
the office Of the Maine Inland Fish Game Depart
men Augusta this story told to illustrate the virtue
muslxras Munroe Marsh Club. of Munrbe,
Michigan large properties the Great Lakes. The
club wanted law passed to protect muskrats along the
marshy shores of the lakes SO they brought their own
State Capitol at Lansing and banquet
for the entire Michigan Legislature.
The piece de resistance musrat but hint of this
given until the meal and the stated lawmakers
prasng the main dish Then the POSTMASTER broke
the that this club wanted law passed that would
protect this splendid game animal that they had just
sampled. They got their law by unanimous consent
Muskrats houses about the beavers.
The animals get along very well together II the
beavers a pond stream they like and find musk
rats there ahead of them instead of precpang fight the
diplomacy One trapper explains II In this
studied beavers habits for many and think
argument to the rats is something like this Now look
here msrats beavers more important than you and
we want this stream. Anyway the biggest and
can take 1t let's scrap Well work together. but
you got and help build dam. You have
roots there around Wen stick to the poppe
and birch branches. What do you say?
We'll, what they say? They just pitch in and
think they're mighty lucky to have all the sweet tender
roots to They that the beavers won't touch
anyway. That's putting it over the miiskrats
when muskrat builds house he uses his bean His
includes roots grasses and plant stalks OF many
kinds Then II Winter and he doesn't feel like
leaving tunnel he won't starve All he
has to and eat dinner out of his wall
tgo lunch off fhQ
BY Spring some of the hicS-waed muskat dwellings
shells