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diff --git a/40157-0.txt b/40157-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..569b386 --- /dev/null +++ b/40157-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,371 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40157 *** + +Breeding Minks in Louisiana + +FOR THEIR FUR + + +A Profitable Industry + + +[Illustration] + + +BY + +WILLIAM ANDRÉ ELFER + + +FOR SALE BY THE +GESSNER CO., +611 CANAL ST., NEW ORLEANS, LA. + + +COPYRIGHTED +BY +W. A. ELFER +1909 + + +Press of J. G. Hauser +"The Legal Printer" +620-622 Poydras St. +New Orleans + + + + +PREFACE + + +This little volume is issued in illustration of the feasibility of +breeding minks in Louisiana for their fur. It is the result of +experiments conducted by the author himself, and he feels that it +should be of interest to many and of value to the few who are looking +for fields for profitable investment. It is the author's aim to issue +a more elaborate work on the same subject sometime during the early +part of next year. + +W. A. E. + +[Illustration: A Louisiana Mink. Notice the Small Eyes, and the Low, +Rounded Ears, Scarcely Projecting Beyond the Adjacent Fur.] + + +For the following description of the American mink I am indebted to +the Encyclopædia Britannica: + + "In size it much resembles the English polecat--the length of the + head and body being usually from fifteen to eighteen inches; that + of the tail to the end of the hair about nine inches. The female is + considerably smaller than the male. The tail is bushy, but tapering + at the end. The ears are small, low, rounded, and scarcely project + beyond the adjacent fur. The pelage consists of a dense, soft, + matted under-fur, mixed with long, stiff, lustrous hairs on all + parts of the body and tail. The gloss is greatest on the upper + parts; on the tail the bristly hairs predominate. Northern + specimens have the finest and most glistening pelage; in those + from the southern regions there is less difference between the + under- and over-fur, and the whole pelage is coarser and harsher. + In color, different specimens present a considerable range of + variation, but the animal is ordinarily of a rich, dark brown, + scarcely or not paler below than on the general upper parts; but + the back is usually the darkest, and the tail is nearly black. The + under jaw, from the chin about as far back as the angle of the + mouth, is generally white. In the European mink the upper lip is + also white, but, as this occasionally occurs in American specimens, + it fails as an absolutely distinguishing character. Besides the + white on the chin, there are often other irregular white patches on + the under parts of the body. In very rare instances the tail is + tipped with white. The fur, like that of most of the animals of the + group to which it belongs, is an important article of commerce." + + +The fur market has always been a good market. It has grown firmer and +stronger from year to year, while the prices for furs have been +advancing steadily and rapidly with the growing demand for furs in +Europe and America, and with the general increasing scarcity of all +fur-bearing animals. Mink fur advanced about fifty per cent. during +the last two seasons, and there is every reason to believe that the +mink fur in Louisiana will advance to about six dollars within the +coming three years. The minks caught in Louisiana last season were +sold at an average price of three dollars. + +[Illustration: Resting in a Warm Place. Notice the Long Body +and Its Shape.] + +[Illustration: In a Position to Jump. Notice the Long Tail.] + + +Fur-bearing animals are becoming scarce where they were once so +plentiful, and, like the buffaloes that roamed this country in such +great numbers, they will soon, many of them, become extinct if the +present rate of trapping continues to obtain in America. Already +certain fur animals are almost trapped out and are rare. Even the +alligator, which was so plentiful a few years ago in the swamps of +Louisiana, is hardly sought after any more for its hide because of its +scarcity. + +The laws enacted by the various State legislatures for the protection +of fur-bearing animals, in fact, offer no protection; for most furs +caught out of season have no market value, and for that reason are not +caught. + +In Louisiana a trapper has to procure a hunting license if he wishes +to carry a gun while trapping, which license costs only one dollar and +is good for one season only. Such a low license, while it may bring a +large revenue to the State, clearly has no element of protection in +it. On the contrary, it is a truth that it stimulates both hunting and +trapping, as there were more trappers in Louisiana last season than +before the law requiring this license came into effect. Every trapper +procures a hunting license whether he carries a gun or not, and most +trappers believe the law requires them to have this license to trap. + +Whatever is being done for the protection of fur-bearing animals in +Louisiana, the fact remains that they are fast disappearing. Old and +experienced trappers will tell you that minks were very difficult to +trap last season as compared with the seasons of a few years ago, when +they could be so easily trapped in dead-falls. Raccoons, too, which +were so numerous in the rear of old cornfields during the trapping +seasons, have diminished at a surprising rate within the last three +years. + +[Illustration: A Female of Two Years.] + +While laws are being adopted by different States for the regulation of +trapping to protect fur-bearing animals, it is time for those who +expect to make money with fur in the future to begin raising their own +animals. The time is almost here when trapping will be unprofitable. +Fur animals will be too scarce to make anything at it. Then people +will have to build farms in which to breed minks for their fur, and +mink farms will become common. Minks are the most valuable fur-bearing +animals in Louisiana, being the most numerous, and they are also the +easiest and most profitable to breed for their fur. + +Breeding minks in Louisiana for their fur can be made a very +profitable industry. There is more to be made at it than raising +horses, hogs or cattle. After a farm is once completed and stocked, +all expense is about over if there is a large-enough pond in it to +supply the minks with sufficient food. Under the present condition of +the fur market, each female will average a profit of forty dollars a +year. A farm stocked for the first time during the winter with five +hundred female minks should bring its owner the following winter +approximately twenty thousand dollars. This is figured at three +dollars a fur; but within three years the mink fur in Louisiana should +be selling for what the mink fur in the North sold last season. With +this increase in the price of fur, a farm stocked with the same number +should bring forty thousand dollars. + +[Illustration: The Fur During the