Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-09-11
new IOWA INDUSTRY
IS ESTABLISHED
Omaha Travelling Man Tells Free
man Tribune About Ranch
at independence.

A.
mercial traveller, was in the city
last night and told the Freeman
Tribune of a new industry just
started at Independence, Iowa. 1t
is silver black fox ranch and is
operated by DR.. N. A. Kippen, vet
erinarian, who became interested IN
the little animals when a lad resid-
ing in Canada, where he set traps
for them but never caught any, be-
cause of the unusual cunning and
intelligence Of the little creatures.
Mr.. Williams gave us copy OF the
independence Bulletin-Journal con-
tanning the following account OF
this new Iowa industry:
When Doc was a boy over in On
tario, Can, he used to set fox traps.
When he went to inspect his traps
he always had vision that he
would have silver black fox in one
of them some day. He never did,
however.
When he and Mrs. Kippen visited
their old home in Ontario this sum-
mer DR.. Kippen purchased two pairs
Of silver black foxes at st. Gather
ines, about 20 miles from Niagara
Falls, which is about the same lati-
tude as here. In western Ontario
they raise foxes of that variety more
or less. In fact, it was in Prince
Edwards Island that the domestic
cation of foxes began years ago. He
never lost his interest in foxes, and
his investment of today is the re-
suit. The animals, two males and
two females, reached here Thursday
afternoon. The Independence fox
ranch is located at the c. A. Altman
home in the First ward, little east
of the Seeland place on Second
street northeast. Mr.. Altman is Of
ficiating as caretaker and he is as
much enthused over the proposition
as is Doc himself. The farm itself is
a set of pens The inside pens cover
a space of 25x50 feet. Surrounding
them is a runway s or 10 feet in
width, woven wire fencing s feet
high. A carpet of wire about feet
wide extends from the wire fencing
along the ground closely, while each
|. as IN Ok hang 4 ST wire feet
wide. This is to prevent the foxes
from getting out of their pens. A
4-foot runway also extends through
the center of the big pens from one
side to the other. In each of the
separate pens for the females are
fox houses, so arranged that there
is a box-like runway with an open
ing at one end through which the
fox enters and, turning corner, she
comes upon another opening to a
box within the larger outside box,
thus affording protection and seclu-
sion. The houses have no bedding
whatever. The males have less pre-
tentious houses, smaller in size.
The four foxes have white tails,
and one of them, female, is spe-
cially marked with two white toes.
They are black or have silvery
color mixed in with the black, The
silver black pelt is one of the most
valuable, and in this section the fox
pelt in the wild commands as high
a price as anywhere else except in
the extreme northwest and northeast
sections of this country. The top
price furs come as high as $1,000,
but the average is $500 or below.
A In 1912, when the breeders and
plungers were active, pairs of silver
black foxes were sold as high as
$4,000. Their pelts are used for
making the popular fur sets so
much wanted and admired by the
ladies. Any married man can tell
you something about how much the
wives and daughters admire such
furs. The Kippen foxes have that
real lOAy dltlluuel dHu al Z quiIC Till
4 i'd just now. although one of them,
with decided air of mischief and
foxiness, will stick his nose in your
hand if you are as foxy as he is
in your actions in attracting him
toward you. They are neat and
clean, but their furs have that pup
by condition which will change as
1T becomes colder and they grow
older. They are about four months
old at present, not very large, and
will continue to grow until about
holiday time. The full grown ami
NAL weighs 10 to IL or Is pounds.
They breed once year and whelp-
ing runs from one to ten whelps.
\ The Kippen foxes will breed true to
! color.
They are something like dog in