rest of the United States and Canada, and which are now considered practically worthless:

"Good muskrat marsh in Maryland, where the writer's place is located. Is selling now for from twenty to thirty dollars an acre... As a general proposition the owners lease their marshes to the trappers for a certain part of the catch, which has up to the present time been anywhere from one-half to two-thirds to the owners... The marshes never dry up, because they are only a very few feet above sea level and a great many of them are overflowed at times by extremely high tides... My 'rats are in an open marsh and I do not furnish them any feed, or look after them in any way, except to try to keep the dogs and foxes out of It and to catch the hawks, owls and eagles that prey on them. The marsh furnishes plenty of natural feed, and the only thing that is necessary to do is simply to keep their enemies away and they take very good care of themselves... There are a great many natural marshes along the east coast of the country, in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia especially, these marshes have been inhabited by muskrats probably since their creation."

Now then, from the above statements we can readily conceive that the raising of muskrats is the simplest form of fur farming, requiring very little capital to get started. For these reasons: First, it does not necessitate the construction of expensive pens and enclosures; second, animals need not be fed — the food supply is natural; third, a keeper is not required — the animals take care of themselves.

As prospective 'rat ranchers, our first duty would be the selection of the proper site for the ranch. This would naturally be in the form of a lake, marsh or pond. Many farmers have such a body of water on their land; these vary in size from a few acres to several hundred. Those who contemplate raising 'rats, but do not own a proper site, could easily buy one at a reasonable figure, as most people consider such property of little value. Before buying a pond or marsh which you are not familiar with, investigate whether it has any inlets, such as springs and small streams. A marsh or small lake which is likely to dry up during a drought is not to be considered, as the 'rats would then be forced to leave it. Some of these waters have no visible means of support, yet they hold the same level of water year after year. This seems to be due to the nature of their location or else they are fed by inner springs. When in doubt about a certain marsh or lake, better talk with several neighbors who are familiar with it, before buying; they may, from observation, be able to give you reliable information about the water supply.

Many lakes and ponds which are possessed of an inlet and outlet are often burdened with a very high level of water, and then again at other times not enough. This water could be held to a normal level by putting a dam across the outlet. This dam, however, would need protection against the burrowing mania of the muskrats, as they would soon have it looking like a sponge; the only difference would be, that the sponge holds water, while the dam would not. Such a dam could be amply protected with a solid covering of rocks. These should average in size anywhere from a baseball to a man's head, and should cover the dam to a depth of about two feet. This layer of rocks should also extend along the bottom of the stream on both sides of the dam to a distance of about twenty feet. The building of such a structure would require some hard labor and time, but would well pay for itself where the ranch in question is large enough to warrant its construction.

Following the selection of the proper site, our next consideration would be the food supply. Most lakes, marshes and ponds are naturally conducive to wild rice, flag and water lily growth. These aquatic plants are the mainstay of the muskrat's food supply; they also represent the material of which they construct their houses.

Should the prospective 'rat ranch be devoid of such vegetation, as is sometimes the case, the owner should at once take steps to encourage its growth by Introducing some flags and water lilies. These should be planted in about one foot of water and one yard apart. It is advisable to plant them along the shore, in several patches of two or three rows each, and numbering about fifty plants to the patch. These plants, when once started, will multiply very rapidly and spread into deeper water. The best time to do this work of transplanting is in the spring, just before the plants start sprouting. During the summer green grass is eaten by muskrats with great relish; therefore, mixed grass seed should be sown liberally wherever the banks are barren. The seed of wild rice should also be sown in the fall of the year, shortly after it is gathered. Wild rice will grow in deeper water than flags, and all that is necessary to start it is to scatter the seed in a depth of several feet of water. It is good policy to sow some wild rice every fall, even when the supply of food is ample, as 'rats are very fond of the myriads of young tender sprouts which shoot up in the spring. In waters where the food supply must be developed, it is advisable to keep muskrats away for at least one year, because their presence would greatly hamper its progress.

When the food supply has been well established, we are ready to stock up our ranch. The 'rats can be purchased or procured by trapping. As a general rule, 'rats will already be found at home in a prospective ranch, which boasts of plenty of water and food; they find such a place by force of instinct, though the nearest stream may be fifty miles away.

We need pay no further attention to them, except to destroy their enemies, which in this case are, chiefly, the birds of prey. Sometimes these pirates of the air will establish headquarters at some muskrat marsh, and remain for weeks at a time. Selecting some lofty perch from which they can scan every angle of their acquired domain, they will often remain perfectly motionless, for hours at a time, only to hurl themselves upon the unwary muskrat as it makes its appearance on the water.

These intruders must be caught — but how? Occasionally we may be able to "check" up on one of them, with our old scattergun; but this is the exception to the rule, as these birds are far too wary to be approached in the open. Therefore we must resort to steel traps for their destruction. This is not as difficult as it would seem at first thought. Knowing their habit of alighting on the highest point of vantage while awaiting their prey, we proceed to set up poles in our marsh, which are about eight inches in diameter at the top. On the tops of these poles we conceal our traps (preferably jump traps), by covering them with water-soaked chaff or leaves. Pegs are driven into the sides of the poles, upon which we ascend when tending the traps. These poles need not be very high when they are set up in the open; eight or ten feet above the water would be sufficient, when there are no higher objects near. The erection of one such pole would suffice for every ten acres of territory.

The animals must also be protected against poaching and free trapping. It is a good idea to post signs of warning against trespassing on the premises. There should not be much trouble on this point, however, because people, as a whole, respect the property and rights of their fellow men.

When the animals are thus protected, they will increase very rapidly. A marsh or pond which is covered with a mixed growth of aquatic vegetation will naturally support a greater number of muskrats than a deep water lake where such vegetation can only be found along the shores.

Good marsh land has been known to produce an average of one hundred 'rats per acre annually, and in some instances even more, but such a yield is above the ordinary. Statistics show the average yield of 'rat pelts to be about fifteen per acre yearly. This number of animals can be safely trapped without fear of encroaching upon the