Summer Is Very Poor, and Not So +Dark as It Is During the Winter.] + +[Illustration: An Excited Mink Trying to Climb.] + +Minks require little room, and thousands can be raised each year on a +farm of ten acres. The larger the farm, however, the better chances +they will have to procure food for themselves, as birds will enter a +large farm more freely than a small one. + +For this reason, in building a mink farm the first and most important +requirement is a good location. A small island consisting of low land +covered with trees and grasses, with the opposite shore at least +three-quarters of a mile distant, would make an excellent farm, +provided the surrounding water supplies an abundance of small fishes. +Such an island would, of course, preclude the necessity of using +material for holding the minks in captivity. If a suitable island +cannot be found, a good farm can be made with five or more acres of +low swampy land having a natural growth of trees, grasses and +underbrush, such as can be found in Southern Louisiana. But the piece +of land selected for a farm must inclose a large pond, or several +small ponds, containing a good quantity of small fishes, especially +crayfish. The trees and grasses will attract birds, which, in addition +to fish and rabbits, form a large part of food for the minks. + +Feeding minks is pretty costly, and is hardly to be considered by one +entering the business of breeding them for their fur. + +The walls surrounding a mink farm can be made either with bricks or +with sheets of corrugated, galvanized iron. The latter material makes +an excellent wall, and costs less than a brick wall. It should be used +in sheets measuring twelve feet in length by about twenty-six inches +in width. These sheets should be used in an upright position, and at +least five feet should be underground and seven feet aboveground. They +should be allowed to lap two inches, and the dirt should be firmly +packed against them. Two rows of wooden strips nailed on the outside +of the wall, one about two feet above the ground, and the other along +the top edge of the sheets, will greatly strengthen the wall and also +prevent the wind from shaking it. + +[Illustration: A Young Female Mink Walking Along the Walls of a +Small Farm.] + +The following photograph shows a small pentagonal farm, the walls of +which are made with sheets of corrugated, galvanized iron. Each side +measures sixteen feet in length, extending four feet underground and +four feet aboveground. Wire netting is used to cover the farm, not to +prevent the minks from jumping over, although the walls are too low, +but to prevent chickens, cats and buzzards from entering and eating +the food put in for the minks. A wooden shed also covers a part of the +small farm and serves to keep out some of the rain and heat, there +being no shrubs or trees therein. There are two small troughs in the +ground for holding water, and in the center of the farm there is a +place for the minks to live during the day, which consists of boards +laid five inches above the surface of the ground with about fourteen +inches of dirt on top. Under these boards it is dark during the day +and always damp and cool. There are also several barrels in this farm +filled with corn shucks and hay for the minks to enter during cold +weather. The minks in this little farm are fed with the spleen of +cattle, different meats, crayfish and other small fishes. The cost of +this farm, or pen, which has been used for experimental purposes only, +amounts to approximately forty-two dollars. It is large enough to +raise two hundred minks if they are properly fed and cared for. + +[Illustration: A Small Mink Farm.] + +[Illustration: Part of Interior of Small Farm, Showing Boards With +Dirt on Top for the Minks to Live Under During the Day.] + +Sometimes an island can be used for a farm even when it has opposite +shores or islands within two hundred feet or less, provided the water +surrounding it has an average depth of from four to six feet. In such +a case, the walls inclosing the island should be built in the water at +a distance of fifty or one hundred feet from its shores. Sheets of +metal should be used, as previously described, by placing them upright +in the water and nailing them together with strips running along the +outside. It is not essential that the lower wall should be in the +ground or even touching it; posts can be driven in the ground to +strengthen the wall, or to support it entirely. + +[Illustration: A Mink Farm Made Out of an Island. The Water +Surrounding Has a Uniform Depth of Five Feet.] + +In a small farm where minks are in close captivity and have to be fed, +the old ones used for the purpose of stocking it will at first do +considerable digging near the walls. They will dig into loose earth to +a depth ranging from a few inches to three feet in their attempts to +liberate themselves. But they will cease to dig after they have been +in captivity for about four months. Those born in a farm will not dig +or try to get out. They will climb, however, to a height of fifteen +feet on reclining trees or on bushes, and for this reason all trees, +bushes and pieces of lumber should be removed from the inside of the +walls before any minks are turned loose in a farm. They will +ordinarily jump to a height of four feet. They can climb wooden walls +as swiftly as a cat, or any wall made of soft material. + +[Illustration: Disturbed in Her Sleep. Notice the Bushy Tail.] + +The following sketch shows the very best mink farm that can be made. +It requires a rectangular piece of land of five or ten acres, running +along and separated by a large bayou in the swamps of Louisiana. +Covering this land there should be the necessary trees, shrubbery and +grasses. The walls are built along the bayou about one hundred feet +from the middle, and extend underground to a depth of six feet. The +walls at the ends of the farm where they cross the bayou should be +very carefully constructed. At these places where the walls cross the +bayou should have a depth of at least twelve feet or more, so that the +walls can be made to extend nine feet below the water surface for +one-third the width of the stream and still have sufficient openings +below the walls to permit the water to flow through freely. For +example, if the bayou is fifty feet wide, fifteen feet of the wall +crossing it can be elevated so that there will be a large-enough +opening below for the water to flow. The remaining portion of the wall +(that lying near the shore) should be driven in the ground for about +one foot, as minks will not dig under water. A farm of five acres, +similar to the one just described, would cost, completed, +approximately eight hundred dollars. The minks in such a farm, owing +to the continuous change of water in the bayou, would always have an +abundance of food. The banks of the bayou would afford a natural +breeding-place, as minks usually burrow in the banks of small streams +or along canals and have their young near the water. If the water in +the bayou falls, wire netting could be used over the opening at the +ends below the walls. + +[Illustration: A Mink Farm Inclosing Portion of a Bayou, Allowing the +Water to Flow Through.] + +[Illustration: An Angry Mink.] + + + "Minks eat birds, small mammals and eggs. The principal food of + minks comes from water, fish, frogs, crayfish."