WHY NOT RAISE YOUR OWN FURS? 



animals now wild eventually may be 

 tamed. Their dispositions as well as 

 their diet are readily adapted to condi- 

 tions of captivity. Persons who ai'e 

 fond of pets may find a fresh field for 

 their activities in this new enterprise, 

 and also an opportunity to raise their 

 own furs. Experiments have been car- 

 ried on for some years, until now suc- 

 cess with at least a few animals is 

 assured, while others are being tested 

 with good results. About one half the 

 fur bearers of North America seem 

 -uitable for domestication, and of these 

 the mink, the skunk, and the silver fox 

 have been bred successfully in many 

 parts of the United States and Canada. 

 Among those which have been . only 

 partly tested for this purpose are the 

 marten, fisher, otter, blue fox, raccoon, 

 and beaver. Experiments, however, 

 have been sufficiently conclusive in most 

 cases to predict ultimate success with 

 these animals also. 



The first of the wild iur bearers to 

 l)e domesticated in this country was the 

 mink, whose soft, dark brown fur is 

 one of the most durable as well as most 

 Ijeautiful. It is nearly fifty years since 

 a man in Oneida County, Xew York, 

 began to breed and sell minks for 

 propagation. In those days it was a 

 profitable undertaking, the skins being 

 high priced and the live animals bring- 

 ing $30 a pair. Later, owing to a 

 period of financial depression, the busi- 

 ness became unprofitable and was aban- 

 doned. After being almost forgotten 

 as a money-making industry, it has 

 been revived and, where conditions have 

 been favorable, has proved more than 

 satisfactory to those engaged in it. 



A fur bearer peculiar to the Western 

 Hemisphere, the finest specimens being 

 found in the United States, is the 

 skunk. Its glistening black fur of me- 

 dium length is very attractive and has 

 a readv sale notwithstandino- the fact 



Arctic or blue foxes have beeu tested to some extent for domestication. Tliey liave been raised 

 successfully on several of the Alaskan islands and on Prince Edward's Island, i^om the latter place, 

 in .January, 1917, six blue fox skins, valued at $250 each, were shipped to the United States. On 

 the Pribilof Islands these foxes are protected by the government, and in 1916 six pairs were fur- 

 nished by the Bureau of Fisheries for use on a fox farm in the state of Xew York 



