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MERICA is to lead the world in furs! Henceforth the United States I to dye, dress and sell her own sealskins, and with- in Rar own borders. A factory is now ~ - built for this purpose in St. -~ with experts 2 R Once this brand-new Industry is fair- 1y jaunched, St. Louls may proudly claim ihe distinction of being the een- | ter of the fur trade of the world. Al- ready ranking third among- the fur markets, circumstances arising from the European war have conspired to place the crown of fur leadership upon | the brow of that eity, with a yearly ! value that promises ten to'twelve mil- lion dollars. ? * S * ¥ Soon the lordly sealskins,:whose pro- hibitive cost has kept them away above the reach of the ordinary purse, even when the Christmas spirit pulls the strings wide apart, must perforce de- scend from their dizzy heights as for- tune's fawored tag, the label of wealth and affluence, and be found upon. the gift list of the many instead of the favored few. Because of the increase of popula- tion that has steadily pioneered into the remotest wooded wildernesses of the country, encroaching more and more upon the natural habitat of the fur-bearing animals ahd reducing their breeding places, furs have steadily diminished and their prices have cor- respondingly soared, until the posses- sion of fur garments of fine quality has become the exception rather than the rule, save among the wealthy. Though the trappers have penstrated farther and farther into the uninhabit- ed regions of the north and have re-1 their efforts to Increase their yearly collection of peits, it has been iong since the supply met the demand, and the result has been that many in- ferior skins have been used as sub- stitutes. The fact that the natural production of first-class furs was in danger of ex- haustion has caused the government to take drastic measures to conserve its seals and to go Into fur farming upon an extensive scale as soon as It was demonstrated that various ani- mals could be sufficiently domesticated for this purpose. This has now as- sumed the proportions of a vast indus- try that is worth millions of dollars annually to the government, as wes demonstrated most forcibly by the re- cent auction of government furs, Oc- tober 21, 1915, at St. Louis, Mo., when $61,214.50 came to the United States Treasury from 648 skins, all but seven- ty of which were fox skins. * * * Fox farming, by the way, s merely Ticidental to the main fur industry fostered by the goversiment, which Is that of the seal raising. Seventy beaver skins, which brought $892.50, were con- fiscated by the authorities because they were taken during the closed season, end the balance of the stock put up at auction were blue and white fox skins, for which record prices were obtained. Bixty-five white foxskins brought $1,59¢ and the 513 blue foxskins the sum of $58,726. Immediately after the government skins were disposed of silver foxskins were sold at fabulous prices. One pair of Alaskan silver fox. pelts brought $2,610 and other pairs brought from $1,850, $1,370, $1,270 down to $1,060. No sealskins were offered at the auc- tion, and the reason was most signifi- cant, in view lof the facts that the United States is the greatest fur-seal producing country in the world, and it the same time the most extensive purchaser of the finished fur. to_find, when The reajon is not hard It is e bered thaseSt. Louis is to be the great fur market of the world, London, so long the autocrat of the earth, as the selling place of virtually all of the raw fur commodities, must step down from her place of eminence, since the English pound has ceaszed to be the stan exchange in the world’s eommerce, The haughty lion has giyen place to the American cagle, tor now the standard of exchange in the world's commerce is the American dollar, which is drawing the world's{ trade to Ameriea. Then, too, Leipzig, Germany, in the past the largest buying and distribut- mf market v 1o for furs, will scarcely, for ng time at least, care to market in London for her fur supplies, because of the animosities engendered by the war ralations of the two countries. Leipzig has also been a large purchaser direct trom Russia, which is 8130 a great fur- producing nation. - - * * Both America and Russia, as the greatest fur-producing countries of the rarth, have heretofore sent all of their arplus furs to London to be sold at inction; and Leipzig has been the prin- sipal purchaser. After the war is over it is unlikely that Russja will care to mmediately resume the trading rela- lons of the past, and the plan of this overnment is to take advantage of. s psychological moment in the gen- PATR BrenTTNE %m. e ILVER TOXES, THE ONES Ma L - Gov};?anmmorr FNUAL BANQUET O THE STl VISITING EIN OR, =S TO ° THE PUBLIC AUCTION R st eral upheaval of commerce and to con- centrate the surplus of American furs in the St. Louis market; then to en- deavor to draw to it also the surplus| of Russian furs. By marketing the world's supply of furs in St. Louis, a large attendance of buyers from foreign countries will be attracted, among_ them, undoubtedly, the buyers from Leipzig. Russia will be glad to have her furs sold here in a neutral country, in order that they may reach the attention of the world's buy- ers, 8o she may get the best price for them. Such is the scheme. The government, which s constantly working to enlarge the output, enhance the value of the products and increasa the industries of the United States, has grasped at this logical moment of commercial disruption to establish def- initely at St. Louis a