s 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 exp