The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-16
ID EXPERIMENT IN . BREEDING FOR FURS
Uncle Sam Now Investigat-
 ing Important Subject
ADVANCE IN PRICES
First Plant Kill Be Located in Idaho Where Plenty of Cold Weather, It Is Said, Will Produce
 Thick Furs
By c. E.. STEWART

Washington, October 15-tSpecia1.)-En couraged by the high prices, which are yearly increasing, of furs of all kinds the department of agriculture proposes to experiment in fur farming for profit. The departmental officials are really op- timistic regarding the possibilities Of making such an industry pay handsome returns on the investment. The treas ury department has ujst rendered de- cision allowing the department of agri- culture to spend what is needed for the industrial plant, which will be located in Idaho, probably in the mountain re- zion, where it gets good and cold and the fur animal must wear thick coat for self-protection.
 This industry has never been tried on a scientific scale anywhere. though there
 have been some very successful private experiments in raising the rare blue. black and silver foxes for their skins. The department plans to start on mink and martin. as they are two reasonably prolific animals whose skins are valuable. The wholesale prices of these belts vary
 considerably with locality, because the color varies with the climate and local
 ity. Mink are still found round this
 region, though they are not at all com mon.
 The skins here are worth about $4 whole sale. Further south the pelts get lighter
 in color and the fur thinner. and the
 price goes down to about s. Up in Aiaska they are better and bring from
 s6 to ST. In the New England states the skins are even higher. running to S1O.
 Martin skins are more expensive. They are commonly known as Hudson bay
 sable," and are worth from $ to slO wholesale. Some very fine skins of this variety go as high as $50 each, and there is not so much in them as in rabpit pelt
 In Europe they have the martin also. and he is usually known as the stone
 martin or the tree-martin. The skins are worth from s to $l0, and are used extensively for dying and patching
 When it comes to genuine sable the
 price goes up with IL rush. There Is
 wide variation in color and quality. but high class skin is worth 5000.
 The demand for furs is constantly on
 the increase and the supply quite the opposite, and the question has been un-
 
 time. At first the department intends its experiments to be on a very modest scale. because breeding stock for good animals is expensive, and there will have to be good deal learned about the food and habits of the animals in captivity. It was considered almost impossible to
 rear foxes in captivity till it was dis covered by one breeder that the mother fox had to have a small enclosure by l herself Now there are several valuable | fox farms. The breakers are rearing ani- mals that nearly always come black Some of the skins have sold for S25OO, and the successful breeders refuse to Sell breeding stock at any price.
 With the mink and martins, of course.
 breeding stock will nor be so hard to
 obtain, and the work may be started on comparatively little outlay, and 1t would
 seem that the profits ought 10 be quite respectable, at any rate the department is going to give thorough test with the hope of being able in the future to
 build up quite an industry