The Wrangell sentinel., 1923-05-24
MCCULLOUGH MAKES
 BIG SUCCESS FOX
 RAISING INDUSTRY
Lays Great Stress on Importance of Proper Selection of Initial Breed
 ing Stock and Correct Feeding

. Keith Mccullough, widely known in Alaska, having been in the Gov eminent Forestry Service for many years, and Mrs. Mccullough, also we'll known as school teacher. at Cordova and Anchorage, are now in the fox-raising industry in Cook In- let. He writes, in part, as follows
 We have three islands. small but close together, in Cook Inlet, and lave a nice stock selected blue foxes. We came on the islands in November, 1920; built a large. com fortable house. with a furnace, and put on eight female and six male fox. at a total expense of s2.100 for the stock alone.
 "The following season. in fact. within eleven months of the time We first came on the islands. we sold s3.150 worth of six months old pups or total number of twen- ty-one. The cash was brought to the island and the stock taken away by the purchasers. This sale put us in the clear both for the ex pense of stocking the islands and covered about half the value of im- provements.
 "In 1922 we sold three pair of pups at total of s9O0, amounting altogether to s4,05O in twenty three months from start of 21 an- imals ana at the same time leaving us with as near as it is possible to know on any island, thirty-five pair of breeders. I fully expect to realize a count of one hundred and fifty pups next fall.
 This season I was also successful in breeding litter of blues in a pen. It has been a much mooted question as to the feasibility of this method but I am now we'll satisfied that it is very satisfactory. Prompt ed by my experience there are a great number now trying it this sea son. From the pair mated in pen, we realized an increase of $50 per cent raising seven fine pups. This season I am breeding six pairs in pens. Of course islands are the most convenient and inexpensive when obtainable, but the supply is becoming so limited that there is no room for expansion of the busi- ness unless we open up a market for breeding stock by demonstrating their successful propagation in cap tivity. This makes it possible for any one to put in few pair at a very nominal expense as the pens don't have to be very large. Mine are 24x24 and cost me outside of my own labor just s25 each.
 Although the fur market has been somewhat dubious this year in comparison with what it was during the war. a recent shipment of skins from this bay averaged little more than s100 each in New York. And the, majority of these skins were taken from pups. less than eight months old.
 "At that rate, one of my females raised s140O worth of pups this year or at the prevailing price of breed ing stock, selectedA she produced s2,1O0. Can any stock game beat that?
 "In my estimation there are two essentials to the success of the fox game. One is proper selection of initial breeding stock and the other is correct feeding As nearly as pos sible I begin feeding at each burrow a month before the pups are due, thoroughly cook all food and give as large variety as possible with plenty of milk just before delivery of pups and for the following six weeks. After that fresh water every day until the pups are two months old. This makes it unnecessary for them to be taken to water by the mother and prevents the probability of some of them getting lost en rouee. As soon as they will take solid food I give them fresh meat or fish thoroughly cooked with roll ed barley and rice. Sometimes, about twice a week they get fresh meat cut fine and mixed with ground bone meal.
 "As result of building up the pups. my breeding stock for this next season is much larger boned than the past year. The average for six-months'-old pups ran about six teen pounds. One weighed nineteen and one-half pounds. One of the ex- tra large males I am using as a stud for some of the pen stock, double breeding him with as many as seems desirable.