Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-09
FOX FARMING IN ALASKA.
Successful Experiment on thu
Semedies Group of Islands.

Successful Experiment on the
Semedies Group of Islands.
From the Plttsburg Commandments.
Fox farming in Alaska, which has as
sumed immense proportions, was originated
by Pittsburger In 1879 George Ward
man was travelling about the coast in the
steamer Rush. He saw a valuable black
fox skin sold for 500, and conceived the
notion that farming the fox would be
profitable. He got Preach Taylor, Thos.
E. Morgan and James c. Redpath inter-
ested and company was formed. Tine
gentlemen are agents of the Alaska Com
mercial Company at St. George
Morgan suggested as a place for the ex-
pertinent the Semedies group Of seventy
rocky islets, sixty miles west of Kodiak,
which produced nothing but sea birds and
sea lions, and are uninhabitated. At the
seal islands of the Pribyloff group the
Alaska Commercial Company catch from
1000 to LOCO blue foxes every winter Tho
black foxes are scarce while the blue fox
is not nearly so valuable
During the winter of41SSQ arrangements
were made with an agent at Kodiak to get
some black fox cubs. He secured half
Dozen and while he was away on business
the natives killed the cubs by kindness and
by overlooking them. No more of the cubs
could be found, andsno further effort to
carry out the scheme was made until the
summer of 1884, when about twenty blue
fox cubs were caught. They were taken in
a steamer to Cnalaska, and thence in q
chartered schooner, with a quantity of seal
meat, to the Semedies Islands, where they
were released.
The islands are inaccessible except in
calm weather, which helped the enterprise,
as 1t kept poachers and Indians from CATCH
ing the stock. At first 1t was difficult to
get any right on the land. The Treasury
Department, however, addressed a letter to
revenue steamers and the provisional gov
eminent of Alaska, to give their protec-
ton to the fox farmers under the law pro-
tecting squatters, and the company has not
been molested in its enterprise
The foxes eat eggs and catch birds in the
summer. They are also adopts In killing
sea lions which serve them for food. They
are very intelligent. They take the eggs in
summer and hide them in the thick moss.
which Is like mattresses, and leave them
until they get hungry in winter. and can
find nothing else to eat. II they hid the
eggs in the dirt they would be unable to
in winter, hence the wisdom displayed in
covering them with moss. The foxes have
been watched during the months of July
and August on the cliffs searching for
eggs, and have been tracked to their hiding
places. .. :.
as seals become scarcer 1t becomes more
valuable. All attempts to catch black foxes
have proved failures. as they are SO scarce
Natives are hired to live on the island and
watch the foxes. The latter are trapped in
certain seasons, killed and skinned The
carcasses are valueless. as the Indians,
who viii eat almost anything. will not
touch the fox meat. The number has null
tiplied from twenty cubs to about 500 foxes,
and they have been trapped every season
since they were large enough to be of
value. Mr.. Wardman sold his interest to
pany is in a fair way to make large for
tunes from fox farming. -.-