--_International + Encyclopædia._ + + +The minks I have been experimenting with have persistently refused to +eat frogs. I penned one up separately and attempted to feed her on +frogs only, and I believe she would have starved rather than eat +frogs. + +Minks can be raised in any kind of pen or cage, and water is not +essential to their happiness. They are easily tamed and like to be +petted. + + + + +Habits of the Mink in Louisiana + + +Minks in Louisiana have two litters a season, the +number of young in each brood varying from four to eight. Sometimes, +however, but very rarely, there will be only two in a brood, and +almost as infrequently, on the other hand, there will be three litters +a season instead of two. Captive animals breed more profusely than the +wild, and will occasionally have three litters where they are in close +captivity. They begin to breed when they are about one year old, and +in captivity will raise an average of fourteen a year. Normally, they +live to be about nine years old, but they will live longer in +captivity where they are well treated and given all the water and the +different foods required by them. + +Like all other industries, the business of breeding minks for their +fur necessitates an outlay of capital. A farm cannot be built without +money, and the cost of one sufficiently large to breed minks +profitably ranges from five hundred to a thousand dollars. Of course, +a farm can be made any size and costing any amount of money; but large +farms are not necessary, and it is much better to have several small +farms of six or ten acres than one very large one. + +[Illustration: A Female Mink Resting With Eyes Open.] + +After a farm is completed it has to be stocked, and the task is no +easy or inexpensive one. Trappers will have to be employed to trap +minks with No. 1 steel traps, as these small traps do not injure them +very much unless they are permitted to remain caught too long. Those +that have badly-broken bones should not be bought, as suffering will +cause them to eat their leg off, in which case they will always die. + +The author intends to organize a company styled the "Louisiana Mink +Company," the objects and purposes of which shall be to build mink +farms and to breed minks in this State for their fur. + +No matter what capital is involved, or expense incurred, in entering +into the business of breeding minks for their fur, the returns will be +so big that this will appear small in comparison. And those who are so +fortunate as to start in the industry now will, when minks will have +become so rare that trapping will be unprofitable, and the demand so +great that the prices for mink fur will soar higher and higher--those +persons, I say, of foresight, who had the good fortune to start in the +business early, will reap each year the steady advances in the price +of mink fur, and be able, in a word, to command the fur market of both +Europe and America. + + + + +Transcriber's Notes + +All obvious typographical corrections were made. All original spelling +and gramatic constructs were retained. Some images were moved to +rejoin split paragraphs. Where the first letter in a paragraph was +displayed in Old English font, it was assumed that represented a new +"section". + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Breeding minks in Louisiana for their +fur, by William Andre Elfer + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40157 *** diff --git a/40157-8.txt b/40157-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index aab30a0..0000000 --- a/40157-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,768 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Breeding minks in Louisiana for their fur, by -William Andre Elfer - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Breeding minks in Louisiana for their fur - -Author: William Andre Elfer - -Release Date: July 7, 2012 [EBook #40157] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BREEDING MINKS IN LOUISIANA *** - - - - -Produced by Tom Cosmas and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -Breeding Minks in Louisiana - -FOR THEIR FUR - - -A Profitable Industry - - -[Illustration] - - -BY - -WILLIAM ANDRÉ ELFER - - -FOR SALE BY THE -GESSNER CO., -611 CANAL ST., NEW ORLEANS, LA. - - -COPYRIGHTED -BY -W. A. ELFER -1909 - - -Press of J. G. Hauser -"The Legal Printer" -620-622 Poydras St. -New Orleans - - - - -PREFACE - - -This little volume is issued in illustration of the feasibility of -breeding minks in Louisiana for their fur. It is the result of -experiments conducted by the author himself, and he feels that it -should be of interest to many and of value to the few who are looking -for fields for profitable investment. It is the author's aim to issue -a more elaborate work on the same subject sometime during the early -part of next year. - -W. A. E. - -[Illustration: A Louisiana Mink. Notice the Small Eyes, and the Low, -Rounded Ears, Scarcely Projecting Beyond the Adjacent Fur.] - - -For the following description of the American mink I am indebted to -the Encyclopædia Britannica: - - "In size it much resembles the English polecat--the length of the - head and body being usually from fifteen to eighteen inches; that - of the tail to the end of the hair about nine inches. The female is - considerably smaller than the male. The tail is bushy, but tapering - at the end. The ears are small, low, rounded, and scarcely project - beyond the adjacent fur. The pelage consists of a dense, soft, - matted under-fur, mixed with long, stiff, lustrous hairs on all - parts of the body and tail. The gloss is greatest on the upper - parts; on the tail the bristly hairs predominate. Northern - specimens have the finest and most glistening pelage; in those - from the southern regions there is less difference between the - under- and over-fur, and the whole pelage is coarser and harsher. - In color, different specimens present a considerable range of - variation, but the animal is ordinarily of a rich, dark brown, - scarcely or not paler below than on the general upper parts; but - the back is usually the darkest, and the tail is nearly black. The - under jaw, from the chin about as far back as the angle of the - mouth, is generally white. In the European mink the upper lip is - also white, but, as this occasionally occurs in American specimens, - it fails as an absolutely distinguishing character. Besides the - white on the chin, there are often other irregular white patches on - the under parts of the body. In very rare instances the tail is - tipped with white. The fur, like that of most of the animals of the - group to which it