That  figure  would  be  too  high  an  average  for  the  10  million  muskrat
pelts  yearly  taken  in  America.  Well,  put  the  figure  at  an  average
of  $2.  You  have  a  total  of  $20,000,000.  It  is  only  a  few  years  ago
that  America's  entire  fur  trade  did  not  equal  $20,000,000.  Even
when  100,000  seal  pelts  were  coming  out  of  Alaska  in  a  year,  valued
undyed  at  $10  as  I  found  them  in  1875,  or  $30  as  I  found  them  in
1911-12-13,  you  have  the  entire  output  of  Alaska  seal  in  its  best
days  not  equal  to  a  sixth  the  value  of  muskrat  to-day.  Muskrats
sold  at  from  10  to  50^  in  1907;  at  80  to  85^  in  191 1 ;  at  $1.25  in
1912;   and  jumped  to  $5  and  $y  for  perfect  pelts  in  1920.
Of  all  the  fur-bearing  animals,  muskrats  can  be  the  most  easily
farmed ;  but  they  have  not  been  farmed  up  to  date  because  a  little
care  of  their  natural  runways  produces  all  the  trade  can  consume.
