Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-24
FOX RAISING IN ALASKA.

Hopeful of Realizing Large Profits
From the Sale of Many Pelts.
From the Pittsburg Commercial Gazette.
Fox farming in Alaska, which has as
sumed immense proportions, was origi-
mated by a Pittsbarger. In 1879 George
Wardman 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. Thomas
F. Morgan and James c. Redpath interest
ed and company was formed. The gen.
tlemen are agents Of the Alaska CONNER
cial 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 uninhabited. At the
seal islands of the Pribyloff group the
Alaska Commercial Company catch from
1000 to 600 blue foxes every winter. The
black foxes arc scarce, while the blue fox
is not nearly so valuable.
During the winter of 1880 Arrangements
were made with an agent at Kodiak to get
some black fox cubs. He secured half
dozen, and while be was away on business
the natives killed the cups by kindness and
by overlooking them. No more of the cubs
could be found, and no further effort to
carry out the schema was made until the
summer of 1884, when about twenty blue
fox cubs were caught. They were taken in
steamer to Unalaska and thence in a
chartered schooner, with a quantity of
seal meat, to the Semedies Islands, where
they were released
The islands Inaccessible except in
calm weather. which helped the enterprise,
as 1t kept poachers and Indians from
catching 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
government Of Alaska, to give their pro-
lection to the fox farmers under the law
protecting 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 at 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 the winter
and can find nothing else to eat II they
hid the eggs in the dirt they would be un-
able to scratch the frozen ground away
from them in winter. hence the wisdom
Displayed in covering them with moss. The
foxes have been watched, during the
searching for eggs. and have been tracked
to their hiding places.
The blue fox pelt is valued at SIS, ana as
seals become scarcer 1t becomes more val
liable. 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.
dams, who will eat almost anything, viii
not touch the fox meat The number has
multiplied from twenty cubs to about 5000
foxes. and they have been trapped every
season sir ce they were large enough to be
OF value. Mr.. Wardman sold his interest
to Byron Andrews of Washington The
company is in a fair way to make large
fortunes from fox farming.