belongs, is an important article of commerce." - - -The fur market has always been a good market. It has grown firmer and -stronger from year to year, while the prices for furs have been -advancing steadily and rapidly with the growing demand for furs in -Europe and America, and with the general increasing scarcity of all -fur-bearing animals. Mink fur advanced about fifty per cent. during -the last two seasons, and there is every reason to believe that the -mink fur in Louisiana will advance to about six dollars within the -coming three years. The minks caught in Louisiana last season were -sold at an average price of three dollars. - -[Illustration: Resting in a Warm Place. Notice the Long Body -and Its Shape.] - -[Illustration: In a Position to Jump. Notice the Long Tail.] - - -Fur-bearing animals are becoming scarce where they were once so -plentiful, and, like the buffaloes that roamed this country in such -great numbers, they will soon, many of them, become extinct if the -present rate of trapping continues to obtain in America. Already -certain fur animals are almost trapped out and are rare. Even the -alligator, which was so plentiful a few years ago in the swamps of -Louisiana, is hardly sought after any more for its hide because of its -scarcity. - -The laws enacted by the various State legislatures for the protection -of fur-bearing animals, in fact, offer no protection; for most furs -caught out of season have no market value, and for that reason are not -caught. - -In Louisiana a trapper has to procure a hunting license if he wishes -to carry a gun while trapping, which license costs only one dollar and -is good for one season only. Such a low license, while it may bring a -large revenue to the State, clearly has no element of protection in -it. On the contrary, it is a truth that it stimulates both hunting and -trapping, as there were more trappers in Louisiana last season than -before the law requiring this license came into effect. Every trapper -procures a hunting license whether he carries a gun or not, and most -trappers believe the law requires them to have this license to trap. - -Whatever is being done for the protection of fur-bearing animals in -Louisiana, the fact remains that they are fast disappearing. Old and -experienced trappers will tell you that minks were very difficult to -trap last season as compared with the seasons of a few years ago, when -they could be so easily trapped in dead-falls. Raccoons, too, which -were so numerous in the rear of old cornfields during the trapping -seasons, have diminished at a surprising rate within the last three -years. - -[Illustration: A Female of Two Years.] - -While laws are being adopted by different States for the regulation of -trapping to protect fur-bearing animals, it is time for those who -expect to make money with fur in the future to begin raising their own -animals. The time is almost here when trapping will be unprofitable. -Fur animals will be too scarce to make anything at it. Then people -will have to build farms in which to breed minks for their fur, and -mink farms will become common. Minks are the most valuable fur-bearing -animals in Louisiana, being the most numerous, and they are also the -easiest and most profitable to breed for their fur. - -Breeding minks in Louisiana for their fur can be made a very -profitable industry. There is more to be made at it than raising -horses, hogs or cattle. After a farm is once completed and stocked, -all expense is about over if there is a large-enough pond in it to -supply the minks with sufficient food. Under the present condition of -the fur market, each female will average a profit of forty dollars a -year. A farm stocked for the first time during the winter with five -hundred female minks should bring its owner the following winter -approximately twenty thousand dollars. This is figured at three -dollars a fur; but within three years the mink fur in Louisiana should -be selling for what the mink fur in the North sold last season. With -this increase in the price of fur, a farm stocked with the same number -should bring forty thousand dollars. - -[Illustration: The Fur During the Summer Is Very Poor, and Not So -Dark as It Is During the Winter.] - -[Illustration: An Excited Mink Trying to Climb.] - -Minks require little room, and thousands can be raised each year on a -farm of ten acres. The larger the farm, however, the better chances -they will have to procure food for themselves, as birds will enter a -large farm more freely than a small one. - -For this reason, in building a mink farm the first and most important -requirement is a good location. A small island consisting of low land -covered with trees and grasses, with the opposite shore at least -three-quarters of a mile distant, would make an excellent farm, -provided the surrounding water supplies an abundance of small fishes. -Such an island would, of course, preclude the necessity of using -material for holding the minks in captivity. If a suitable island -cannot be found, a good farm can be made with five or more acres of -low swampy land having a natural growth of trees, grasses and -underbrush, such as can be found in Southern Louisiana. But the piece -of land selected for a farm must inclose a large pond, or several -small ponds, containing a good quantity of small fishes, especially -crayfish. The trees and grasses will attract birds, which, in addition -to fish and rabbits, form a large part of food for the minks. - -Feeding minks is pretty costly, and is hardly to be considered by one -entering the business of breeding them for their fur. - -The walls surrounding a mink farm can be made either with bricks or -with sheets of corrugated, galvanized iron. The latter material makes -an excellent wall, and costs less than a brick wall. It should be used -in sheets measuring twelve feet in length by about twenty-six inches -in width. These sheets should be used in an upright position, and at -least five feet should be underground and seven feet aboveground. They -should be allowed to lap two inches, and the dirt should be firmly -packed against them. Two rows of wooden strips nailed on the outside -of the wall, one about two feet above the ground, and the other along -the top edge of the sheets, will greatly strengthen the wall and also -prevent the wind from shaking it. - -[Illustration: A Young Female Mink Walking Along the Walls of a -Small Farm.] - -The following photograph shows a small pentagonal farm, the walls of -which are made with sheets of corrugated, galvanized iron. Each side -measures sixteen feet in length, extending four feet underground and -four feet aboveground. Wire netting is used to cover the farm, not to -prevent the minks from jumping over, although the walls are too low, -but to prevent chickens, cats and buzzards from entering and eating -the food put in for the minks. A wooden shed also covers a part of the -small farm and serves to keep out some of the rain and heat, there -being no shrubs or trees therein. There