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GRADING AND HANDLING OF SKINS | |
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By ARCHIE JOSCELYN
COMMON FAULTS AND DIRECTIONS ARRANGED ACCORDING TO SECTIONS
IT is a very common fault, according to the fur houses, for many trappers in many states to stretch, or skin, their pelts the wrong way. More frequently, perhaps, they do both wrong, so as to make a good job of their bad one, and manage to make a bad job of what should be a good one, and as a result, the trappers of the country lose some thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, partly through lack of knowledge, partly through carelessness. Knowledge of how the fur houses want furs handled, and how they grade pelts, is, (as someone remarked, money). Or in other words, cash in your pocket due to brains in your head.
I take it that the average trapper understands the rudiments of handling and grading furs, and knows how much poor handling, as cuts or matted fur, fur that slips, too much meat and fat left on, over or under stretching, scraping until the roots of the hair are reached and loosened, that he knows how much that lowers his grade. Also that an animal, left long without skinning, cither on land or in water, even in cold weather, will soon become practically worthless, even if he does not look it. Early and late trapping we know also. But — how much more?
A mink, for instance, may be number one in every respect but one — his fur may be singed. How ? By walking on the sands overly-much in the hot sun of springtime. Maybe you knew this, maybe not, but it's a fact and a factor in grading and pricing.
The size classification of mink naturally varies according to section, but a full grown male will usually grade large or extra large where a full grown female will grade medium or small.
Mink and otter, as well as weasel, should be flesh-colored on the pelt side, to be prime. But muskrat and beaver should be of a blood red tint to be prime.
Some trappers suffer the delusion that all skins should be flesh or cream colored.
With a raccoon, color has something to do with the grading as well as the heaviness and fineness of the fur. Dark skins, with silvery markings, go as fancy, but skins with a brown or red cast must be dyed or used in the making of cheaper garments. When raccoon start to get springy the first indication is a dark red or rusty spot on the back of the neck. Then gradual fading all over, followed by shedding.
A black or star skunk may have his short stripes extend as far as the neck, with most houses. A short stripe does not extend only part of the length of the body, yet, especially in the east, a short stripe may be graded as a broad stripe. How do they judge? By width. And the judging is done by looking at the skin from the hide or pelt side, as it can be judged more accurately than by the fur, which seems to spread. A narrow stripe may be half an inch wide in southern, states, three-quarters in central and eastern, but an inch is allowed in the northwest. After that, you have landed a broad stripe. This depends somewhat on the size of the skin and the width of the stripe in proportion.
Skunk skins are discounted according to the white stripe because the white stripe is usually cut out-before the skin i? made up.
Coming back to raccoon for a moment, size affects the grade, for a small skin of number two quality is likely to go as a number three while a large skin of number four quality will probably win into the class three division. This type of grading is likely to have some influence with other skins.
Muskrat has been mentioned, and the principal factors in determining the fall, winter or spring quality, in addition to the color of the pelt, is the thickness and richness of the fur. Kit rats are both too small and poorly furred to be worth much.
All wolf, as we know, are divided as soft and coarse, according to the fur, the richness and thickness thereof. Any blue pelted wolf skin goes down in grade. Coarse or low fur 'will lower the grade of a- wolf or coyote. A soft or silky skin must be free of coarse guard hairs, very silky, and without a long coarse mane on neck and back. A scalped wolf, for the bounty, will not be lowered in grade, but in price.
Any little defect in a fox skin will lower its value, for the fineness of the fur is its value, and nothing can lessen ir with impunity.
Beaver must have a heavy coat of fine under fur, so that it will stand up well in plucking.
A bear skin depends almost entirely on the thickness, length and fineness of the fur for its value. A large skin is not likely to be worth any more than a medium, seldom being so finely furred, and a skin with poor fur goes down five to ten times in price.
A lynx or lynx cat should first of all be from the north country to stand the best chance, full and evenly furred and of a fine texture. Coast skins are darker with coarser fur, and worth less.
A white weasel must be all that the name implies. Any gray hairs, yellow stains or damage to fur or pelt is awful hard on the poor little fellow when he comes up for the final inspection.
The marten is graded somewhat along the same rules as a mink, and the darker the better. A good dark marten should be almost as dark as a dark mink, seen by the pale of the moon (also the daylight test).
Color and fineness of fur grades the quality of the fisher.
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