FOX FARMING 359 



Long Island, a few miles east of Kadiak, is perhaps the 

 ideal blue fox ranch and may serve as a type for all. It is 

 a small island covered with grassy fields and stretches of 

 spruce forest. Here, near the beach and nestling down 

 in the edge of the woods, surrounded by trees, flowers, 

 and luxuriant grasses, is the keeper's house and other 

 buildings necessary for storing the winter's stock of food 

 and handling the foxes during the trapping season. This 

 station has been in operation for about five years and has 

 now from 800 to 1,000 foxes. They are taken care of by 

 a head keeper and two assistants. The food consists of 

 fish and corn meal cooked together and fed to the foxes 

 once a day throughout the year. They soon come to 

 know the feeding time and, gathering round an hour be- 

 fore the food is ready, patiently wait for their daily allow- 

 ance (6 or 8 ounces of meal and fish). They then scatter 

 about the island until the time for the next day's dinner. 

 Fish of any kind is used, either put up dry or preserved 

 in seal oil or whale oil, the latter being especially attrac- 

 tive to Sir Reynard. 



The foxes soon learn to recognize their keepers and 

 show little fear of them, but, as a rule, are shy of stran- 

 gers. The young are born early in May and attain their 

 growth in about nine months. Only one litter is born each 

 year, generally numbering from 5 to 8, though as many as 

 1 1 have been raised by one mother; this however is unusual 

 and the estimates of increase for killing purposes are based 

 on the probability that an average of 4 will reach maturity. 

 During the breeding season special care is taken to scatter 

 the food over the island as the mother does not like to 

 leave her young for any length of time, but after they 

 begin to run about she soon teaches them to follow her to 

 the general feeding grounds. 



The killing season is from about November zoth to 

 January loth, the fur being then in its finest state. The 