are two small troughs in the -ground for holding water, and in the center of the farm there is a -place for the minks to live during the day, which consists of boards -laid five inches above the surface of the ground with about fourteen -inches of dirt on top. Under these boards it is dark during the day -and always damp and cool. There are also several barrels in this farm -filled with corn shucks and hay for the minks to enter during cold -weather. The minks in this little farm are fed with the spleen of -cattle, different meats, crayfish and other small fishes. The cost of -this farm, or pen, which has been used for experimental purposes only, -amounts to approximately forty-two dollars. It is large enough to -raise two hundred minks if they are properly fed and cared for. - -[Illustration: A Small Mink Farm.] - -[Illustration: Part of Interior of Small Farm, Showing Boards With -Dirt on Top for the Minks to Live Under During the Day.] - -Sometimes an island can be used for a farm even when it has opposite -shores or islands within two hundred feet or less, provided the water -surrounding it has an average depth of from four to six feet. In such -a case, the walls inclosing the island should be built in the water at -a distance of fifty or one hundred feet from its shores. Sheets of -metal should be used, as previously described, by placing them upright -in the water and nailing them together with strips running along the -outside. It is not essential that the lower wall should be in the -ground or even touching it; posts can be driven in the ground to -strengthen the wall, or to support it entirely. - -[Illustration: A Mink Farm Made Out of an Island. The Water -Surrounding Has a Uniform Depth of Five Feet.] - -In a small farm where minks are in close captivity and have to be fed, -the old ones used for the purpose of stocking it will at first do -considerable digging near the walls. They will dig into loose earth to -a depth ranging from a few inches to three feet in their attempts to -liberate themselves. But they will cease to dig after they have been -in captivity for about four months. Those born in a farm will not dig -or try to get out. They will climb, however, to a height of fifteen -feet on reclining trees or on bushes, and for this reason all trees, -bushes and pieces of lumber should be removed from the inside of the -walls before any minks are turned loose in a farm. They will -ordinarily jump to a height of four feet. They can climb wooden walls -as swiftly as a cat, or any wall made of soft material. - -[Illustration: Disturbed in Her Sleep. Notice the Bushy Tail.] - -The following sketch shows the very best mink farm that can be made. -It requires a rectangular piece of land of five or ten acres, running -along and separated by a large bayou in the swamps of Louisiana. -Covering this land there should be the necessary trees, shrubbery and -grasses. The walls are built along the bayou about one hundred feet -from the middle, and extend underground to a depth of six feet. The -walls at the ends of the farm where they cross the bayou should be -very carefully constructed. At these places where the walls cross the -bayou should have a depth of at least twelve feet or more, so that the -walls can be made to extend nine feet below the water surface for -one-third the width of the stream and still have sufficient openings -below the walls to permit the water to flow through freely. For -example, if the bayou is fifty feet wide, fifteen feet of the wall -crossing it can be elevated so that there will be a large-enough -opening below for the water to flow. The remaining portion of the wall -(that lying near the shore) should be driven in the ground for about -one foot, as minks will not dig under water. A farm of five acres, -similar to the one just described, would cost, completed, -approximately eight hundred dollars. The minks in such a farm, owing -to the continuous change of water in the bayou, would always have an -abundance of food. The banks of the bayou would afford a natural -breeding-place, as minks usually burrow in the banks of small streams -or along canals and have their young near the water. If the water in -the bayou falls, wire netting could be used over the opening at the -ends below the walls. - -[Illustration: A Mink Farm Inclosing Portion of a Bayou, Allowing the -Water to Flow Through.] - -[Illustration: An Angry Mink.] - - - "Minks eat birds, small mammals and eggs. The principal food of - minks comes from water, fish, frogs, crayfish."--_International - Encyclopædia._ - - -The minks I have been experimenting with have persistently refused to -eat frogs. I penned one up separately and attempted to feed her on -frogs only, and I believe she would have starved rather than eat -frogs. - -Minks can be raised in any kind of pen or cage, and water is not -essential to their happiness. They are easily tamed and like to be -petted. - - - - -Habits of the Mink in Louisiana - - -Minks in Louisiana have two litters a season, the -number of young in each brood varying from four to eight. Sometimes, -however, but very rarely, there will be only two in a brood, and -almost as infrequently, on the other hand, there will be three litters -a season instead of two. Captive animals breed more profusely than the -wild, and will occasionally have three litters where they are in close -captivity. They begin to breed when they are about one year old, and -in captivity will raise an average of fourteen a year. Normally, they -live to be about nine years old, but they will live longer in -captivity where they are well treated and given all the water and the -different foods required by them. - -Like all other industries, the business of breeding minks for their -fur necessitates an outlay of capital. A farm cannot be built without -money, and the cost of one sufficiently large to breed minks -profitably ranges from five hundred to a thousand dollars. Of course, -a farm can be made any size and costing any amount of money; but large -farms are not necessary, and it is much better to have several small -farms of six or ten acres than one very large one. - -[Illustration: A Female Mink Resting With Eyes Open.] - -After a farm is completed it has to be stocked, and the task is no -easy or inexpensive one. Trappers will have to be employed to trap -minks with No. 1 steel traps, as these small traps do not injure them -very much unless they are permitted to remain caught too long. Those -that have badly-broken bones should not be bought, as suffering will -cause them to eat their leg off, in which case they will always die. - -The author intends to organize a company styled the "Louisiana Mink -Company," the objects and purposes of which shall be to build mink -farms and to breed minks in this State for their fur. - -No matter what capital is involved, or expense incurred, in entering -into the business of breeding minks for their fur, the returns will be -so big that this will appear small in comparison. And those