Wow!  In talking Wolfy and I are finding a LOT of differences in ferret
specifics between southern NJ and northern NJ two decades ago, so it will
be interesting to discuss this further with the folks who had ferrets 10,
20, and 30 years ago to find out what existed in regional variations, and
what differed among those on the ferret internet early on and those not.
It may be that some things varied so widely that no general statements
can be made and no general influence of the factors seen -- and I include
ones I made till our private conversations so that includes a post of
mine today which should instead be treated as my recollections from this
region and what I read from the ferret people who were on the internet
then -- with allowances for memory tricks.  Live and learn...
[Posted in FML issue 3959]