THE VALUE OF RABBITS AND THEIR FUR.

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1371, 24 March 1923, Page 5

THE VALUE OF RABBITS AND THEIR FUR.

(To the Editor.) j Sir.—To enlighten those interested in the conflicting reports published from time to time re the value of rabbits and their fur, I wish to give the Information 1 have collected during an experience as buyer and grader ol’ skins for the past 17 years, with the exception of four years’ war service. To commence, a report was published in various papers that prime winter skins would probably be worth £lO per hundred this year. Prime winter skins always have been worth big money, and last year at auction sales realised 10,Sd per lb for a short time. This particular grade of skins realised this money on account of being in great demand by the furrier as they are exceptionally well furred and light in the pelt, thus making up into a very valuable fur coat. Now this high priced grade of skins is only produced in Central Otago, where the frost and snow by nature causes the rabbit to grow the fur required for his own protection, and the climate in the Waikato being entirely the reverse such grades of skins here realised only 78d per lb tit the same auction. Against this again—a very important point to note there are only a very few pounds of this grade of skins in each hundred skins, the balance being composed of much inferior skins, such as spring does and second winters, which realise about 2s per lb, and these are in the great majority, together with broken and badly si retched skins at about Is to Is 6d per 111. The lower grade skins make up into a fur coat certainly, but a very shoddy one and hard to sell at [

any price; or else are used for felt hats or mats. Anyone inteersted can use their own deductions and see the true value of winter skins per hundred when graded to their value, and by these calculations it will be seen that trappers cun certainly earn good money but not to the extent often imagined that all winter skins will realise the probable price stated. Many men at different times have' thrown up good positions to go trapping. and owing to their lack of knowledge have been sad)ly disappointed when the facts were realised. Not only have these men been disappointed hut men with capital to invest in the buying of skins have been more so disappointed, being led away by the same lack of knowledge on the subject. The position in grades is much more acute in the Waikato and surrounding districts than in the South Island, as the climate here is favourable to the spring does all the year round; hut not so in the south; and as already stated, skins of springdoes realise about 2s per lb (made up into hats and mats). The prime 01 super winter doe of Central Otago is worth, say, the probable £lO per hundred, and that is the skin the furrier is after—light in the pelt and bulging with fur nearly equal to a possum pelt. The spring does here beingover 50 per cent cf the catch is the reason why the carcase has not been commercialised on any large scale, because, after all, it is the fur that pays, and the spring does have not got it in sufficient quantities to pay freight, etc., with the carcase inside. However, large sums of money are now annually coming into the district for skins —trapped, poisoned or otherwise—thus helping to at least keep the rabbit under, and trappers and others interested will not be far out by selling their output to a reputable buyer, but not at £lO per hundred. I am., etc., C. E. BATEMAN. Te Awannitu, 23/3/23.