The Cordova daily times., 1923-03-09

euuedVOrS IS gwen Dy IHeiI tugs, the Malamute, and the Husky breeds of the sleds and hunting dogs; direct descendants of the wolf and fox. In Siberia we have the reindeer or domesticated caribou.
 Authorities and authors disagree as to whether the Pribiloff Islands were stocked by the Russians with blue foxes from Siberia, or whether these islands were the natural ha. bitat of the white fox, which changes it's color as it approaches the south ern boundary of the species, to a blue, and by intensive breeding and selection to a blueish brown.
 This selective breeding has been carried on by the U. s. Government agents on the Pribiloff Islands for over forty years, and by killing the white phases of the foxes, anl leav- ing the darker in color for propa- gation purposes and breeding, with a result in blue foxes that is well known.
 c. D. Ladd, of San Francisco, sealer and fur trader, who operated Ladd's station in Cooks Inlet in the eighties and up until 1896, brought a pair of black foxes from Alaska and confined them in the basement of his store in San Francisco in 1891. I cared for them during the winter of 1891 and 1892. To my knowledge this was the first pair of black foxes that were ever in for breeding purposes on the west coast
 I believe the Alaska Commercial Company were the first to stock islands in Western Alaska with blue foxes from the Pribiloff Islands.
 Ill the summer of 1895 while trav- cling over Western Alaska collecting specimens of mammals for the De- partment of Ornithology and Nam at Washington, D. C., was on the steamer Dora when a of blue foxes was taken to one of the Semedi Islands. This was one of the first islands stocked in Alaska. Later on other islands among the Aleutians and along the southern shore of Alaskan Penin- sula were leased from the Govern ment and stocked, until all the avail able islands were secured.
 The industry then centered around the Prince William Sound section, were a large number of ranches were operated with varying degrees of success, up until about 1904 when the first blue foxes were taken to Southeastern Alaska by myself to Soukhoi Island farm. George Schove, to the Grindel Island farm, Jim York Sum Dunn Farm, Pride and Jones the Hound Island Farm. At that time our work was entirely expert mental and we met with varying de- grees of success.
 My farm, Sukoi Island, was stocked with fifteen males and eighteen fe- males. The second year 86 belts were taken and shipped. The following six years the island averaged about 100 skins per year, the best year being 1910 when IA skins were taken and sold.
 In 1914 I decided to engage in the black fox business, went to the interior of Alaska and secured three silver black fox pups, the offspring of one pair was five pups the first year. I brought them all to ma turity and sold them and the ranch to Chestick Bros. and c. Green.
 This island has produced probably s125,00O worth of foxes. From these pioneer farms the business has spread until today there are but very few islands in Alaska that are not leased for fur farming. Thousands are being interested in fur farming every year.
 I bred the first blue and the first black fox that were ever bred in captivity in Southeastern Alaska. With proper care, handling and breeding, blue fox can be raised and bred in captivity as we'll as any other animal. Their breeding in the future should not be confined to island farms, but in pens situated in any favorable locality.
 In 1895 while hunting Sea Otter in the vicinity of the Schumagin Is- lands, had the privilege and pleas ure of meeting and hunting with Capt. Pavloff, who had a pet sea otter. This was as far as I know the only sea otter that was ever domesticated. It is just as easy and as feasible to breed sea otters as any other animals. Their fur is the most valuable in the world and they oro oil hut oyfjy,ot Thov hojr O