It is not all that are successful bee raisers who have gone into that business, yet how few failures are there among men who began in a small way, learning more of the business and gradually increasing the number of hives in their apiary. One thing is important and that is, get the animals accustomed to their keeper as soon as possible. The old will be wild for some time but the young soon become tame. Skunk and coon are easily tamed and even beaver, otter and mink have become so tame when secured young, that children have safely handled them. A man who has been in the "fur farming" industry for years, in response to the inquiry, "Will the business pay," says: "Yes, it will pay the right man big dividends on the capital invested." The right man is one who has "natural aptitude" for this sort of work, and who is "cut out" for "fur farming." If he has an "inkling" for this sort of work, he will study the nature and requirements of the animals and attend carefully to their every want. Fur farming as an industry is only in its infancy, in fact, not begun. The future looks bright to those who engage in the business in a business way. To those who expect to make a fortune at the business in a year or two, we predict failure, but to all who are willing to go at the industry, building a substantial enclosure, paying the same careful attention to the feed and care of their fur animals, that they would to other "stock," to get best results, far more than ordinary profits should result. CHAPTER III. ENCLOSURES. This is indeed, one of the important things in connection with "fur-farming." Some of the first experimenters in raising skunk and other fur animals, dug a trench from 2 to 3 feet deep, putting in rocks or boards edgewise to keep them from digging out, on top of which they constructed an upright fence of boards from 4 to 7 feet. On top of this fence was fastened a wide board to keep the animals from climbing out. The enclosure should be an acre in extent and 2 to 5 would be better. The "ranch" should be located where the water will drain off quickly, so that the dens will be dry, making a good place to burrow. The ground should not be level, or at any rate, should have good drainage. Skunk and perhaps other animals are liable to disease, if kept in damp and crowded quarters, such as sore throat or similar diseases, which may cause death. [Illustration: Corner of enclosure, showing sheet tin at top and stones at bottom.]