Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-04-26
FOX FARMS IN ALASKA.

Uncle Sam has a considerable ren,ta.
tion as a landlord, but few persons know
that part OF his rent roll income is derived
from leasing islands for the culture IF
foxes. says the Chicago Record. This
Is the case. however, on the coast of
Alaska, where UGH an island
an annual rental of 500. Fol this gov
eminent gives the tenant a written con-
tract securing him in the exclusive occu.
pancy of his island for this particular.
purpose. 0ET
10 the farmer who has found it neces-
sary to exercise all his ingenuity in order
to get rid of the foxes as a pest, the idea
of deliberately breeding them, and even
maintaining a farm for their comfort,
seems almost preposterous. The fox. in
those places where his presence is most
deplored, seems to have no difficulty in
making a living without human aid. But
the experience of breeders in Alaska has
shown that the fur foxes must be handl-
ed with the utmost care in order not to
wreck the fortunes of the investor, for it
takes not a little capital to go into the
business on a large scale.
On the finest farms in Alaska, every
pair of breeding animals used at the start
cost $3.50 to 5000. The work has been in
progress for Is years or more, yet prac-
tically the first dollar of profit has yet to
show itself. Good money has ben pour
ed after bad, running well up into the
thousands, and this expenditure is still
going on, for the shareholders believe
they have a money-amking idea if they
can only wait long enough.
At first the plan was to propagate the
silver-gray fox, of which the fur is four
or five times as valuable as hat of the
blue fox. 1t proved impracticable, how
ever, mainly on account of the ferocious
character of the animal, which refused to
be domesticated. The silver-gray fox is
really more of a wolf than a fox IN in
StincfC and 6iSnnSitinn Ono nf ire nlooS.
ant traits is a habit of fighting it's COM
panions and destroying it's own young.
The culture of the silver-gray has now
so generally been given up that on only
one island can it be found in any consid-
cradle numbers.
1t is on the Atu and Phibilof islands
that the blue fox was first found, but the
supply is now nearly exhausted. AS the
Pribilofs are a government reservation,
no live animals can be taken away with
out a special permit. and all the skins
which the natives obtain there they are
obliged to sell to the North American
Commercial company. The price paid is
S. a pelt. ~
The first systematic experiment in blue
fox breeding was made with 20 foxes
taken from the PribilOf islands and land
ed on North Semidi island, a barren and
unknown waste. Although no one knew
the habits of the foxes and everything
had to be lone tentatively, including the
finding of artificial means of feeding
them, still, from the progeny of these pio-
neer foxes, nearly 20 other islands have
been stocked. Some Of the barren islands
of Alaska, indeed. show no sign of doing
good for any other use.
The method of caring for the foxes IL
substantially the same everywhere. Each
island has a keepr and one or two native
assistants. They put up the food for the
animals during the summer, consisting
of unmarketable fish, blubbeT, and oil.
and cOrnmeal. The foxes come at Il reg
ular hour every day to be fed, like ordi-
nary domestic animals, n soon learn
to know their care-takers, but continue
suspicious and wild in the presence of
strangers.
One Of the first problems which had to
be mastered was how to catch the foxes
without harming their skins. as it would
not do to shoot them or use any kind Of
sharp instruments in their capture. An
other consideration is the necessity Of
leaving those animals uninjured which
are to be continued in use for BREEDING.
Box traps are therefore used. But the
chief virtue of these, had it's drawbacks:
for all the foxes come INTO the traps. at
tracted by the bait, and when those which
are to be kept for breeding find that no
harm comes to them. they h"come not
only fearless but greedy, and hurry tn
run in and spring the trans as soon 10 s"t
to the great annoyance of the breeder and