The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1897-12-02

new injust y that promises to become
quite extensive Is now well underway OF
the small islands of Prince William sonnd
1t Is The raising Of blue foxes for their fur,
which commands good price in the local
market TIE islands are secured from the
government for the purpose, and fifteen or
twenty OF them have recently been convert
ed INTO well stocked fox farms.
Fur raising has been carried on by the
Alaska Commercial Company nelr Kodiak
for number Of years on small scale, 1t
was Dot until last year, however, that the
miners and tappers co Dmenoed raising
foxes. The government gives the use OF
the islands for the purpose OF fox culture
without charge and the value Of the iurs
sent ont this year will run well up into
the thousands.
Prince William sound is we'll suited for
al industry Of this kind. 1t is 100 miles
long aud about half that distance in width
Ihe weabe does not get very cold, and
there are no storms on the sound. There
are numbers Of small islands OF various
slz s scattered oil over the eonnd. The
islands are quite mountainous and far
enough separated from shore and from
each other go that the foxes cannot get Of
the islands To 90 about fox raising,
man secures an island, purchases ore or
more pairs Of foxes al a cost Of probably
tl5O, aud turns them loose upon the island
Fish are very plentiful 10 the waters of the
sound, aud oil the food necessary for the
animals can be gathered in with a net in
very sholt time. The foxes make homes
in the moss and among the rocks and roots
and the only care necessary is to give
them some fish every evening,
They lntreOse very fast, 81 the rate OF
ugbtetn 70; every psir, and in no time the
tex farmer has big herd. 1t is very
profitable business, for the iurs bring from
$lJ 10 S3J for the tlue foxes and from $40
to 800 for good black fox iurs,
The foxes are killed when about year
old i their iur is IN good condition. other
glse they are kept for breeding purposes,
No of the fix island farmers have erect
I'd tal cabiue aud are happy and
They bsye q novel method OF catching
and foltjng the loxes at killing time. A
Iong to1 IT. built near the regular hsb feed
bQ place with Il trap door in one end the
other opening into q securely built bouse,
v here the foxes can be Looked over and
sortcd TIE animals sre easily caught,
md oil that have good far are killed, the
others being turned loose, There is no
ronble about keeping them Oh the islands
Is they will not swim 10 salt water
Among the prosperous io1 farmers Of
Prince William sound may be mentioned
NJ l.. Thurslinson aud J. NJ. Jacobson,
Fbo have taken mp Goose leland. They
isd rs t0Ife at the eyiuulbg Of the year
nd VIII Nil q large humber Of tho AMI
mails tlis ialI. They feed their ioIes 6sb
reads from a near by caunery. Goose
slald Is about two miles 10 length by =
nile vide, and is qola close to the head
4 the tDG1d. They have two good cabins
nd slso raise number OF chickens. +.
,iau 'mso sud William Btnsby opn BIige
tlara s.i sboul ten miles from GoOse 4
slsnd srd have 100 breeding foxes They Z
sde cap.i1crabIe money J. 1T yesr from
he sai ot Nuf.. william Byers, on Byers !
sland, is s'otber o' The prosperous farm
-. Tue other islands have bnt recently
een stocked