Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-11-24

throne, Prince Franz Ferdinand.
A mother fox is able to bear young
ordinarily for nine years, and, aver
aging four pups to litter, may be
reasonably expected in her lifetime to
rear at least thirty offspring. This
allows for some loss by death from
accident or from disease. Reckoning
the skins as worth from $500 to
$4,000 apiece, it is easy to see that
a pair of the animals might be ex-
pected under favorable circumstances
to yield an annual income of some
thing like $4,000.
This kind of farming, however, is
attended with good many difficulties,
chief among which is the shyness of
the animals. They have to be kept in
pens far away from any human habi-
tation, preferably amid dense woods,
and no man other than their keeper
can be permitted to go near them.
Even he, though he feeds them daily,
must take every precaution to avoid
frightening them. and it is desirable
that he shall not adopt any change
of costume that would strike them as
novel and therefore alarming.
1t is because of their extreme shy
ness that foxes are never known to
produce young in geological gardens.
The mother fox, even under such con-
ditions of captivity as are here de-
scribed, will, if disturbed in any way,
imperil the lives of her offspring by
CARRYING them about in her mouth
picking them up from one place and
putting them down in another until
they succumb to the exposure and too
much handling. 1t will be under
stood, then, why it is necessary to Sc
clude the pens in unfrequented woods,
maintaining continual watch to pre-
vent intruders, man or wild beast.
The kennels used for housing the
animals on Prince Edward Island are
little houses, big enough to accom-
modate four pairs of the foxes in as
many separate compartments-each
of the latter consisting of two rooms.
One of the two rooms is for nest,
and is lined with dry and perfectly
clean seaweed. Exit into the open air
is obtained through sort OF crooked
spout of wood, which serves to lml-
tate a burroW.
The house stands in the middle of
an inclosure 40 TT. square, surrounded
by a fence 10 feet high, of Pinch wire
net. But outside of this pen, and
inclosing an area of two or more
acres. is a second fence of the same
kind. extending to depth of 3 feet
i'm the ground, to prevent the animals
from burrowing under, and turned in
ward at right angles at the top, in or
der that they may not be able to climb
over. When the weather is propiti-
Gus they are liberated into this outer
area, which serves them as play
ground.
This information is furnished by
two experts in animal husbandry, j.
Walter Jones of Washington, ID. c.,
and Ben L. Rayner, the latter being
son of the man on whose farm, on
Prince Edward Island, the first silver
foxes were caught and made captives
for breeding purposes. Mr.. Rayner,
whose address is Alberton, p. f. |.
Canada, is himself one of the pioneer
breeders. He states that he builds
his fox kennels 8x10 feet in floor di-
mansions, with pich roof, double
boarded and tar-papered. A pas
sageway runs through to admit the
keeper to the four compartments, one
of which is at each corner.
To feed the foxes costs very little
not more than 2 to cents day per
fox. Butchers refuse, fish, bread,
milk ana eggs serve eNceilenliy LUZ Ihe
purpose. The nursing mother is fed
plenty of eggs, milk and porridge.
On some of the fox ranches there are
good many rabbits inside Of the
outer pen, which gives the animals
exercise and amusement in the chase,
while affording an additional article of
diet.
Twenty-Five years ago, in 1888,
farmer named Lamb, while hunting
for strayed cattle in the woods on
Prince Edward Island, came across
two silver fox pups, male and female,
in a hollow log. He carried them
home with him and snapped them
with neighbor for COW and a few
dollars to boot. This was the begin
ming of the industry, which has had
so remarkable and profitable devel-
opment.
For a long time, however, not much
success was had in efforts to rear the
animals in captivity. They obstinate
ly refused to breed. But eventually
the knowhow was acquired through