Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1924-11-26
FOXES,
LAMBS, RAISED
ON SAME RANCH
Prairie du Chen Men Paid
Fancy Prices For Their
Valuable FurS.

self supporting cat and rat ranch
where the cats ate the rats and the
rats ate the cats?
Well, something like that ranch is
soon to be in actual operation near
Prairie du Chen. Only instead of
common cats and rats the animals
are to be those aristocrats of the fur
world-silver foxes and Persian
lambs.
1t seems there is nothing in the
food line which silver foxes in cap
tivity eat with more relish and
thrive on better than tender, juicy
fresh lamb meat, natural circum-
stance of course, since from time i'm
memorial foxes in their wild state
have preyed upon the sheep pens OF
men. Yet, lamb is SO expensive to
buy or raise ION purpose that silver
fox ranchers have found that the cost
makes it almost prohibitive as a
food.
In the Persian lamb industry, the
problem is, what to do with the lamb
flesh, because in order to yield the
beautiful costly black fur known IN
the fur world as Persian lamb, the
young of Karakul sheep must be
killed within three or four days after
birth. The slaughtered sheep ba-
bies ordinarily are so much waste
Yet. if silver foxes are at hand, the
dead lambs form an ideal food fol
them.
Raise Two Valuable Furs
o1o
which gave Frank Garvey, manager
of the Central States Silver Fox farm
near Prairie du Chen, the idea OF
growing Karakul sheep on their Wis
consin farm along with silver foxes
thus raising for market two valuable
furs instead of one, and at the same
time providing their foxes faVorlte
food without cost.
Within a fortnight three Karakul
sheep, a ram and two ewes, have
been delivered at the farm, shipped
from a Colorado ranch. They are
the first Karakul sheep to see the
light of day in Wisconsin or in any
adjoining state as far as is known.
In fact. there was not Karakul
sheep in the whole of America out
side of menageries before 1903. In
that year largely through the 1nt1u-
ence of Theodore Roosevelt, several
of the species were brought from ASIA
Minor and placed on a western sheep
ranch.
The venture met with success and
TODAY there are quite number OF
ranches in the plains states where
growing Persian lambs is regular
business. The new industry has not
come east, however, before the ven
ture to introduce the species into
Wisconsin farming.
Get Fancy Prices
Besides raising Persian lambs the
Karakul male animals will be mated
with ewes of the Hampshire and
cotswoId breed of sheep on the Gar
vey farm. The fur of the lambs from
this cross goes onto the market as
Krimmer. Persian lamb pelts sell
from s35 to $50 and $50 apiece.
Krimmer pelts bring around $12. The
wool of matured Karakul sheep is
in demand for oriental rugs and sells
aft fancy prices. Add these several
sources of revenue to the profit IN
nroviding a home supply of lamb meat
for their silver foxes, and the Gar
vev Brothers are confident Karakul
sheep on their farm are going TO
be big money makers, even as they
have found silver foxes to be.
They are young at the fox busl-
ness This is. only their third year
but already they are listed among the
leading fox raisers in the state. Mr..
Frank Garvey tells the story of their
start and progress -Four years ago
had some cattle at the Minnesota
fair. While there friend took me
to see a silver fox farm, the first
one 7 had ever seen. I found foxes
were selling for more than prize
cattle brought. I studied up on the
subject and visited number of other
fox farms. Then my brother and |
bought three pairs of foxes and started
in fox farming as sideline to raising
Holstein cattle and Duroc hogs. The
man we bought the foxes of said,
You'll soon be farming as a sideline
to fox raising He prophesied rightly.
Last winter we rented our farm and
since then have been giving all our
attention to foxes. We raised "a THIS
season. Have sold off all but thirty
four pairs. These we are keeping for
breeding stock and expect next year
to have colse to 200"
Closely Watched
The foxes are sold at from 500 70
$500 a piece. A shipment was made