File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (18161329681).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo14amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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THE AMERICAN BEAVER 125 hogsheads, the shipments up to this time having a total \'ahie of aljout ten thousand dollars. Thus the beaver seems to have been for a time the chief source of revenue of the Plymouth col- ony, although it is evident from the rec- ords that many of the skins must ha\e come from Maine. But in New England, outside of Maine, the beaver was not abundant, and by 1645 the trade in the skins was practically at an end in that sec- tion. As any part of the country became settled the trade in beaver skins in- creased, and as fast as the l)eaver was exterminated, it became necessary to go farther and farther into the interior in search of it. Here is where the Hudson's Bay Company played the leading role, and by virtue of its efficient organization captured from the French and Dutch the fur trade that it has held even to the present day. A few figures m ill suffice to indicate the number of beavers that have been, and still are, used in trade. In 1S54 the Hudson's Bay Com- pany disposed of no less than 509,240 skins, although this doubtless represents the accumu- lation of several years. In 1891 the Company handled 63,419 skins ranging in price, ac- cording to size and quality, from five to sixty-nine shillings apiece, and even so re- cently as 1903, 80,000 skins were sold in Lon- don, although 16,504 were sold by parties other than the Hud- son's Bay Company. The profits on some of Grandfather's hat, 1830. these skms must have Essex institute, Salem l)een fairly good, especially on the ones taken in exchange for trade muskets. The price of one of these flintlock guns was enough beaver skins piled about the gun standing on end to reach from floor to nnizzle. The gun too, apparently was subject to unexpected growth, and for a year or two would be about six inches longer than the would-be-purchaser had calculated. Transactions such as this were the exception however, and the list ))rice for a beaver skin was ten shillings. The fur trade nevertheless has not been all profit, and there have been times when the market was glutted and prices low. Such a time came in 1700, when there was a large stock of skins on hand, and just as in our day, planters have burned tobacco in the eft'ort to keep up prices, so three-quarters of the skins on hand were burned at Montreal. The principal use of these skins was,
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