FUR FARMING SECTION
PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
This section is open for discussion of anything pertaining
to fur farming.
Information concerning stock, site, house and pen con
struction, equipment, cost, breeding, mating, feeding, cooking
recipes, sanitation, prevention of contagious diseases, disinfec
tion, trapping, killing, pelting, marketing, packing, shipping
and other notes are welcomed for publication,—with due credit
to the author.
This section is intended to be the common meeting ground
for fur farmers. Interchange of ideas, helpful information, con
structive suggestions anent these particulars should readily
solve vexatious problems of fur farming. Readers are urged to
take advantage of this section and help The Gateway foster fur
farming throughout Alaska.
-RABBIT SKINS FOR FUR
By D. Monroe Green, Associate Biologist, Division of Fur Resources
Bureau of Biological Survey
EXTENT OF THE INDUSTRY
Rabbit fur is used more extensive
ly by the fur trade than any othei
kind. More than 100.000,000 rabbi 1
skins are utilized annually. Of this
number, about 55.000.000, dressec
and dyed, are made into fur gar
ments and into trimmings for wo
men’s coats, suits and dresses. Th6
remainder, or skins not suitable foi
garments, are used as linings foi
men’s and boys’ gloves and in the
manufacture of felt, used chiefly
for making hats. In separating the
fur for felting purposes, the skins
are cut into fine shreds, but these
are utilized in the manufacture oi
glue.
About 98 per cent of this enor
mous quantity of rabbit skins, val
ued at approximately $25,000,000, is
imported from Australia, New Zea
land, Belguim, France, and other
foreign countries. The United States
at present produces less than twc
per cent of the number required tc
meet the demands of the American
trade.
The quantity of rabbit skins usee
annually is steadily increasing
Many wild fur-bearing animals are
disappearing from different par's
of the United States, and rabbit fur
is being substituted in the manu
facture of garments previously
made from more desirable skins
Rabbit fur lends itself readily to
imitation process, and American
fur dressers and dyers have mas
:ered so well the art of imitating
:>ther furs by modern methods of
olucking. shearing, and dyeing that
me pelt of the rabbit is being of
fered for sale under a variety of
trade names and in many instances
is replacing such costly and at
tractive skins as ermine, seal, bea
;er, and leopard.
KINDS OF SKINS AND VALUE
Pelts of the wild cottontail rab
3its found in abundance in the Un
ted States, and of the wild hares
commonly called jack rabbits, are
hin and poor in quality and prac
tically no use to the furrier. Every
domestic rabbit skin, however, with
the exception of those from the An
gora, has commercial value regard
tess of size or color. Angora pelts
aave long silky wool instead of
fur, and are worthless for furriers’
purposes. The wool is used by
Home foreign concerns in making
yrarns and fabrics, but there is little
iemand for it in the United States.
Angora skins shipped with other
pelts to raw-fur buyers are invari
ably discarded or destroyed.
A large skin is more valuable
than a small one and some colors
pring better prices than others,
[he most important considerations,
lowever, are the quality and tex
ture of the fur and the care given
the pelt after it has been remov
ed from the carcass. Other things
peing equal, white, red, and blue
skins, in the order named are in
greatest demand and sell more
■eadily than others.
Pure-white skins are preferable
for the reason that they can be
lyed light, dark or medium shades
pf any color demanded tjy the fui
trade, and, with the exception of
Chinchillas, they usually bring
from 10 to 40 per cent more than
pther colors. Red and blue skins
ire dyed many of the more fash
onable shades and often are used
n their natural undyed state; but
?rays, browns, spotted, silvers and
’ most others are mixed together
land dyed either black or a very
dark color.
i Chinchilla rabbit skins are used
undyed, and as their color
, j closely resembles that of the rare
; wild South American chinchilla,
there is an increasing demand for
them. They frequently sell for
, more than other rabbit pelts, but
, j raw-fur buyers will not, so far as
, j known, pay $5 or more a skin as
has been stated by some dealers
and promoters having stock for
disposal.
KILLING AND SKINNING
The easiest and most humane
way of killing a rabbit is to dis
locate its neck with the hands or
to stun it with a blow behind the
ears with a small heavy stick, and
then, with a sharp knife, to cut
off the head or cut the throat at
the jugular vein and let it bleed.
