WHAT ANIMALS TO RAISE.
There is a bright future to "Fur Farming." The person who knows
something of the habits of the animal or animals that they expect to
raise, will be the successful ones. A person who has always lived in the
city would not be apt to make a success at general farming or fruit
raising. The same applies to "fur farming." The person who has followed
hunting and trapping or the farmer who has given attention to fur
bearing animals are the ones most apt to be successful.
Foxes, no doubt, will be the animals that the majority would like to
begin with, especially the more valuable species, as black, silver and
cross. These for breeding purposes of course can be secured, but the
present raisers do not seem to care to sell any of their stock unless at
good round figures. They want to further increase their own numbers.
A good many attempts were made at raising skunk a few years ago, most of
which were failures. Some entered the business on a large scale, knowing
nothing of the animal, and of course failed; others "penned up" a few
skunk and as they were not properly cared for resulted in failures.
The recent advanced price for skunk skins has caused a revival in their
raising. This time, an entirely different class of people are taking up
their raising, and they are going to succeed, why? Because they know
something of the animal and are going at the business in a calm and
business-like way.
Mink, at present prices, look good to the fur-farmer. They are small
animals but yield a pelt worth from $3 to $7, depending upon the size
and color. Raccoon and opossum are compared with many fur-bearing
animals as producers of cheap furs. This is true, but at the same time,
they offer the most promising future for the fur-farmer in many
localities. They are easily raised, and in addition to their fur, the
carcass finds a ready sale in most cities.
Opossum and coon will not dig deep seeking escape, but are good climbers
and considerable precaution should be taken to see that the wire netting
is either extended in several feet at the top, or that a strip of tin a
couple of feet wide is fastened to the posts some three feet from the
ground.
The "fur-farmer," should the market be low for certain animals, can keep
over; or the better plan would no doubt be to kill off the surplus
males and perhaps some females. At such times do not make the mistake of
killing off too closely, as some will do, claiming that the fur is low
and that there is no need of trying to increase. Nine times in ten, this
is the time to raise as many as possible, for by another season, that
particular article is apt to be in demand.
To illustrate: skunk were low in 1907, yet had the raisers gone ahead,
they would have had a supply to kill during the Winter of 1908-9, at
prices that were indeed satisfactory.
Had the opossum raiser, during the low prices for this fur in 1907 and
1908, sold off his breeding stock at low prices, as he would have been
compelled to do, he would not had a supply when the prices advanced in
January, 1909.
Some farmers make the mistake of selling off all their stock when prices
ease up, expecting to go into the raising again when a reaction takes
place. This is not the way to make the most money; when a reaction
comes, other farmers who have continued raising this certain animal,
reap the harvest, selling to the market or to their neighbors at high
prices.
The prices paid for the various articles shows about what the grower may
expect for his "crop." The demand, of course, will have much to do with
the price. Fashion is constantly changing but indications are that
owing to diminishing supply and increased consumption, prices will be on
a fairly high level always. Trappers and hunters often catch fur too
early and as a consequence have blue pelts which are graded down. In the
spring shedders and rubbed skins are secured which are sold as No. 2 or
lower. With the "fur farmer," there will be no early caught blue skins
or late caught spring and shedders. The animals will be killed when
"prime," and will bring best prices.
Some reports from those that have experimented in a small way at raising
fur animals is to the effect that they do not fur properly. This is true
in regard skunk, when kept in a box or a small enclosure for weeks and
fed largely on meat. The writer when a fur buyer has bought skunk that
had been kept in a "pen" or small enclosure for weeks and in addition to
being thinly furred, the hide was much thicker than it should have been.
Indians and professional hunters and trappers of the north say that they
can notice a difference in the fur of foxes, lynx, marten, etc., when
the food supply is abundant. The fur is thicker and has a healthier,
silkier and glossier appearance. The secret, no doubt, is to give the
animals plenty of room and feed should be varied. Here is where the
person who knows the habits of the animal or animals he is raising is
valuable. When cattle, sheep and hogs are fed properly they take on fat
readily and produce a healthy coat of hair or wool. The same applies to
the fur bearing animals.
What animals offer the best inducement to raise? This is a question that
each individual going into the business must largely decide. The place
you have in view for the starting of the "farm" will have much to do
with this. Is the location one best adapted to skunk, mink, coon, fox,
muskrat or some other fur bearer? Again, your experience should be taken
into consideration,--what fur bearers you are most familiar with. If you
live near a large city which offers a market for coon and opossum
carcasses, this should be considered as these animals are easy to raise
and opossum especially are very prolific, producing from six to twelve
at a litter. While the fur of coon and opossum will never be very
valuable, yet, as both fur and carcass have a cash value, they will
prove greater money makers than many believe. Muskrat are another animal
that should not be overlooked as they increase rapidly and their flesh
is now being sold in many of the larger cities.
