Why should you consider a commercial skunk raising operation? Can skunks bring a source of untapped riches and wealth?
William Edwin Pratt provides surprising answers in his 1915 book "Practical Skunk Raising: A Book of Information concerning the Raising of Skunks for Profit."
As Pratt explains, skunks raise a better coat in captivity than when wild, because their food is gotten without hunting for it, and are beyond danger of man, dogs, and other intruders. Striped skunks in 1905 sold for one dollar per pair, while only two dollars per pair was paid for "star blacks". In 1908 these prices had doubled, and a skunk with his scent glands out was even more valuable.
One male and two females is a good lot to begin with, which would increase to twenty young the first year, and one hundred and fifty the second, providing one could wait that long, and one certainly could not expect any dividend until the fifth year.