In southern California, where
rabbits are marketed by the
thousands, the dislocation met
jhod is employed. with one
hand the animal is held by
the hind legs or the skin on the
back and with the other the head
is grasped firmly, and then with a
pull and a quick upward snap of
the head the neck is completely
dislocated at the point where it
joins the backbone.
The carcass is then hung by the
right hind leg on a nail or hook
inserted near the hock joint be
tween the tendons and the bone of
the leg. When it is thus suspend
ed, the head is cut off to allow
free bleeding in order that the
meat may have a good color. The
tail, the two forefeet, and the left
hind loot are next cut off at the
first joint. In this operation care
should be taken to work the knife
through the joints so as not to
tout the tendons or let the flesh
slip down on the leg, and not to
, splinter the bone, which would
make a rough surface and detract
from the appearance of the car
cass.
The skin is then cut around the
hock joint of the right leg and
pulled downward. This loosened
I skin is next cut open on the in
jSide of the leg to the root of the
j tail, then up the inside of the
other leg to the other hock joint.
; The skin of the hind leg is then
j taken in one hand, and with a
| sharp knife in the other the fat
is carefully cut aw?ay before star
ting to pull the pelt down over the
carcass. Fat usually accumulates
j at the point where the hind legs
, join the body, and this should
! always be cut loose and left on the
carcass, else it will stick to the
I skin and detract from its appear
jance and selling value. Fat left
I on the pelts makes drying diffi
i cult and sometimes causes “fat
j burns”.
The pelt is not cut open but is left
cased, or whole, care being exer
cised not to cut or damage the skin
in removing it. Even a small cut
; in a pelt lessens its sale value.
STRETCHING SKINS
A rabbit skin should be well cared
| for after it has been removed from
! the carcass, for the finest pelt can
i be made worthless by improper
handling. It should be placed on a
| wire stretcher immediately after it
has been taken from the animal
and while still wTarm. if allowed
to lie and become cold the skin con
i tracts and hardens and w’hen dry
j will show wrinkles or creases. This
{lessons its sales value. The flesh
side of the pelt should be kept out
and the fur turned in.
The pelt should be placed on the
stretcher so that four legs are cn
one §jde and the back on the other.
When stretched with the wire in
the middle of the back, the wire
sometimes injures the most valuable
part of the fur. The loop of the
stretcher should project through
the opening at the top of the pelt.
The stretcher should not be forced
unnecessarily, as the spring in the
wire will shape the skin properly.
The pelt sometimes has a tendency
to curl, but this can usually be pre
vented by dipping it in water be
fore placing it on the stretcher.
After the skin is placed on the
stretcher it should be carefully ex
amined to see that all folds and
wrinkles are smoted out and that
the bottom of the skin stretches and
dries flat, it is important that the
piece of neck skin, or dewlap, at the
| top be pulled up and the skin from
| the forelegs straightened out, so
that these parts will not dry fast
to the body of the pelt. It is well
to inspect each pelt the second day
and see that this is properly done.
HOMEMADE STRETCHERS
Wire stretchers are practicable
and can be made easily at little ex
pense. Starting at the middle of a
piece of No. 9-gauge steel-spring
wire, about 60 inches long, wrap
both ends in opposite directions
j around a smooth 2-inch pipe or
round a piece of hardwood forming
a 3-coil spring. The ends should be
brought down within about 14
inches of each other, so that the
coil will have sufficient spring to
stretch the skin porperly. If de
sired, the wire can be cut a little
i longer and the ends turned up in
! to loops, giving the stretcher a fin
J ished appearance.
DRYING AND PRESERVING
; To dry the skin, hang up the
j stretcher on which it is placed by
j the loop, in a dry, shady place,
where the air is circulating. A mod
erately warm atmosphere is best
but not essential. Never dry a pelt
j in the sun, as it is likely to be
burned and its value destroyed. All
! pelts should be allowed to hang un
' til they are thoroughly dry and
until the fat, oily moisture on the
skin side has disappeared, for pelts
shipped when too green are in
i variably worthless when they reach
| the furrier. Even a small number
! insufficiently dried and packed
with others will sometimes ruin the
entire lot.
