Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/552

 540 FUR States; while the fur of the fitch, which was at one time generally worn here, was not es- teemed in Germany ; and so the silver-gray rabbit, despised in England, was long highly prized by the mandarins of China. Several kinds of furs which commanded high prices a few years ago are now in little demand in con- sequence of having become unfashionable. The values heretofore mentioned are given by 0. G. Gunther's sons of New York, the leading dealers of the United States in manufactured furs, as the average wholesale prices for 1874, according to the London market. The greater portion of the furs of commerce are collect- ed from the North American continent. The chief fur market of the world is London. Two great semi-annual sales, attended by dealers from all parts of the world, are held in March and September, besides a sale of less impor- tance in January of each year. Two great an- nual fairs for the sale of furs and other articles are also held in Leipsic, the supply of furs be- ing largely obtained from the London sales. The larger portion of the furs sold in London are offered by the Hudson bay company and C. M. Lampson and co., the former importers and the latter commission merchants. It is estimated that the value of the furs sold annually by them and some smaller dealers is about 1,300,000, including seal skins val- ued at 400,000, all of which are the pro- duction of the United States and British America. In addition to the above, Amer- ican furs to the value of about 100,000 are annually sent direct to Germany and Rus- sia. The variety of furs in use, their relative value, and the extent of the fur trade, are in- dicated in the following table of sales in Lon- don in 18V3 of the two leading fur-dealing companies of the world: KINDS. HUDSON BAY COMPANY. C. M. LAMPSON & CO. March sale. Sep- tember sale. Total. Prices, according to quality. Estimated average price per skin. March sale. Sep- tember sale. Total. Prices, according to quality. Estimated average price per skin. Badger 2,700 5.217 111,993* 2,794 37,052 2,700 8,011 149,045 Is. 7*. 5s. 8 10*. 4s. M. 38s. 6d. a. d. 1 6 500 100 1,868 2,102 4,616 2,512 1,115 583 1,164 1.491 10,008 1,386 25,523 262 1,016 1,269 15,461 80,364 497,827 41,496 1,825 2,384 6,185 185,085 1,358 101,071 661 1.013 1,608 19,912 5,370 5,844 1,630 503 920 18,259 294 166 682 9.619 12,934 473.315 75,252 8,010 1,331 8.838 197,997 940 86,538 915 2,376 3,710 46,019t 7,8S2 6,459 2,213 1,667 2,411 10,008 1.886 48,782 556 1.182 1,951 25.080 43.298 1,665,355$ 177.792f 4,885 8,715 14,473 383,032 2,298 187,609 1,576 Is. 5s. 4td. 4s. 6 6s. 5s. 1 13s. Is. M. @ 7s. Id. @ IQd. 5s. 3 9s. 17s. 4 9s. 5s. 2 2.S. Is. 10d. 5s. Is. 6d. @ 8s. 4s. 6rf.@14s. 3d. 3 14. 3s. 3d. @ 13s. 4s. 29s. 5s. 3 6s. Is. 81s. 3d, @ 2s. Id. Id. 2Qd. 9s. 3 13s. 5 76. Id. 2d. 4d. 2. 1 @ 3 19s. Is. 9s. 6d. 5s. @ 7s. 3d. s. d. 2 6 8 10 16 3 6 250 2 10 150 2 6 2 6 8 500 8 15 150 15 10 6 250 18 2 2 300 4 6 Bear Beaver Cat, wild " domestic Fisher 2,843 90 1,818 779 'in 3,622 90 2,289 Ss. 3 5s. 18s. 4. 5s. 4. 2 10 2 10 1 10 Fox, blue " cross. . . " kitt " red " silver . . " white... Lynx 6,930 6,914 540 7,312 2,463 47,878 31,802 651,408* 1,353 148 l',652 18,955 12,896 116,488 6,930 8,297 683 7,312 4,120 66,833 44,698 767,896 2s. 8d.@ 28s. lOd. 4s. Gd. @ 17s. 3 10s. 21. 2s. 14s. 9d. 9s. 6d. @ 1 14s. 10*. @ 3 19s. 4s. 1 8s. Gd. 3d. I6d. 3 10 10 7 18 1 10 15 8 Marten Mink Musquash. . . Opossum. . . Otter 8,571 10',029* 2,681 98 8,582 11,252 93 10,029 3,582 14s. @ 3 18s. 4 10s. 32. 3d. 4d. Is. @ 3s. 3d. 2 10 15 3 " sea Babbit Raccoon Sables Skunk Wolf Wolverene. . . 1,691 6.216 1,770 "l83 320 1,691 6,404 2,090 2s. 7s. 6s. @ 2 15s. 8s. 1 Is. 4 15 15 In addition to the above, about 160,000 fur- seal skins were sold at from 5s. to 4 4s. each, the average price being about 2. There are also sold annually in London a con- siderable number of chinchilla, nutria, and er- mine skins. Besides the furs sold in London, a moderate portion of those annually collected in the United States are retained there for use, amounting to about 150,000 mink and 750,000 musquash skins; and a small number of the other furs are manufactured and worn. The number of the chief fur skins annually collected in Russia, Sweden and Norway, Ice- land, and Greenland has been estimated as follows: badger, 23,000; bear, 2,300; cat, t Including 21,491 at the January sale. 205,000; ermine, 50,000; fitch, 220,000; fox silver and cross 100, blue 6.500, white 23,000, red 85,000 ; hare, 1,200,000 ; lynx, 9,000 ; marmot, 5,000 ; marten, 60,000 ; mink, 55,000 ; otter, 9,000 ; sable, 6,000 ; seal (hair), 330,000; squirrel, 1,000,000; stone marten, 150,000; wolf, 6,000; wolverene, TOO. FUE DEESSING. As skins are sent to market they have been commonly merely dried in the sun or by a fire; but small skins are sometimes first steep- ed in a solution of alum. The object is to ren- der the pelt perfectly dry, so that when packed it shall not be liable to putrefy. When stored in large quantities the skins are carefully pro- tected from dampness. As the fur dresser re- J Including 694.213 at the January sale. jf Including 61,044 at the January sale.
 * January sales.