The Adair County news., 1922-11-07

OUNFYsNEws
The refuse scraps from the biscuit
factories are rare delicacy and COW
milk is given in generous quantities.
The big COlpitts ranch takes the
milk of forty cows morning and night.
Loss by Disease 10 Per Cent.
All the foxes from the best ranches
I are registered with the department at
Ottawa. OF course, registration is no
certain guaranty of value, but no ami
NAL can obtain advanced registration
unless it comes up to certain stand
ard, which includes pedigree. fOrma-
tion and everything else that goes for
breeding and excellence. Not all who
go into the fox ranching business are
successful. The fox is subject to
many diseases, and once these get a
foOthold it is difficult to eradicate
them. Worms are one of the princi-
pal causes of mortality, and the loss
of 10 per cent of the pups is consid-
cred fair average. Instances are
known of ranches being entirely
wiped out by disease. As a precau-
tiOnary measure some of the most
successful ranches dip their foxes
twice year into a cresolin mixture.
1t is rather painful to impart this
item of information, for it is not
generally known that these little foxes
are not unlike some folk who go
through life clothed in purple and fine
linen, using their gorgeous, attire to
cover many sins. Thus do these wee
pOtentates get by, blissfully uncOn-
SciouS of their natural aroma-which
one cannot really compare to a peach
garden.
Silver Strain Developed.
The origin of the silver black fox is
somewhat obscure. A Mr.. OultOn,
pioneer in fur farming in New Bruins
wick, says the original black foxes
came from Newfoundland but the sill
yer strain has been a development in
breeding. The native fox of New
! Brunswick is red and the fur of little
value.
The fox is a small animal of the
cat species and in size between a cat
and a small dog. When fully furred
out, as in the winter season, it ap-
pears much larger. This little ami
NAL is seen at its worst at this sea-
son, and is rather lean and lanky
looking. The silver streaks are just
now beginning to appear, coming first
in the forehead and gradually spread
ing over the body. By December the
fur will be thick and heavy, and 1t is
then those animals which do not
prove satisfactory breeders are "pelt-
ed" for market. The fox is a very
cute looking little animal, though not
as Shapely as the skunk. Timidity
and suspicion are it's chief character
istics, and it is not at all vicious, be-
ing handled with ease. Few of them
become tame, although when the New
York Herald correspondent visited the
COlpitt ranch the other day one of
the particular pets would answer the
call of the proprietor and would feed
out of his hand.
Formerly foxes were caught in the
wild state in all parts of Canada, but
destruction of wild life goes on at a
| rapid pace in all parts of the world.
DR.. Hornaday, director of the New
York Geological park, is authority for
the statement that in New York state
there are 500 destructiOnists to every
cOnServatiOnist, while in the West and
in Canada there are a thousand to
one, in Alaska the ratio is two thou
sand to one and in South Africa there
are one hundred thousand destroying
wild life to every one preserving it.
/ The buffalo, which once rOamed the
prairies, is quite extinct, except for
specimens in the government reserya-
tiOns or national parks, and so it is
| with most other native wild animals.
758 Fox Farms in Canada.
Hence the fur farms, and fur farm
! ing official statistics show that there
are T94 fur farms in Canada, of which
75S are fox, II mink, raccOon, 3 mar
lC1lS = Shullh, Il SIGcp, DSu-
yer, 3 muskrat. The increase in the
number of farms over 1920 is 206. The
number of animals on these farms is
22,455, valued at $5,775,O95, as COM
| pared with 16,529 animals valued at
! $4,T22, ,905 in the previous year. There
| are hundreds of small ranches which
| are not included in this enumeration.
| There are two fox breeders asSOcia.
| tions in Canada and two in the United
| States. The Canadian associations
are the Silver Black Fox Breeders OF
| Prince Edward Island and the Cana.
dian Silver Fox Breeders.
Foxes in the wild state form a col.
| ony and live together if not disturbed
The old couple remain at the home
burrow year after year if food condi
tiOns hold out and will burrOw dozens
| of holes in the same hillside The
/ young ones dropped in March will get
out for themselves in October and find
burrOw of their own When the
proper season comes they seek mate
| If the male finds a female burrOw dur.
ing the mating season and takes a