my writing,
other more capable writers have taken up the matter and have
advocated a remedy from the same standpoint.

Now by close observation I have become satisfied that there is no use
of looking further in that direction for a remedy of this wasteful
slaughter of the fur bearing animals. The city fur dealers receive
the goods which consist of all manner of skins and all grades from
good to poor and worthless. In most cases the dealer received the
goods from local dealers who have gathered the furs up from among the
trappers, paying such prices as he thought would leave a fair profit
on the whole bunch. In most cases paying more for the poorer grade
than it was really worth, while paying far less than the prime skins
were worth.

[Illustration: WOODCOCK ON THE TRAP LINE 1912.]

Now the dealer was hardly to be blamed for this sort of transaction,
for it was the only way that he could make a deal with the trapper.
The city dealer is in the same fix as the local dealer. He quotes
furs from number one down to number four and trash, making up on the
better grades what he may have lost on the poorer. Thus you see there
is no one out anything except the trapper, who will insist on
trapping too early in the season, as well as too late in the spring
of the year.

Now we will say to the brother trappers of Pennsylvania and other
states as well, that we are at the parting of the ways, allowing us
to use the term. We must do something desperate if we wish to save
the fur bearers from becoming extinct and save the trappers' pleasure
and what profit he may derive from the business.

Now the only remedy is a closed season on all fur bearing animals. If
we are to derive any special benefit from a closed season, the open
season must be made short, for every trapper of much experience knows
that the fur bearers of Pennsylvania have become extremely scarce in
the past few years. In fact in some parts there is but little stock
left to build on. I would say that not more than two months of open
season should be allowed, if we get real benefit from a closed
season, and taking the whole state into consideration, I believe that
November and December would give the best general satisfaction.

Now, brother trappers, do not be hard on me because I advocate a
shorter season to be open than some trappers seem to be in favor of.
Well, we had the bounty law and we all have seen the results. I would
like to say here that the bounty law i