Furriery

Furs in general; the trade in furs; dre ing of furs. Fur, on account of its warmth, its durability, and its beauty, is well adapted for winter clothing. In cold climates men would naturally avail themselves of the warm covering with which nature had provided the animals around him; and before they had learned the manufacture of textile fabrics, the skins of beasts furnished a convenient and easily prepared material for clothing. We find, consequently, that, excepting the sin confe ing garinents of fig-leaves, the first articles of clothing mentioned in the history of the race, are the coats of skins with which Adam and Eve were clothed on their expulsion from the garden, (Gen. iii. 21.) The Israeli tes used badgers' skins, and rams' skins dyed red, as hangings for the tabernacle, ( Ez. xxxix. 34.) Ancient heroes among the Greeks and Romans are represented as clothed in skins, and though the Romans at a later date regarded skins as the clothing of barbarous times and races, yet in the 2d or 3d century of the Christian æra, fur dre es appear to have been held in high estimation among them. There is frequent mention in ancient histories of the use of furs for clothing by various nations. The fur of the beaver, which animal was known as the Pontic dog, was in use in the 4th century; and the productivene of Siberia in furs was the chief inducement to the Ru ians to make its conquest. In early times furs appear to have constituted the whole riches of some northern countries; they were the chief articles of export, taxes were paid in them, and they were the medium of exchange. Such is still the case among the Indians of our own territories. In the 11th century furs had become fashionable throughout Europe, and the practice was adopted of dyeing them, generally of a red color. In the time of Louis IX. of France the use of furs was carried to a great pitch of extravagance, and it is said that 746 ermines were required for the lining of one of his surcoats. The use of the choicer furs, as the ermine, ., was restricted to the royal families and the nobility, and served as badges of rank. In 1337 the use of furs had become common in England. Edward III. prohibited their use to those who were not able to expend £100 per annum. In the 16th century a fur-trade was opened between the English and Ru ians, but Queen Elizabeth prohibited the wearing of foreign furs, and the trade was abandoned. The collection of furs early engaged the attention of the first settlers of the northern provinces of our own country. For tri filing compensation the Indians were induced to part with their stores of furs, and stimulated to exer tion in the chase. The French themselves became expert hunters and explorers. Forts were established in the Indian territory to control and protect the trade, and the one at Mackinaw soon became an important central point. The importance of the trade soon engaged the attention of influential parties connected with the English government. In 1670 a charter of incorporation was granted by Charles II. to Prince Rupert, the Duke of Albemarle, and others, giving them po e ion of the unoccupied territory within the entrance of Hudson's Straits. This was the origin of the Hudson's Bay Company, and their charter gave them the monopoly of all the trade in those regions. The Company claimed the entire territory north of a line from Hudson's Bay west to the Pacific, excepting the portions occupied by the Ru ians and French, and were soon in succe ful and vigorous operation. Notwithstanding the persistent opposition of the French and others, who resisted their claims, they continued to prosper, their forts were extended into the interior, and their power throughout their territory was supreme. In the latter part of last century, a new company was organized of Canadian merchants, under the name of the North West Company, with their head-quarters at Montreal. They extended their operations west to the rivers that flow to the Pacific, and erected forts or factories there about the year 1805. This company became a formidable rival of the Hudson's Bay Company in the fur-trade. They acquired po e ion of Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia River, in 1813. In 1821 the two companies were united in one, under the name of the Hudson's Bay Co. In 1855 their capital of $2,000,000 yielded a profit of about 6 per cent. Their great sales of furs take place in London in March and September of each year. Leipsic is a famous mart in this trade, and a great annual sale is held there. The prosecution of the fur-trade led to the early settlement of the western territories of the U. S. In 1762 a company was formed at New Orleans, which, in 1763, founded an establishment on the site of St. Louis, and gave it the name it now bears. It soon became a place of importance in the trade. The fur traders explored the vast regions lying west of the Mi i ippi, and no obstacles or dangers were sufficient to long check their enterprise. Their furs, collected from the most distant sources, were run in canoes down the rapids of the streams, and when nece ary packed upon men's backs for transportation around falls and shoals. At New Orleans they were exchanged for groceries, or at Mackinaw for English goods, - but little money being seen in the transactions. In 1804 the average