Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-07-14

dertake to furnish, under competitive
bids, live blue foxes from the Pribilof
Islands TO those who desire choice
breeding stock.
There is little doubt that the vari-
Gus species and varieties of foxes can
be improved by the application of
methods of animal breeding used by
up to- date breeders of live stock
The Commissioner of Fisheries, in
his annual report to the Secretary of
Commerce and Labor for the fiscal
year 1872, in speaking of the special
efforts being made to improve the
stock of foxes on the Pribilof Islands
and the methods of handling the
herds states:
The results of experiments in feed
ing and selective breeding that are
now in progress give reason to be =
lieve that the output can be greatly
increased and the quality of the fur
enhanced"
According to our present knowledge
there are two principal groups o.
foxes native to Alaska that have bee1
| handled with success on fox farms
! One of these is the species known as
| the Arctic blue fox, which is in
! digenous to the northern portions OF
Alaska. 1t is believed that it was
not found on the Priblof Islands al
the time of their discovery in 1871
but that ii was taken to those islands
subsequently. 1t is also reared on
fox ranches on various islands on the
coast of Alaska. Some individuals OF
this species have nearly white fur and
are known as white foxes. The fur
of a white fox is much less valuable
than that from the blue members of
the species. For this reason it is
good business to eliminate from n
herd of blue foxes all individuals
which show a tendency toward he
white fox variety.
The other is group of species
known collectively as red foxes, the
various species being found distributed
throughout the northern portions Of
the United States and in Canada and
Alaska. Silver gray foxes, cross
foxes, and black foxes are considered
as individual variations of the red
fox. Experiments which have been
made indicate, however, that pure
strains of these varieties may be OBJ
tanned by seleetive breeding.
On the Pribilof Islands the foxes
subsist principally on the waste por-
tons of seal meat not utilized as food
by the inhabitants. On the fox
ranches along the coast of Alaska fish
is used to supplement when necessary
the food which the foxes are able to
secure for themselves. When fresh
fish can not be had sailed fish is sub
stituted.
The islands which it is proposed to
lease are those which had been leased
by the Secretary of the Treasury for
fox propagation purposes prior to May
IA, 1898. They are the following:
Chirillof Island, southwest of Kodiak
Island; Long Island, near Kodiak
Island. Marmot Island, east of
Afognak Island, Little Koniuji Island,
one of the Shumagin Group; Simeonof
Island, one of the Shumagn Group:
Little Naked Island. one of the Naked
Islands, Prince William Sound; Carl
son Island, Prince William Sound;
Middleton Island. Gulf of Alaska;
Pearl Island, one of the Chugach Is
lands: Elizabeth Island, one of the
Chugaeh Islands; Aghiyuk Island. one
of the Semidi Islands; Chowiet Is
land, one of the Semidi Islands.
These are the islands which were
leased by the Secretary of the Treas
ury under the authority of the acts
of March s. 1879, and May IA. 1898.
BY Executive order dated February 2,
1901, the authority to lease these is
lands was transferred to the Secre-
tary of Commerce and Labor. None
of them is now under lease.
Full information regarding the con-
ditions with which one must comply
in order to secure a lease of one of
these islands can be obtained by adj
dressing the Secretary of Commerce,
ID. c.
The more important requirements
are that leases will be given only to
American citizens or companies or
organized under the laws
of a State or Territory, that the
period of the lease will be five years.
with an annual fee of not less than
5000, and that detailed reports be
submitted annually to the Secretary
of Commerce.