market for its own furs. Moreover, it has concluded to see to it that all' profit remains in the country. To this end it has entered into a limited contract with Funston Brothers & Co. of St. Louls, who conducted the recent auction, to sell at auction to all buyers who may come its production ¢f sealskins for tho next five years. A ‘consideration of this contract is that this company is to see that the sealskins are dyed and dressed in the ited States before selling them; and this is to be done according to the best method known to the fur trade. Hence this firm has secured one of the few ex- perts of the world on the dyeing and dressing of sealsking—which process, by the way, Is a secret at present, to but one man in this country —and brought over a skilled staf of workers from a famous London estab- lishment, all ready to begin work as soon as’the factory, now under con- struction, is completed. Thia 48 done at this particular time in order to prevent the deterioration of about 8,000 sealskins which the gov- ernment now has in cold storage for safe keeping. * * % Concerning this new venture, to ‘which such impetus has been given, Dr, Hugh M. Smith, director of the bureau of fisheries, said recently: “It s but natural that the United States should sell its own sealskins, and dye and dress its own -furs. This is something which it has never done. i We have aiways sent our sealskins to| London, there we have pald to bave them dyed and dressed and have brought them home again, paying duty on their return and other charges on account of doubfe transportation. All of these various charges added about 52 per cent to the cost of the raw skins; 80 that by the time the fur came back to America, ready to be made up into garments, it cost more than one-half above its price when purchased as a raw skin. “With this new plan to sell and pre- pare our furs right here in this coun- try, we not only establish a new indus- try for our people to learn, but we also expect that it will return greater profit to the government on the sale of the 8kins, while at the same time reducin, the expenses incident to the dyeing an dressing. And the finished fur will un- doubtedly be sold to the American con- sumer or purchaser at a lower cost than has ever before been the case. “The recent auction in St. Louis was the first public auction of government furs to occur in this coun marks an epoch In the comilercial history of the land. Two years ago, however, there was a. private sale of a few sealskins that led up to the plan now in operation. It was a suc- cess, and better prices were obtained SR gL than had been secured abroad; the government thus got more for its furs and the process of solling cost less. Last year there was no sale, becauss there was no market, and Congress authorized the withholding of it. This sale, the other month, attracted buyers from Germany, France, England, Aus- tria and Canada. * - % . The ralsing of foxes and the seal fur production are both enterprises carried on by the government by vir- tue ‘of Iits ownership of the Pribilof Islands, which are small scraps of land in Bering sea, 300 miles west of the Alaskan mainland and 200 miles north of the chain of Aleutian Islands, that stretch out in the north Pacif toward the coast of Asia. These is- lands, two of which are more than twelve miles long, and two others mere heaps of -rock, comprise the summer home and breeding place of the largest herd of seal in the world. They are also the home of the rare blue foxes, found elsewhere only occasionally. Although the value of these Islands was appreciated, because of the sei in 1367, when Alaska was purchased trom Russia, it was thought best to SEA OTTER, DRAVER | LYNX AND ERIMING ON DISPLAYAT N Fuwsresy Saur. Srlovis US.GOVERNRMESRTE - - * UE AND WANTE IOXES ; GRADED AND BUYERS TLED, RTADY.To SHow To live part of the year on the great num- ber of eggs and birds that swarm over them in the ne ba! in great measure. the fox herd has been close! ly, associated with and in Some respects dependent upon the sealing, and during the closed season it suf- fered considerably. It is belfeved that when the killing of the seals is re- sumed the fox packs may be increased materially. Fur farming came about through the scarcity of tl first-class fur-bearing animals, and the biue fox was the first animal to be scientifically reared in this way. The results of the first ex- periments were a universal surprise, ner skins ~were obtained from the captive bred than have ever . the fur of the caught in the remotest wilderness. blue fox or, arctic fox reaches ec- tion in the ‘winter time, when it is the for this is that longest. The wild animal frequently for 1 reason fe less habit of basking in the sun. While warmth of his body melts the ice, which Uips of'the longest of his hairs. When behind. But when these animals are them on the fur farms, it is said that spofls his beautiful coat by his thought- the sun does mot hurt his fur, the ) ily freezes again and incloses the e rises these are pulled out and left kept within the inclosures providea for they do not thus lose their hairs. According to a recent bulletin issued by the Department of Agriculture, the name “silver fox” as ordinarily used by furriers includes the dark phases of the leave the seal raising in the hands of experienced sealers, and the aeal- ing rights were thereupon leased. For & mnumber of years this arrangement lasted, but in 1910. the leass was not renewed and the govérnment proceeded to manage, through the bureau of fish- - - eries, its affalrs on these far-away |ordinary red fox, called silver, silver