who are so -fortunate as to start in the industry now will, when minks will have -become so rare that trapping will be unprofitable, and the demand so -great that the prices for mink fur will soar higher and higher--those -persons, I say, of foresight, who had the good fortune to start in the -business early, will reap each year the steady advances in the price -of mink fur, and be able, in a word, to command the fur market of both -Europe and America. - - - - -Transcriber's Notes - -All obvious typographical corrections were made. All original spelling -and gramatic constructs were retained. Some images were moved to -rejoin split paragraphs. Where the first letter in a paragraph was -displayed in Old English font, it was assumed that represented a new -"section". - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Breeding minks in Louisiana for their -fur, by William Andre Elfer - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BREEDING MINKS IN LOUISIANA *** - -***** This file should be named 40157-8.txt or 40157-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/1/5/40157/ - -Produced by Tom Cosmas and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Breeding minks in Louisiana for their fur - -Author: William Andre Elfer - -Release Date: July 7, 2012 [EBook #40157] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BREEDING MINKS IN LOUISIANA *** - - - - -Produced by Tom Cosmas and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40157 ***</div> <div class="fig_center" style="width: 241px;"> <a name="cover" id="cover"></a> @@ -100,7 +61,7 @@ Internet Archive) <p class="caption3">BY</p> -<p class="caption2 smcap">William André Elfer</p> +<p class="caption2 smcap">William André Elfer</p> <p class="center">FOR SALE BY THE<br /> <span class="gesspert">GESSNER CO.</span>,<br /> @@ -157,7 +118,7 @@ the Adjacent Fur.</p> </div> <p class="justify">or the following description of the American mink I am indebted -to the Encyclopædia +to the Encyclopædia Britannica:</p> <p class="blkquot">"In size it much resembles the English @@ -592,7 +553,7 @@ Water to Flow Through.</p> <p class="blkquot">"Minks eat birds, small mammals and eggs. The principal food of minks comes from water, -fish, frogs, crayfish."—<i>International Encyclopædia.</i></p> +fish, frogs, crayfish."—<i>International Encyclopædia.</i></p> <p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span></p> @@ -707,389 +668,6 @@ and gramatic constructs were retained. Some images were moved to rejoin split paragraphs.</p> </div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Breeding minks in Louisiana for their -fur, by William Andre Elfer - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BREEDING MINKS IN LOUISIANA *** - -***** This file should be named 40157-h.htm or 40157-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/1/5/40157/ - -Produced by Tom Cosmas and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Breeding minks in Louisiana for their fur - -Author: William Andre Elfer - -Release Date: July 7, 2012 [EBook #40157] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BREEDING MINKS IN LOUISIANA *** - - - - -Produced by Tom Cosmas and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -Breeding Minks in Louisiana - -FOR THEIR FUR - - -A Profitable Industry - - -[Illustration] - - -BY - -WILLIAM ANDRE ELFER - - -FOR SALE BY THE -GESSNER CO., -611 CANAL ST., NEW ORLEANS, LA. - - -COPYRIGHTED -BY -W. A. ELFER -1909 - - -Press of J. G. Hauser -"The Legal Printer" -620-622 Poydras St. -New Orleans - - - - -PREFACE - - -This little volume is issued in illustration of the feasibility of -breeding minks in Louisiana for their fur. It is the result of -experiments conducted by the author himself, and he feels that it -should be of interest to many and of value to the few who are looking -for fields for profitable investment. It is the author's aim to issue -a more elaborate work on the same subject sometime during the early -part of next year. - -W. A. E. - -[Illustration: A Louisiana Mink. Notice the Small Eyes, and the Low, -Rounded Ears, Scarcely Projecting Beyond the Adjacent Fur.] - - -For the following description of the American mink I am indebted to -the Encyclopaedia Britannica: - - "In size it much resembles the English polecat--the length of the - head and body being usually from fifteen to eighteen inches; that - of the tail to the end of the hair about nine inches. The female is - considerably smaller than the male. The tail is bushy, but tapering - at the end. The ears are small, low, rounded, and scarcely project - beyond the adjacent fur. The pelage consists of a dense, soft, - matted under-fur, mixed with long, stiff, lustrous hairs on all - parts of the body and tail. The gloss is greatest on the upper - parts; on the tail the bristly hairs predominate. Northern - specimens have the finest and most glistening pelage; in those - from the southern regions there is less difference between the - under- and over-fur, and the whole pelage is coarser and harsher. - In color, different specimens present a considerable range of - variation, but the animal is ordinarily of a rich, dark brown, - scarcely or not paler below than on the general upper parts; but - the back is usually the darkest, and the tail is nearly black. The - under jaw, from the chin about as far back as the angle of the - mouth, is generally white. In the European mink the upper lip is - also white, but, as this occasionally occurs in American specimens, - it fails as an absolutely distinguishing character. Besides the - white on the chin, there are often other irregular white patches on - the under parts of the body. In very rare instances the tail is - tipped with white. The fur, like that of most of the animals of the - group to which it belongs, is an important article of commerce." - - -The fur market has always been a good market. It has grown firmer and -stronger from year to year, while the prices for furs have been -advancing steadily and rapidly with the growing demand for furs in -Europe and America, and with the general increasing scarcity of all -fur-bearing animals. Mink fur advanced about fifty per cent. during -the last two seasons, and there is every reason to believe that the -mink fur in Louisiana will advance to about six dollars within the -coming three years. The minks caught in Louisiana last season were -sold at an average price of three dollars. - -[Illustration: Resting in a Warm Place. Notice the Long Body -and Its Shape.] - -[Illustration: In a Position to Jump. Notice the Long Tail.] - - -Fur-bearing animals are becoming scarce where they were once so -plentiful, and, like the buffaloes that roamed this country in such -great numbers, they will soon, many of them, become extinct if the -present rate of trapping continues to obtain in America. Already -certain fur animals are almost trapped out and are rare. Even the -alligator, which was so plentiful a few years ago in the swamps of -Louisiana, is hardly sought after any more for