+----------------------------------------+ |Year | Buffalo robes. | Buffalo hides. | | |Number.| Cost. | Number.|Cost. | +-----+-------+---------+--------+-------+ |1876 | 31,838| $39,620| None.| ... | |1877 | 9,353| 35,560| None.| ... | |1878 | 41,268| 150,600| None.| ... | |1879 | 28,613| 110,420| None.| ... | |1880 | 34,901| 176,200| 4,570|$13,140| |1881 | 23,355| 151,800| 26,601| 89,030| |1882 | 2,124| 15,600| 15,464| 44,140| |1883 | 6,690| 29,770| 21,869| 67,190| |1884 | None.| ...| 529| 1,720| +-----+-------+---------+--------+-------+ |Total|177,142|$709,570 | 69,033|215,220| +----------------------------------------+ Total number of buffalo skins handled in nine years, 246,175; total cost, $924,790. I have also been favored with some very interesting facts and figures regarding the business done in buffalo skins by the firm of Mr. Joseph Ullman, exporter and importer of furs and robes, of 165-107 Mercer street, New York, and also 353 Jackson street, St. Paul, Minnesota. The following letter was written me by Mr. Joseph Ullman on November 12, 1887, for which I am greatly indebted: "Inasmuch as you particularly desire the figures for the years 1880-'86, I have gone through my buffalo robe and hide accounts of those years, and herewith give you approximate figures, as there are a good many things to be considered which make it difficult to give exact figures. "In 1881 we handled about 14,000 hides, average cost about $3.50, and 12,000 robes, average cost about $7.50. "In 1882 we purchased between 35,000 and 40,000 hides, at an average cost of about $3.50, and about 10,000 robes, at an average cost of about $8.50. "In 1883 we purchased from 6,000 to 7,000 hides and about 1,500 to 2,000 robes at a slight advance in price against the year previous. "In 1884 we purchased less than 2,500 hides, and in my opinion these were such as were carried over from the previous season in the Northwest, and were not fresh-slaughtered skins. The collection of robes this season was also comparatively small, and nominally robes carried over from 1883. "In 1885 the collection of hides amounted to little or nothing. "The aforesaid goods were all purchased direct in the Northwest, that is to say, principally in Montana, and shipped in care of our branch house at St. Paul, Minnesota, to Joseph Ullman, Chicago. The robes mentioned above were Indian-tanned robes and were mainly disposed of to the jobbing trade both East and West.