448 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ervation, and in district 2, south of latitude 62°, with the exception 

 that the duly authorized agents, owners, lessees, or permittees of 

 islands and lands used and maintained as fur farms for the propa- 

 gation of blue foxes may kill at any time the animals in their pos- 

 session. 



A fur warden was appointed at Nome, and warden service was 

 maintained during parts of the year at Fairbanks, Unalaska, Anchor- 

 age, Juneau, Cordova, and Belkofsky. Excellent cooperation was 

 given by the customs division of the Treasury Department and by 

 agents of the Department of Justice. Plans have been made for 

 extending fur-warden service by the appointment of regular wardens 

 for the Kuskokwim region and for that about Fairbanks. 



The fur warden stationed at Nome made a careful investigation of 

 conditions in regard to fur-bearing animals along the Kuskokwim 

 Kiver early in 1923, traveling a total distance of 1,603 miles by dog 

 team and going as far south as Bethel. Valuable information was 

 obtained regarding land fur animals, one important fact being noted 

 that, with the possible exception of the beaver and the marten, the 

 fur bearers were more than holding their own. Serious forest fires, 

 however, have ruined many miles of marten territory in the Kus- 

 kokwim region. The establishment of a Forest Service fire patrol 

 in interior Alaska is seriously needed and will be of enormous value 

 to the future welfare of the "Territory. Fires annually destroy vast 

 areas of timber valuable for local use and forage for game and rein- 

 deer that can not be replaced in many years. 



PROSECUTIONS AND SEIZURES. 



Only two arrests were made for violations of the fur law, each re- 

 sulting in a conviction and fine. A number of contraband skins were 

 seized, but the possessors were not prosecuted, owing to defects in 

 the fur law which make successful prosecution doubtful. 



Reports of the use of poison and explosives in the destruction of 

 beavers, their dams, and their houses continue to be received and pre- 

 sent the most serious danger to the future of the fur animals that 

 exists. So many beavers were killed during the recent open season 

 that a general desire has been expressed by people from all parts of 

 the Territory for another extended close season. 



With an adequate fur law and sufficient funds to enforce it, proper 

 protection could be given to the land fur-bearing animals of the 

 Territory, and thus perpetuate and increase one of its most valuable 

 natural assets. 



SHIPMENTS OF ALASKA FURS. 



Shipments of furs from the Territory continue to form an im- 

 portant item of its annual production. According to reports made to 

 the bureau by postmasters and agents of transportation companies, 

 covering the year from December 1, 1921, to November 30, 1922, the 

 number of furs shipped greatly exceeded that for the previous year. 

 Only 254,788 skins were shipped during the year ended November 30, 

 1921, while 394,514 were shipped in 1922. Exclusive of white and 

 blue foxes of the Pribilof Islands, which arc under the jurisdiction 

 of the Bureau of Fisheries, the value of the skins of land fur bearers 

 shipped for this year amounted to $1,732,693. The number of the 

 principal pelts shipped and their value were as follows : 