al and fox Islam Investigation | gray, silver black or black. The mar- showed a tremendou that ket value of the skins of the warious of the animal. The beauty and searcity of the animal. The beauty and ecarcity of the silver fox have made it the most valuable of fur animals. The silver fox was at first success- fully domesticated in 1884 on Prince Island. In 1910 the pelts from ranch-reared foxes brought higher prices than those of the wild animals, the average boing over $1,300 each. The rates for live animals for the stock farms soared into prohibitive fig- ures, but the Buropean war ha brought them down considerably. The high values placed upon these animals bave in a close study of them in the different stages of domestication, which has disclosed facts of great val- ue in fox farming. A fox ranch should be situated where it will have good drainage and- be shaded In part by trees. Bach pair of n needed more rigid management. to de- velop Its possibilities. For instance, under the old leasing system, they would in 1910 have pro- duced 3180,000, whereas they actually aid turn into the Treasury $400,000. A closed season for the purpose of build- ing Ilg the depleted seal herd was cov- ered by an act of Congress, and this, in turn, was abolished by the treaty in _December of . 1911, the parties to ‘which were the United States, Great Britain, Russia and Japan, the only countries engaged in the sealing Industry. By the terms of this treaty the United States, in peturn-for the stopping of all sea sealing, is to have entire control of the land sealing and to pay to Great Britain and Japan 1§ per. cent each of the total skins taken. It is expected that killi berd will shortly be resumed. large islands have places of large packs of foxes which | foxes should have s runway of about {2,500 square feet on & | diet that ductive pericd is about ten years the average litter contains four cubs. They bear their captivity well and are not difficult to care for. Because of the exceedingly high valwe set upon silver foxes, many precautions are taken to avold thé'r loss. On some of the larger, more prosperous farms the animals are regularly examined by & & tor and guarded by watchmen, bulldoge and burglar alarms. Cats are kept om ihand to act as foster-mothers to orphes | cubs. Fox hounds are trained to over- |take and hold, without injuring ¢ {any runaway foxes that have |and bicodhounds are employed to traek | thieves that would steal them. - . * Most surprising of all of the data to be had on the subject of fur farming, fur buying, etc., is thaf\which concerns fur selections. For it would Indeed be & wise animal that would know Iits own hide under cover of the names and gulses by which it is made to masquerade. Much red fox goes to big stores as black fox, and all of the other fur-coated animais of lesser value are utflized to make up ts called by & name of an animal that they probably never eves met in the whole course of their lifetime— for imstance, the family house cat, the dog, rabbit or goat. Of them all, however, the Angora goat takes the prize for the variety of uses to which it is put. Many of the b robes, sold as wild animal fur, are not ing more than Angora goat skins dyed. Many of the monkey-skin muffs and coats wofn by women are only straight-haire® goat skins dyed black. There is no other animal that can supply the great varfety of demands for substitutes for high-class furs better than the Angora goat. Whem its hair is one month old it is scarcely told from astrakhan, after it mux:... dyed biack. If taken a little it to represept either tha sccording to the can be made polar or the black bear, kind of dye used. Another use for the Angora goat skin is in the making of lace trimmings, which command a price per yard equivaleat to $15 for a single hide. = Still another use is In the making of floor ete. The market value of Joose goat skins is about $2 aplece for well haired skins. ttempts are bel made to uu: by means skunk, mink and sable ranches or farms adapted to their habits; and unless these plans are successful it is claimed that these animals are doomed to extinction. Another animal to be ex- p;filr:onl‘d upon in captivity is the chine el THIS EXACTING HOUSEKEEPER T OW would you like to be stch an exacting housekeeper that you would wash your dishes twice and rinse them In al lilled water; use glass cooking utens Hls because they may be kept cleaner han any others; measure all of the in~ jredients of your fo0od to a portion of } srafn or gram, and keep a detailed lceount of all your cooking so that rou could tell without fall how many unces of heat or drops of water were Jut into yesterday's heef bouillon? hat any one ‘would possibly have the )atience to kéep house in such a way. Tet Miss Agnes Quirk of the Depart- aent of Agriculture follows a proced- ire of this kind every day In the pains- @king manner that it requires, and hinks littla about its extraordinary b and it is her duty to supply the food material for the bacteria which this laboratory studies. She has three as- sistants, who aid her in running her kitchen; nevertheless she personally buys all of the cooking materials and prepares all of the bacterial media— as this kind of foodstuff is scientifi- cally called. Bacterial diseases of plants are studied ‘in the laboratory of plant pathology, and all sorts of experi- ments are made in each of the indi- vidual cases to determine the natur of the organisms which cause the ai eases. For this reason, an enormous mount of bacterial media is used by the pathologists during a year. To be exact, 8,500 test tubes full are needed