The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-07-14

The three Chief products OF ArOoS-
took county are said to be potatoes,
politicians and red foxes. A year ago
Charles E. Oak, of Caribou, land
agent and forest commissioner for
Maine, told legislative committee
that his county could furnish 100, 900
fox pe1ts year for ten years without
diminishing the supply. Hunters
from Boston and Worcester, Mass,
who have shot and trapped foxes in
Aroostook say that Mr.. Oaks esti-
mate is too low by half.
The great wine-red fox that will
run for days without tiring that will
double and turn to laugh at the dogs
and then go on refreshed from the ex-
ercise, reaches fullest perfection in
Aroostook county. Of the 20, 900 or
10000 foxes taken in Aroostook this
winter more than half were caught in
traps. Nearly all the others were
shot while running before the patient
and sure-footed hounds that abound
in northern Maine.
The Maine foxhound is a hunting
machine that was developed for GER
tain purpose. The Maine hunter ac-
knowledges that the English fox
hounds reared in Pennsylvania and
western New York are the best dogs
in the world for straightaway hunt
ing, for the chase where the sport is
of more consequence than the game;
but foxes are SO plentiful down east
that the man who kills one is public
benefactor, and as many of the hunt
ers are too poor to follow the chase
for the sport alone, finely specializ
ed race of hounds was demanded to
suit the peculiar conditions. The re-
suit of so years breeding is a short
legged, deep-chested, slow-running
race of dogs that will run day and
night without firing, a breed that will
annoy the foxes and chase them to
run in more or less restricted circles,
and frighten them enough to cause
them to hole. The Maine hound to
out half dozen dogs for days hunt
every dog will pick up track of his
own and follow it to the death. As
the hunter can distinguish the cries
of his dogs without trouble and is
soon able to locate the circles they
are following, he first selects the path
of the dog that stands in most need Of
encouragement and posts himself on
the circle to shoot the fox as it comes
around, after which he proceeds to
another circle and repeats the per-
formance. 1t is not a surprising feat
for hunter with six hounds to go
out in the morning and return at
night with ten or twelve pelts. As
the skin of an Aroostook red fox is
worth anywhere from $I.25 to $2.5o
the occupation is profitable as well as
pleasing.
To train hound pup for the duties
he is expected to perform requires
much time and labor. A male pup
that is eight weeks old and untaught
can be bought for FIVE dollars, while
the same dog will sell for SIS or 500
after he has been educated. No dog
is worth having unless his master can
shift him from one fox's tract to an
others or from a fox tract to a rab-
bits and back again, but if any dog
makes one of these changes without
his masters consent he is disgraced
and punished severely. 1t is point
of dog honor among gAroostook hounds
to chase fox by day and night and
on Sundays until it is caught, shot or
run to earth. There are dozens of
dogs in the county that have follow
ed foxes from six to ten days without
food or rest. Such hounds are be-
yond value. They have the best the
house affords while they live and are
buried in expensive cofins. If
hound shows taste for deer hunting
he is at once sold or killed, as the
heavy fine imposed by the state makes
the animal too expensive for poor men
to keep. Such dogs as are inclined
to follow bob cats and hedge-hogs find
their punishment when they overtake
their foes.-NezO York ,Sun.