Marten and silver fox should not be raised in the south, as these are
animals that do best in the cold sections. Otter and mink are two
animals that the sun fades the fur and as the darker the fur, the more
valuable, it is important that as little sun as possible shines upon
them. For this reason it is advisable to have the enclosure for these
animals in the woods or thicket. In fact some trees should be in
enclosures for all animals. If raising coon or opossum, they will be "at
home" in the trees while other animals will enjoy the shade in the
summer and will make use of the leaves in the dens for winter.
[Illustration: Enclosure in thick woods.]
There are some animals such as marten, fisher, wild cat, weasel, badger
and wolves that do not seem promising to us to raise for various
reasons. Marten do best in the high mountain sections; fisher and wild
cat would be hard to keep in an inclosure; weasel and badger are not
valuable and would both be difficult to keep in; wolves are not valuable
for fur and would require considerable attention and food, hence, not
desirable to raise. In most states there is a bounty on wolf and coyote
scalps but the raising of them for the purpose of the bounty would not
work--the bounty would not be paid if county officials knew from what
source they came.
Among the animals promising the best for raising are the black, silver,
cross and red fox, skunk, mink, coon, opossum and muskrat. The otter,
beaver, bear and lynx under certain conditions may be well worth
considering, especially lynx at present value.
Do you think present prices for furs will continue? Generally speaking,
yes. In fact, some articles are liable to go higher. On the other hand
some furs may go lower but are sure to sooner or later react. The
chances are that raw furs will not soon sell at the low figures of past
years.
Suppose thousands engaged in the business of raising fox, skunk, mink,
coon, opossum and muskrat, what effect would it have upon the market?
Would they overstock it? How many hundreds of thousands of persons are
today raising cotton and wool to furnish clothing to the millions of
people and there has always been a market. The same will be the case
with fur. In fact, unless thousands engage in the fur raising business,
the demand is going to far exceed the supply at no distant day.
Furs in the north are a necessity as no cloth will repel the piercing
winds. Teamsters and others much out of doors wear fur overcoats, caps
and use fur laprobes. Farther south, say in the latitude of New York,
Pittsburg, Denver, etc., while furs are not an absolute necessity, yet
they are much worn for comfort. In all the cities of the north, furs are
worn eight or nine months in the year; in the central sections perhaps
six months; while in the south only a few months. In addition to this,
American furs are worn in all civilized countries of the world.
The farmer or stock raiser, as a rule, who is making the most money, is
the one who raises not horses, cattle, sheep or swine alone, but often
two or more of them. The same can be applied to fur farming. Suppose an
enclosure of a few acres is made for skunk, why not take in a pond and
raise muskrat, coon, fish and frogs. There is a ready market in all
cities for fresh fish and frogs.
The farmer that raises sheep not only sells the wool but fattens and
sells some of the lambs, wethers or old ewes from time to time. The
farmer is in the business to make the most out of it and such will be
the case with the fur farmer. In the cities there is a demand for the
carcasses of coon and opossum at prices ranging from 25 to 75 cents for
coon and 10 to 50 cents for opossum, depending upon the size of the
carcass, as well as the city in which you are marketing. In New York,
Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, there is a ready sale for all coon and
opossum carcasses at good prices. Other cities that use large quantities
are Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburg, Detroit, Chicago, and Milwaukee.
There is no city of any size north of the Ohio River but offers a
market. St. Louis, Louisville and other southern cities being near the
coon and opossum producing sections does not offer so good a market.
Muskrat are now served as "marsh rabbit" in Baltimore and other cities.
The trapper realizing from 5 to 10 cents each.
With the exception of muskrat, fur bearing animals breed only once a
year, unless the first litter are killed or die, when another is
sometimes born and it might be said, such is frequently the case. The
number that the various animals produce at a litter is given in the
chapter dealing with that animal.
It is not all that are successful bee raisers who have gone into that
business, yet how few failures are there among men who began in a small
way, learning more of the business and gradually increasing the number
of hives in their apiary.
One thing is important and that is, get the animals accustomed to their
keeper as soon as possible. The old will be wild for some time but the
young soon become tame. Skunk and coon are easily tamed and even beaver,
otter and mink have become so tame when secured young, that children
have safely handled them.
A man who has been in the "fur farming" industry for years, in response
to the inquiry, "Will the business pay," says: "Yes, it will pay the
right man big dividends on the capital invested." The right man is one
who has "natural aptitude" for this sort of work, and who is "cut out"
for "fur farming." If he has an "inkling" for this sort of work, he will
study the nature and requirements of the animals and attend carefully to
their every want.
Fur farming as an industry is only in its infancy, in fact, not begun.
The future looks bright to those who engage in the business in a
business way. To those who expect to make a fortune at the business in a
year or two, we predict failure, but to all who are willing to go at the
industry, building a substantial enclosure, paying the same careful
attention to the feed and care of their fur animals, that they would to
other "stock," to get best results, far more than ordinary profits
should result.