annual value of furs collected at St. Louis, for the 15 preceding years, was $203,750. The number of deer-skins was 158,000; bear, 5,100; otter, 8,000; beaver, 36,900 lbs. Of the buffalo, which is now the most important, only 850. In 1808 the Mi ouri Fur Company was established in St. Louis, and by them the first post was established on the Columbia River. This Company was di olved in 1812. For 40 years, down to 1847, the annual value of the fur-trade to St. Louis is estimated to have been from $200,000 to $300,000; but its importance to the country at large in developing the western territories was much greater. In 1784 John Jacob Astor embarked in the fur trade. He first purchased furs in Montreal, but in 1808 he obtained a charter from the N.Y. legislature for the American Fur Co., founded with a capital of $1,000,000. In 1811 this corporation was merged in the South West Company. In 1810 Mr. Astor was a ociated with the Pacific Fur Company, and an expedition was sent out by sea to the mouth of the Columbia, and another acro the continent to the same point. Similar expeditions were to be sent each year, Mr. Astor bearing the expense, and his a ociates who devoted themselves to the enterprise receiving half the profits. Misfortunes attended the enterprise, and in 1813 his principal Canadian partner treacherously disposed of the property and settlement on the Pacific coast to the North West Company. Mr. Astor's operations were, after this, confined to the country east of the Rocky Mountains, his principal establishment being at Mackinaw. Up to 1848 the fur-trade of Minnesota was its principal busine . In 1856 the value of skins exported from St. Paul was $97,253.56. It has greatly increased since, and St. Paul is becoming a great outlet and depot for the fur-trade. The fur trade of Alaska, transferred from Ru ia to the U. S. on the purchase of this region in 1867, owes its chief value to the fur-seals of the Pribyloff Islands, which were leased to the Alaska Company in 1870, the annual catch being limited to the number of 100,000. (For further details on this subject, see BERING SEA QUESTION.) There is no restriction on the hunting of other fur-bearing animals in Alaska, this being open to individual enterprise. The following are the animals whose skins are principally used for furs. The raccoon (procyon lot or) is found in America. The fur of the beaver ( castor Ameri can us ) was formerly prized in the manufacture of hats. Cheaper materials have been substituted, and the demand has nearly ceased. It is still used for collars and gantlets. The chinchilla ( chinchilla lanigira ), an animal between the squirrel and the rabbit, is found in S. American countries. The skins of the black bear ( ursus American us), and the grizzly bear (ursus horribilis), are used for sleigh-robes, ., and of the brown bear ( U. Is a bell in us ), for articles of ladies' dre . The fisher is a N. American animal larger than the sable, with longer and fuller fur. Foxes, of which the most valuable is the black or silver. The lynx ( felis Can a dens is and F. rufa ). The marten or sable; of these the most valuable is the crown or Ru ian, the skin of the Mustela sibellina , the use of which is monopolized by the imperial family of Ru ia. The Hudson Bay sable is con the grease removed by again trampling them with sawdust. The cutter then selects from a great number of skins parts of the same shades of color, so that when put together each article may present a uniform color. Furs for felting are cleansed of flesh, damped and pre ed straight, and then sheared, by which operation the long coarse hair is cut off close to the fur. The fur is then cut off with broad knives. In the case of the fur of the beaver, it is cut with a machine, but most pelts are too uneven to permit its use. Skins taken in winter are known as seasoned, and are far superior in quality to those taken at other times, which are known as un seasoned. During the year ending June 30, 1896, the value of furs and dre ed fur-skins received from foreign countries into the U. S. amounted to $9,303,398, while our exports were valued at 3,800,168. Most of the furs of commerce are collected from the U. S. and Canada. The chief fur market of the world is London. Fur'ring, n. (Carp.) A term for slips of wood nailed to joists, rafters, ., to bring them to an even surface by lathing, . Furrow, n . [A.S. fur , furh , fyrh; Ger. furche. Cf. Lat. porca , the ridge between two furrows, so called from its resemblance to the back of a sow.) A trench in the earth made by a plough. "Then plows for seed the fruitful furrows broke." - Dryden. -A long narrow trench or channel in wood or metal; a groove. A hollow made by wrinkles in the face; as, the furrows of age. -v. a. To cut a furrow; to make furrows in; to plough.To make long, narrow channels or grooves in; to channel. To wrinkle, as the face. Fur'rowed, p . a . Cut in furrows; having longitudinal channels, grooves, or ridges. Fur'rowy, a . Full of furrows; furrowed; as, the fur rowy billows. Fur ruck a bad', (“Happy Residence,") a fortified town, and cap. of a dist., pres. Bengal, in Hindostan, abt. 1 m. from the Ganges; Lat. 27° 33′ N., Lon. 70° 33′ E. It is a neat, healthy place. Pop . 70,000. -The DISTRICT has an area of 1,909 sq. m. Products are principally cotton, tobacco, and indigo.