its hide because of its -scarcity. - -The laws enacted by the various State legislatures for the protection -of fur-bearing animals, in fact, offer no protection; for most furs -caught out of season have no market value, and for that reason are not -caught. - -In Louisiana a trapper has to procure a hunting license if he wishes -to carry a gun while trapping, which license costs only one dollar and -is good for one season only. Such a low license, while it may bring a -large revenue to the State, clearly has no element of protection in -it. On the contrary, it is a truth that it stimulates both hunting and -trapping, as there were more trappers in Louisiana last season than -before the law requiring this license came into effect. Every trapper -procures a hunting license whether he carries a gun or not, and most -trappers believe the law requires them to have this license to trap. - -Whatever is being done for the protection of fur-bearing animals in -Louisiana, the fact remains that they are fast disappearing. Old and -experienced trappers will tell you that minks were very difficult to -trap last season as compared with the seasons of a few years ago, when -they could be so easily trapped in dead-falls. Raccoons, too, which -were so numerous in the rear of old cornfields during the trapping -seasons, have diminished at a surprising rate within the last three -years. - -[Illustration: A Female of Two Years.] - -While laws are being adopted by different States for the regulation of -trapping to protect fur-bearing animals, it is time for those who -expect to make money with fur in the future to begin raising their own -animals. The time is almost here when trapping will be unprofitable. -Fur animals will be too scarce to make anything at it. Then people -will have to build farms in which to breed minks for their fur, and -mink farms will become common. Minks are the most valuable fur-bearing -animals in Louisiana, being the most numerous, and they are also the -easiest and most profitable to breed for their fur. - -Breeding minks in Louisiana for their fur can be made a very -profitable industry. There is more to be made at it than raising -horses, hogs or cattle. After a farm is once completed and stocked, -all expense is about over if there is a large-enough pond in it to -supply the minks with sufficient food. Under the present condition of -the fur market, each female will average a profit of forty dollars a -year. A farm stocked for the first time during the winter with five -hundred female minks should bring its owner the following winter -approximately twenty thousand dollars. This is figured at three -dollars a fur; but within three years the mink fur in Louisiana should -be selling for what the mink fur in the North sold last season. With -this increase in the price of fur, a farm stocked with the same number -should bring forty thousand dollars. - -[Illustration: The Fur During the Summer Is Very Poor, and Not So -Dark as It Is During the Winter.] - -[Illustration: An Excited Mink Trying to Climb.] - -Minks require little room, and thousands can be raised each year on a -farm of ten acres. The larger the farm, however, the better chances -they will have to procure food for themselves, as birds will enter a -large farm more freely than a small one. - -For this reason, in building a mink farm the first and most important -requirement is a good location. A small island consisting of low land -covered with trees and grasses, with the opposite shore at least -three-quarters of a mile distant, would make an excellent farm, -provided the surrounding water supplies an abundance of small fishes. -Such an island would, of course, preclude the necessity of using -material for holding the minks in captivity. If a suitable island -cannot be found, a good farm can be made with five or more acres of -low swampy land having a natural growth of trees, grasses and -underbrush, such as can be found in Southern Louisiana. But the piece -of land selected for a farm must inclose a large pond, or several -small ponds, containing a good quantity of small fishes, especially -crayfish. The trees and grasses will attract birds, which, in addition -to fish and rabbits, form a large part of food for the minks. - -Feeding minks is pretty costly, and is hardly to be considered by one -entering the business of breeding them for their fur. - -The walls surrounding a mink farm can be made either with bricks or -with sheets of corrugated, galvanized iron. The latter material makes -an excellent wall, and costs less than a brick wall. It should be used -in sheets measuring twelve feet in length by about twenty-six inches -in width. These sheets should be used in an upright position, and at -least five feet should be underground and seven feet aboveground. They -should be allowed to lap two inches, and the dirt should be firmly -packed against them. Two rows of wooden strips nailed on the outside -of the wall, one about two feet above the ground, and the other along -the top edge of the sheets, will greatly strengthen the wall and also -prevent the wind from shaking it. - -[Illustration: A Young Female Mink Walking Along the Walls of a -Small Farm.] - -The following photograph shows a small pentagonal farm, the walls of -which are made with sheets of corrugated, galvanized iron. Each side -measures sixteen feet in length, extending four feet underground and -four feet aboveground. Wire netting is used to cover the farm, not to -prevent the minks from jumping over, although the walls are too low, -but to prevent chickens, cats and buzzards from entering and eating -the food put in for the minks. A wooden shed also covers a part of the -small farm and serves to keep out some of the rain and heat, there -being no shrubs or trees therein. There are two small troughs in the -ground for holding water, and in the center of the farm there is a -place for the minks to live during the day, which consists of boards -laid five inches above the surface of the ground with about fourteen -inches of dirt on top. Under these boards it is dark during the day -and always damp and cool. There are also several barrels in this farm -filled with corn shucks and hay for the minks to enter during cold -weather. The minks in this little farm are fed with the spleen of -cattle, different meats, crayfish and other small fishes. The cost of -this farm, or pen, which has been used for experimental purposes only, -amounts to approximately forty-two dollars. It is large enough to -raise two hundred minks if they are properly fed and cared for. - -[Illustration: A Small Mink Farm.] - -[Illustration: Part of Interior of Small Farm, Showing Boards With -Dirt on Top for the Minks to Live Under During the Day.] - -Sometimes an island can be used for a farm even when it has opposite -shores or islands within two hundred feet or less, provided the water -surrounding it has an average depth of from four to six feet. In such -a case, the walls inclosing the island should be built in the water