The Kusko times., 1927-01-15

be located so you can look directly up all yard and not through wire of one yard to see other yards.
 It is my opinion that these alter hating yards are wonderful help as to the diseases of foxes, as the sun has chance to get in it's good work on empty yards, and especially in the spring, when the pups first come cut they can go on clean ground that has
 lot been used all winter.
 These breeding yards to be in the o..en, with guard fence around all, and outside of these yards an ideal condition is four large yards, at least 200 feet long by 100 feet wide, built of 1-;nch mesh with guard fence, and built in the shade of tall trees with the underbrush out; these yards 10 be used from middle summer to about November 15; all adult males to be put into one yard, with their tushes cut off q have cut off tushes an males for the last four years with outt he least bit of bad effect, and it stops fighting); all adult males to go Tn one yard, all male pups in one, and all female pups in one; pups that are small should be kept by themselves. As the fox business advances, each rancher will SC that these large yards, or furring pens, will be necessary.
 In the open yards today (depending some on weather conditions the year) one will find one out of twelve foxes fit to pelt, or to take to a show, ac- count of being off color, and in most of the States this off color is due to the sun. A low-covered yard is as bad as the open yard, because the hot, sultry weather is held under the low shade, and yard partly closed is about as bad, as fox will go to sleep in the shade, and when the sun moves the shade also moves, and the fox won't wake up until the sun is on him iiOO CiiOOSi CO llleiAC IiiAi NdhCt IICIl you will see him move to another shady spot. If the fox is in the shade, this off color will not be there only once in a while, unless it is in the breeding, and eleven out of twelve foxes will be fit to pelt, instead of one out of twelve. I have made these decisions after looking at good many foxes and their conditions, and l have seen some very good examples of shaded yards, moving foxes to other yards in the open. Animals of the very same blood, lines and breed ing and feeding; after little while you wouldn't recognize the animals as soming from the same ranch on ac- count of the off color
 Polygamous mating will be carried on more extensively as the rancher gets accustomed to it. and the semi circle yards will be big help in watching the animals, as you are able to see every animal at all times, pro- viding they are not in holes, which is most of the cases in Alaska. l think it is a very good thing for foxes to dig holes, for the exercise, but it is my opinion they should be filled each time before the animal gets out of sight; and one will lose a fox once in a while by the ground caving n, and sometimes whole litter. It has been my system that when the cause of losing fox, to keep thinking or ob- serving until I rectify it. That is one of the reasons why use maternity hospital, cut tushes on males, use the round bottom nest box, etc.
 I find few that are little dis couraged with the fur farming busi- ness, but that will be so in any busi- ness. Fur farming is here to stay, and the ones that observe and use a little good judgment will have very interesting and profitable business. fTl,o f,,.,