76 



MAMMALS OF AMERICA 



our knowledge of the Silver Fox ; and this fact, 

 combined with the importance of the industry 

 itself, warrants somewhat extensive quotation 

 from this article. Mr. Riley says : " The whole 

 island is virtually a great fur farm, from which 

 the principal income is derived. Of the 2,700 

 Silver-black Foxes in captivity about 2.500 are 

 there. More recently the breeding industry has 

 been firmly established in a few of the United 

 States along the Canadian boundary, where the 

 climatic conditions have proved to be ideal. 



" There are several reasons for preferring furs 

 grown in captivity. Pelts from the wild must 

 be taken when caught, regardless of their con- 

 dition. . . . Here the breeder has a big advantage 

 over the trapper. Not only may the pelt be 

 taken when the fur is at its best, but by the 

 use of chloroform the killing may be virtually 

 painless and without mutilation. While the trap- 

 per may occasionally command top-notch prices, 

 the breeder can do so every time. . . . .\nother 

 fear that has prevented the establishment of Fox 

 breeding on a firm basis in the United States 

 is that success will attend it only in a bleak 

 northern latitude. The United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, however, states that the 

 whole eastern and northern sections of the coun- 

 try as far south as Tennessee, and about all of 

 the Pacific Coast States are suitable for Fox 

 breeding. This is attested by naturalists of the 

 first authority, and has been shown practically 

 in several instances, notably by a large and suc- 

 cessfully conducted fur ranch at ^^'hitefield, 

 N. H., of which Otto J. Piehler. of Boston, is 

 president. ... A 2000 acre tract of land has been 

 purchased in the \\'hite Mountain region, em- 

 bracing three ponds and several streams and 

 mountain peaks, and providing every desirable 

 condition for breeding not only the Fox, but 

 the Mink, Raccoon. Black Muskrat. American 

 Otter, Beaver, and Marten." 



In 1910, Silver Fox breeders sold for $4,000 

 a pair; in 191 1, the price jumped to $6,000; in 

 1912, it became $10,000; in 1913, $15,000; a 

 two-year-old pair that had shown unusual fer- 

 tility was sold, with a guarantee, for $30,000; 

 and later in the same year the record for guar- 

 anteed breeders became $40,000. The Woodbury 

 ranch promises to become famous because of the 

 vigor, stamina, and all-arovmd quality of its 

 breeders. Experts agree that the prime pelts at 



this ranch for beauty alone would easily bring 

 $2,000 to $3,000, the fur being thick, full, soft, 

 glossy, and of beautiful color sprinkled with 

 white points. 



The Silver Fox is monogamous, and the 

 pairing is a matter of utmost delicacy, for both 

 male and female quickly resent uncongenial com- 

 panionship. This is one of the chief factors in 

 the high cost of mated pairs for breeding pur- 

 poses. From early in February until June or July, 

 the mated pairs must be unmolested, except by 

 a friendly keeper who goes quietly into the pens 

 with food. The kennels must not be approached 

 or any attempt made to count the litters. Plenty 

 of sleep, quiet, and contented solitude are needed 

 during this period, for the mother is ever quiv- 

 ering with anxiety for the safety of her charges. 

 So great is her love for them that if she fears 

 intrusion or interference, she will kill them 

 that they may be spared from what she evidently 

 fears may be a worse fate. 



■' The young feed on the mother's milk, but 

 occasionally, if the mother ignores them, they 

 are weaned easily, for they will take milk and 

 crackers as freely as a child. For cubs open their 

 eyes in about three weeks after birth, after which 

 there is less danger. . . . Also for variety of 

 food, fish, fruit, small game, and crickets may be 

 employed ; hard tack and ordinary sea or dog bis- 

 cuit dipped in fresh milk are desirable. Ban- 

 nock or unleavened bread, shortened with tallow, 

 is often used, and fresh grass is desirable as a 

 laxative. . . . Full feeding for a few weeks 

 helps to make the fur glossy. Some breeders em- 

 ploy honey, molasses, or patent stock food for 

 the same purpose. The cost of feeding a Fox is 

 estimated at ten dollars to fifteen dollars a year, 

 and two men are ample for care and constant 

 watching on a ranch where there are forty to 

 sixty fo-xes.' 



Dr. William Young Chapman, writing under 

 the title " Fox Frenzy " in the Independent 

 (February 13, 1913), says: "Recently, one of 

 the pioneers in the (fox-breeding) business sold 

 his ranch of twenty pairs to a company, with 

 certain guarantees, for $625,000, and within a 

 few weeks a gentleman from Russia visited 

 ' The Island ' and purchased five pairs for 

 $100,000. These are to be shipped to Russia 

 and the industry will be established in that 

 countrv.'" 



