A pelt which has been damaged while killing or skinning its wearer, or in the process of fleshing, stretching and curing, cannot be cla.s.sed as No. 1, though the pelt may be prime and the fur of good quality. Such pelts are cla.s.sed as No. 2's, 3's, and trash, all depending on the amount of damage done. A pelt which has tainted or heated on account of flesh adhering, is considered valueless when the damage thus incurred loosens the fur and causes it to slip when handled; such peltries are termed trash and are unfit for any purpose. To avoid disaster, keep in mind the importance of properly fleshing the pelts as soon as they are taken off the animals.

FUR: Though the condition of the pelt is an important factor in determining the value of furs, the fur on fur side is of much more importance, also more difficult to grade and a.s.sort intelligently.

The quality of the fur bespeaks the real value of the skin. The vital points for consideration are: density, length, color, sheen and superficial l.u.s.ter.

Blow into a piece of fur against the grain and you will notice two distinct layers. These are defined as inner or under fur, and top or guard hair. The former is the basis of the fur coat and on a No. 1 skin must exhibit a very dense growth. Pelts which possess a poor or thin coat of under fur are graded down. The guard hair forms the outer layer of the fur coat and must be spa.r.s.e in density, but uniform throughout the pelt. The various shades of color and silky glossiness of these guard hairs harmonizing with the under fur is what gives the fur its natural beauty. Many a piece of fur will appear to be in first-cla.s.s condition, but close scrutiny will often reveal the fact that guard hairs are missing in spots. This gives the fur a rugged or s.h.a.ggy appearance. Furs possessing such defects cannot be made up in their natural state, but must be either sheared or plucked. On the grading sheet they are cla.s.sified as "rubbed" and are graded down accordingly. This loss of guard hair is due to various reasons, princ.i.p.ally the presence of parasites in the fur, which causes the animal to rub against foreign objects.

White fur, such as that of the ermine or Arctic fox, is valued as to the purity of its color. The pure or snow white pelts are the most valuable. Other shades in this cla.s.s are gray white, blue white and yellowish to cream color. To command the highest market prices, it is essential that white fur be free from all blood stains.

The policy of color is reversed in the a.s.sorting of the black, brown, red and gray furs. Here the rule is, the darker the shades of the various colors, the more valuable the fur.

The mere color and beauty of certain furs of the same species often create a tremendous difference in the range of values. Let us, for example, consider the pelts of two foxes: We will say they are both large skins and perfectly prime, but one is a red, while the other is a black fox. Though both of these foxes may be of the same consanguinity, the pelt of the black would be worth about as many hundreds as that of the red would be worth dollars. In the case of the mink, otter, marten and other fine furs, a well furred pelt of dark color is often worth two or three times as much as a pale colored pelt of equal size and quality.

Towards spring many furs fade or grow pale in color, some are rubbed and the fur appears woolly. These are graded down and termed singed or "springy," and as a consequence are less valuable.

To receive full value for raw furs, the tails must also receive proper attention. Where they are partly or wholly missing or have been damaged beyond redemption, the furs are discounted. This amounts to from ten to twenty-five per cent of the value of the pelt. All tails should be split a portion of their length and the bone removed, otherwise they are apt to spoil. The tails of muskrat, opossum and beaver are left on the carca.s.s, as they have no fur value.

SIZE: There are three sizes of pelts, namely, large, medium and small; but dealers in raw furs find it necessary to quote a special grade for the very small or undersize skins. These kitts, as they are termed, are the skins of the young of late litters. They are not mature in pelt and the fur is of poor quality, hence of little value.

A No. 1 large pelt is usually worth about twice as much as one of the same quality in the small size. From this the reader may gather that the large grade pelt must be twice the size of the small, but this is erroneous. The fact is, that in most species of fur bearers the variation in the large, medium and small size is but a difference of two or three inches in the length of the pelt. Just why there is such a radical difference in price is a mysterious prank of the fur trade, for which no one person is responsible. On the other hand, a small size pelt which is of good color and possesses a l.u.s.trous and dense coat of fur, is often worth as much or more than a large pelt of poor color. Remember that dimensions of the skin and primeness of pelt are of little consideration when the fur lacks quality.

GRADING MUSKRATS: Muskrats, unlike most other furs, are not strictly prime in pelt until early spring. For that reason they are a.s.sorted under three headings, as follows: Fall, winter and spring. The pelt of the fall muskrat displays very little primeness, but is endowed with a fairly dense growth of fur, and therefore is in good demand.

The degree of primeness increases as the season advances, and when fifty per cent or more of the pelt is prime they are quoted as "Winter." When they are fully prime, which occurs during the latter part of February or early March, they are termed "Spring 'rats" and command the best prices.

Abnormally thin pelts are not uncommon among fur bearers, but this defect is most frequently found on muskrats. Just what causes this imperfection is not definitely known. The writer while trapping in the prairie region of Dakota caught both river and marsh 'rats, and discovered that the pelts of the latter were very thin, and when dry rattled like paper when handled; the color of the fur was a pale, rusty red and very dull compared with that of the pelts of the river 'rats in the same district. I believe the inferior quality of the fur of these marsh 'rats is due to the excessive amount of alkali present in the marshy waters of the Northwest. Papery peltries are discounted from ten to twenty-five per cent, because the leather of such thin pelted fur is delicate and not very lasting.

There is a larger percentage of kitts found in the average collection of fall muskrat pelts than among any other kind of fur. These pelts are poorly furred and very small compared with those of mature animals, and are of little value.

In the spring muskrats fight a great deal, especially the males. As a result, the pelts of these are often damaged considerably. It is not an uncommon occurrence to find entrapped muskrats so badly chewed and torn, by their own kind, that it does not pay to skin them.

In a.s.sorting muskrats, buyers usually pay more attention to size and primeness of pelt than they do to the fur, because it is generally conceded that the average run of 'rat fur is good. Nature endows the muskrat with a dense coat of fur, which, in fact, is a necessity to further its welfare in the icy waters in which it lives.

As before stated, 'rats, like most of the other fur bearers, vary considerably in size in various parts of the country. For example the pelt of a large Southwestern muskrat is no larger than that of an Atlantic coast 'rat of the small grade. The districts which show a marked difference in the value and size of 'rat pelts may be divided into four groups, as follows: First, Eastern Canada, New England, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and West Virginia; second, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas; third, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, and the Northwest; fourth, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, to the Pacific and Southern.

The pelts of the first district are of the best quality and therefore command the best prices. Those of the second average about ten per cent less per pelt, and those of the third and last district average about twenty and thirty-five per cent less, respectively, than those of the first named district.

END OF THE ACCOMPLISHED MUSKRAT TRAPPER