every month, and as all varieties of media are employed it is necessary that Miss Quirk follow the most exact methods. Her workroom is a_combination scul- lery, kitchen, pantry, stock cupboard and; apothecary shop. Here, in_her double capacity of chief cook and head purse in -this. pathological establish- ment, she follows serupulously the di rections given in regard to the bac- terin's diet. A glance at Miss Quirk's pantry will veal & stock of pre; food, some ‘which differs little- u} name or com- tion from that which appears on table in any ordinary home, Beef agar is one of the most popular dishes she prepares. Other test tubes are filled with media made of corn- meal—which might be considered the bacteria’s bread—potatoes, beans, car- rots and other vegetables. Fruifs are not neglected—in this ultra-sclentific bill of fare. Orange, apple and ba- nana agar are but three of a number of fruit preparations which might qualify as scientific desserts. These media are a few of the thoue sands which are kept at hand ready for uge. Of course, in many Instances purely chemical preparations, as the layman understands them, are also made as bacterial nutrients. For this reason Miss Quirk’s apothecary shop is well stocked. It fills one entire wall of her workroom and contains samples of all the materials of hllh—“fl!\:‘fl! names which are associated with seien- tific laboratories. In Miss Quirk’'s stockroom are found her imported German copking utensils of all shapes and sizes—glass beakers, funnels and flasks, which are blown especially to resist intense heat and the solvent action of water, acids and alkaloids, for, curlously, common is quite soluble and substances dis- solved from it ms{ affect the guality of the culture media. The appearance of these. brilliant {hun utensils as they are arranged on e shelves m! excite the envy of &lass | hering to the sides and bottom of the tubes. - Iy _are ri . wi T, R 0 e o | by no means the least lmportant. Alter CARES FOR THOUSANDS OF Wwhose orderly kitchen, with its rows of polished pewter plates, was a chief source of pride. Further carrying out quisite cleanliness, -Miss Quirk uses glass tubes as spoons and glass test tubes are preserving jars. The latter she plugs with tufts of cotton after they are filled with media to keep out all contaminating air and arranges them in orderly fashion in thé set of shelves which she calls her pantry. And here is another strange thing—a tuft of otton will fliter out the germs float- & in the air. . The scullery is one of the most Inter- esting parts of her menage, not from it appearance—which differs little from any other room used for a similar purs ose—but for the process which is fol- owed there in -washing the soiled dishes. When the test tubes of media are dis- carded by the pathologists after they have served their purpose in the ex- periments with the bacteria and fung! they are sent to the scullery and wash- ed with & solution of acid, which cuts away and disinfects all bits of food ad- idea of ex- u < They -are then washed im alcohol to remove the-traces of the acid and final- distilled water to each test tube, beaker or petrie dish is rinsed and dried it is wrapped In brown paper and baked for an hour and a half at 150 degrees centigrade to|plani complete its sterilization. The reason of such exact care, Miss Quilk, explains, is obvious. The which'are studied are so minute that their characteristics are ofttimes difficult to e; if any other living matter éon- |ehe taminates them the resuits of the different ints are affected the work the factory which supplies this line of . It is a combination of preparation of one of_ the beef agar, for instance. “I use on an_ average of six rendered useless. of beef a day. I proceed to make it ac- oves,” Miss Quirk continued, ex- | cording to standard recipe for beef plaini the equipment as she ‘accom- |boulllon, with one part of the minced panied the interviewer- through-her kitch- [peef and two parts of water, giving the en, “are a bit unusual. _In addition to whi r o . use for process, ve three hich are my steamers and bakers: the autocloves which can be regulated to any high temperature and provide » u&a means one heating being sufficient ; the dry aven, mentioned as used for sterilising ware, and the steamers, which give a tem- peraturs of 100 degrees these the culture medis must Te increase the tem | the |its preparation must be recorded as BACTERIA to add chemicals according to the taste of the bacteria, which completes the process. “This, then, is my method of cookin; meat,” Miss Quirk went on to say. “in {many cases the pathologists desire to see the reaction of bacteria and fungi on cooked fruits and vegetables. ¢ such cases I wash the fruit in Alstill water and dry it. Then pieces are placed in the test tubes; these are sterilized and plugged and may be ke for an indefinite time. . " “After Rl'- checked up the different e it the number to which it corresponds in my recipe book and set it away In the pantry. Each medium bas a different recipe; each process im ' follow it. To date, I have made 8§, 36 put the jar into the wieamer |Oifferent batches of culture media, but ture 50 that the |though this sounds a formidable num- o of | ber, it is essential that each and every meat juices be extracted.~ At this |Process be ! atated exactly, In case any one else wishes to reproduce a medium for the benefit of o scientist who is re- peating an experiment. ~Though it may appear.” Miss Quirk added, “that I follow a similar line of work every day, yet problems u: for me to sol every other two ways extet for dot L me ::-.l--u:'-