Dried skins should never be plac
ed in a pile, but instead should bo
kept in a dry, cool place until ship
ment is made. The best way to
; keep skins from spoiling at this
time is to tie the top ends together
! in a bundle of 50 or less and hang
them from a beam or post away
from rats, mice, or vermin. During
the summer, or in a warm climate,
the skins should be well sprinkled
with flaked naphthalene or para
dichlorobenzene and covered with
paper. Skins should be disposed of
promptly. When they must be kept,
any length of time it may be nec
essary to repeat the application of
the naphthalene. No salt or other
curing agent should ever be placed
on rabbit skins, for when properly
stretched and dried they do not re
quire and other means of curing.
SORTING AND GRADING
If the best prices are to be ob
tained, rabbit skins must be care
fully sorted and graded for quality,
color, and size before being sold.
No mixed shipments should be of
fered, for if good and poor skins of
different sizes and colors are mixed,
the entire shipment is usually ac
cepted at the price paid for the
poorer quality.
Raw-fur buyers usually grade
rabbit skins as firsts, seconds, and
I thirds. Firsts and seconds are also
j divided into five classes, based on
[color: White, red, blue, Chinchilla,
and mixed. Some furriers also grade
firsts and seconds as large, med
ium, and small. The white, red,
(Please turn to Page Three)
Traps, Trap Tags, Scents, Trap
ping equipment. Quick service.
Write for new catalogue.
HOWE FUR COMPANY,
Coopers Mills, Maine
NEW YORK
Wants Your
FURS
The purchasing power |
of the American fur in
dustry is concentrated in
New York, the fur center
of the world. Offer your
raw furs to these buyers
through the NEW YORK
AUCTION CO., INC. This
is the safest and best
{ method of marketing your
merchandise.
Let us put you on our
mailing list. Write us
today.
NEW YORK AUCTION C(
I Incorporated
226 West 26th Street
NEW YORK
I
Custom tanners
of fur skins anf
buckskin. Taxi*
dermist on bit
came rues, wall
mounts. Mann
f acturer of
chokers, coats
and cloves of
latest styles.
Send for our
catalogue.
—We bur teeth for mounting—
W. W. WEAVER, Reading Michigan
Invest in a Proven Gold Nine
IN THE WORLD FAMED GOLD BELT
AREA OF INTERIOR ALASKA
Liberty Bell Mine
Comprising 10 Quartz Claims and one Placer Claim, lo
cated on Eva Creek in the rich Bonnifield Mining Dis
trict, Mile 371 on the Alaska Railroad, affords you one of
the cleanest and most attractive mining ventures that
has ever been offered to the public; under the leadership
of pioneer gold miners of Alaska—men of proven ability
and integrity.
HERE ARE THE TRUE, SOLID FACTS!
1. We are on a solid vein which carries 25,000 tons oJ
gold ore. with an average assay of $22.00 per ton.
Probable ore of 12,500 tons, assaying $22.00 per ton, and
prospects for great tonnage very encouraging.
3. The vein increases in value as depth increases.
4. * Since 1930, it has been continuously under develop
ment.
5. This splendid mine is readily accessible. It is located
only 11 miles by good gravel road from the Alaska
Railroad.
6. A very encouraging report from our reliable mining
engineer.
7. $25,000 is already available for mining equipment and
our consulting engineer is now in the States nego
tiating the purchase of mil] and equipment.
8. A safeguarded investment.
For the purpose of completing the purchase and installa
tion of a 50-ton flotation concentrating plant and other
equipment necessary to bring the LIBERTY BELL MINE
to quick production, the company offers for immediate
sale—
40,000 Shares of Preferred Stock at $1.00
per Share, with a Bonus of One Share of
Common Stock for Each Preferred Share
Issued
JOIN L7S NOW! DEVELOPMENT IS BEING PUSHED
RAPIDLY. DON’T PASS UP THIS SPLENDID OPPOR
TUNITY TO INVEST YOUR MONEY IN AN ALASKAN
ENTERPRISE!
For further information, write or wire Algot Norberg,
Nordale Hotel, Fairbanks, Alaska.
Eva Creek Mining Co.
AN ALASKAN CORPORATION
DIRECTORS:
Oscar Erickson — Bror Johnson — Algot Norberg
R. W. Ferguson — Alton Nordale
CONSULTING ENGINEER MINING ' SUPT.
Ernest N. Patty, E. M. Justus Johnson
COUNSEL
Albrecht & Taylor
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