The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-07-19
s50,000 PAID,
 FUR FARMERS HERE FOR MINK
Wisconsin Interests Declare Juneau Animals
 Are Best

flIty thousand dollars is a fair estimate of what fur farmers in the Mendenhall Valley will realize on the sale of mink this season to the Associated Fur Farms of New Holstein, Wis, according to state ments made last evening by B. N. Stiefvater and P. w. Langenfeld representatives of the company, who In the past week have visited every fur producer in this district. Con- tracts have been made for 400 pair of mink, at prices ranging from SIS to $150 pair, with the bulk of the animals of the best grade. Ne gotiations are in progress for blue foxes, and deals for some of these will be effected. All together 100 or 150 pair of blue foxes are wanted, but it is not expected to get all of these here.
 The Associated Fur Farms, which are about 50 miles from Milwaukee, are now stocked with 500 pairs of mink and 2,000 silver foxes. The enterprise is conducted for pelt re- suits only, no effort being made to market breeding stock. A few hundred mink and between 1000 and 1,500 silver foxes will be pelted next. fall.
 Mink Thrive Here
 Mink thrive in the Juneau dis trict," said MT. Stiefvater. We bought 40 pair of breeding stock last year, and we have been well pleased with the purchase. The strain here is called the Yukon, and am inclined to think it is the best in Alaska. It is certainly better than our Wisconsin strains. believe the superiority of the Juneau mink is due to their feed. Fish is the staff of life. Here, plen- ty of salt water fish in the best of condition is fed te the animals. In Wisconsin, fish are not so bountiful and all are from iresh-water-not so good as salt. Supplies are some what old, too, more otten than otll- erwise, before they reich the mink. There are about llV0 pairs of mink ready for sale Yin the Ju- neau district.
 With respect to silver foxes, however, I regard our Animals as superior to those in this locality Our animals are larger l attribute this. difference to food. We feed horse meat; our enterprises uses about 1000 horses yearly.
 Horse Packing Plans
 .ssThis food is bought rom a horse-packing plant in Illinois. There are two other plants of this kind in the United States, lone of them in Oregon.
 Incidentally, the time may not be far distant when horse meat will not be available as food for foxes. In anticipation of such condi- ton, we have inquired of Lomen Brothers of Nome as to the likeli- hood of getting reindeer meat. At present transportation rates make deer prohibitive to us, but eventu- ally such food may be obtainable at prices we can afford to pay"
 MT. Stiefvater and MT. Langen- field will visit fur farms at Haines, Skagway, Cordova, Seward, Anchor age, Fairbanks and Valdez. They will take a steamship to Cordova and Seward, the Government rail- road to Anchorage and Fairbanks, and then the Richardson Highway to Valdez. There are several farms on the highway.
 Seaplane Couldn't Land
 MT. Langenfeld chartered the seaplane Taku for a flight tol Haines and Skagway last evening, but on arrival over Haines the water was too rough for landing and the aircraft returned here.
 To inspect fur farming conditions in Europe, MT. Langenfeld went abroad last April. He visited Swed- en, Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Germany, Belgium, and France, in all which fur bearing animals are raised for their pelts. He also visited the large European cities to investigate marketing con- ditions. He returned to the Unit ed States early this month. and without much delay came to Alas ka. He and MT Steifvater will not 20 back to the States for sev- eral weeks.