at -a distance of fifty or one hundred feet from its shores. Sheets of -metal should be used, as previously described, by placing them upright -in the water and nailing them together with strips running along the -outside. It is not essential that the lower wall should be in the -ground or even touching it; posts can be driven in the ground to -strengthen the wall, or to support it entirely. - -[Illustration: A Mink Farm Made Out of an Island. The Water -Surrounding Has a Uniform Depth of Five Feet.] - -In a small farm where minks are in close captivity and have to be fed, -the old ones used for the purpose of stocking it will at first do -considerable digging near the walls. They will dig into loose earth to -a depth ranging from a few inches to three feet in their attempts to -liberate themselves. But they will cease to dig after they have been -in captivity for about four months. Those born in a farm will not dig -or try to get out. They will climb, however, to a height of fifteen -feet on reclining trees or on bushes, and for this reason all trees, -bushes and pieces of lumber should be removed from the inside of the -walls before any minks are turned loose in a farm. They will -ordinarily jump to a height of four feet. They can climb wooden walls -as swiftly as a cat, or any wall made of soft material. - -[Illustration: Disturbed in Her Sleep. Notice the Bushy Tail.] - -The following sketch shows the very best mink farm that can be made. -It requires a rectangular piece of land of five or ten acres, running -along and separated by a large bayou in the swamps of Louisiana. -Covering this land there should be the necessary trees, shrubbery and -grasses. The walls are built along the bayou about one hundred feet -from the middle, and extend underground to a depth of six feet. The -walls at the ends of the farm where they cross the bayou should be -very carefully constructed. At these places where the walls cross the -bayou should have a depth of at least twelve feet or more, so that the -walls can be made to extend nine feet below the water surface for -one-third the width of the stream and still have sufficient openings -below the walls to permit the water to flow through freely. For -example, if the bayou is fifty feet wide, fifteen feet of the wall -crossing it can be elevated so that there will be a large-enough -opening below for the water to flow. The remaining portion of the wall -(that lying near the shore) should be driven in the ground for about -one foot, as minks will not dig under water. A farm of five acres, -similar to the one just described, would cost, completed, -approximately eight hundred dollars. The minks in such a farm, owing -to the continuous change of water in the bayou, would always have an -abundance of food. The banks of the bayou would afford a natural -breeding-place, as minks usually burrow in the banks of small streams -or along canals and have their young near the water. If the water in -the bayou falls, wire netting could be used over the opening at the -ends below the walls. - -[Illustration: A Mink Farm Inclosing Portion of a Bayou, Allowing the -Water to Flow Through.] - -[Illustration: An Angry Mink.] - - - "Minks eat birds, small mammals and eggs. The principal food of - minks comes from water, fish, frogs, crayfish."--_International - Encyclopaedia._ - - -The minks I have been experimenting with have persistently refused to -eat frogs. I penned one up separately and attempted to feed her on -frogs only, and I believe she would have starved rather than eat -frogs. - -Minks can be raised in any kind of pen or cage, and water is not -essential to their happiness. They are easily tamed and like to be -petted. - - - - -Habits of the Mink in Louisiana - - -Minks in Louisiana have two litters a season, the -number of young in each brood varying from four to eight. Sometimes, -however, but very rarely, there will be only two in a brood, and -almost as infrequently, on the other hand, there will be three litters -a season instead of two. Captive animals breed more profusely than the -wild, and will occasionally have three litters where they are in close -captivity. They begin to breed when they are about one year old, and -in captivity will raise an average of fourteen a year. Normally, they -live to be about nine years old, but they will live longer in -captivity where they are well treated and given all the water and the -different foods required by them. - -Like all other industries, the business of breeding minks for their -fur necessitates an outlay of capital. A farm cannot be built without -money, and the cost of one sufficiently large to breed minks -profitably ranges from five hundred to a thousand dollars. Of course, -a farm can be made any size and costing any amount of money; but large -farms are not necessary, and it is much better to have several small -farms of six or ten acres than one very large one. - -[Illustration: A Female Mink Resting With Eyes Open.] - -After a farm is completed it has to be stocked, and the task is no -easy or inexpensive one. Trappers will have to be employed to trap -minks with No. 1 steel traps, as these small traps do not injure them -very much unless they are permitted to remain caught too long. Those -that have badly-broken bones should not be bought, as suffering will -cause them to eat their leg off, in which case they will always die. - -The author intends to organize a company styled the "Louisiana Mink -Company," the objects and purposes of which shall be to build mink -farms and to breed minks in this State for their fur. - -No matter what capital is involved, or expense incurred, in entering -into the business of breeding minks for their fur, the returns will be -so big that this will appear small in comparison. And those who are so -fortunate as to start in the industry now will, when minks will have -become so rare that trapping will be unprofitable, and the demand so -great that the prices for mink fur will soar higher and higher--those -persons, I say, of foresight, who had the good fortune to start in the -business early, will reap each year the steady advances in the price -of mink fur, and be able, in a word, to command the fur market of both -Europe and America. - - - - -Transcriber's Notes - -All obvious typographical corrections were made. All original spelling -and gramatic constructs were retained. Some images were moved to -rejoin split paragraphs. Where the first letter in a paragraph was -displayed in Old English font, it was assumed that represented a new -"section". - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Breeding minks in Louisiana for their -fur, by William Andre Elfer - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BREEDING MINKS IN LOUISIANA *** - -***** This file should be named 40157.txt or 40157.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/1/5/40157/ - -Produced by Tom Cosmas and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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