Seward daily gateway., 1925-12-17

have been branded 'foxy finance"
 arousing suspicion to the point where
 investigations were made.
 A striking example is that of Dr.
 Frank H.. Gordon, a former dentist
 of Bangor, Me, whose project was investigated last spring by the Unit ed States district attorney at Boston, Mass, because he had sold contracts for silver foxes, handling within three years approximately million dollars and paying large sums to. in- vestors. The investigators found the business was legitimate and cleared the enterprise from suspicion.
 Hundreds of silver fox farms have been established in the Rocky Noun tain states. Fox farming is also car ried on extensively in Alaska and most of the Canadian provinces. It was first successively established in the Canadian province of Prince Ed ward Island more than thirty years ago, but it was not until 1910 that this new specialized type of farming was tackled in the United States.
 Silver fox farming has become an established branch of agriculture in this country and as a new source of revenue federal experts have made a careful study of the entire business. Following a thoro study, a govern ment expert announces, "As would be expected in the case of a new and profitable industry, erroneous inn pressions have been entertained, the result of misleading statements made partly thru lack of authentic infor- nation and partly with the purpose of interesting investors"
 Both the Canadian and United States governments are vitally inter- ested and are working with ranchers and farmers, just as they do with 1 cattle and hog raisers, to find out better methods. The United States government maintains a silver fox experiment farm at Keeseville, N. Y, and it is understood that another one will be established soon in Mich gan, where several silver fox farms | Ire already in operation.
 Raising foxes on farms, as we | would chickens, jigs and calves, is he outgrowth of reckless trapping md shooting of wild fur bearing ani- nals. Fur until 1889 was one of the principal exports of this country, but | he trappers and hunters, innocently IT otherwise, kept up their annual and pelting until the nd of the wild fur bearer is in fight unless it is rigidly protected. is now an importing proposition and las been for several years.
 The federal government is taking teps to encourage states to protect he wild fur bearing animals, but with II the laws and conservation pro- rams there will still be room for OK farms, authorities say.
 Ned Dearborn, in a government says high prices for furs re equivalent to large bounties or re- yards for killing fur animals, and un- ess steps to counterbalarce them re taken immediately we may look Q see these animals practically ex- erminated in many places.
 Reports" he says, from raw fur uyers indicate that fur animals ave decreased graetly during the ast decade, several estimates run ing as high as 50 per cent"
 The rapid decrease in wild fur an- nals and the increase in population rith growing demand for fur wraps 1 f various sorts, have made the do- lestication of fur animals such as N he silver and blue fox, the skunk, nd the muskrat a necessary and rofitable business.
 Thoro OTTO cavora1 nuh1inofinnr is .