114 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1915. 
animals in corrals, the mortality seldom exceeds 25 per cent; and in some cases, even 
on large ranches, as high as 100 per cent of the pups born have been successfully 
raised. In our short experience in this business we can testify that we have raised 
every fox that was born on our ranch this year. It is true that we had but five pups 
born; still it is a fact that three of these certainly would have died if they had been at 
large, and could not have been given the extreme care necessary when they were sick. 
The value of these three foxes saved, we figure, repays us to a considerable extent for 
the cost of our corrals. 
If foxes are to be bred and reared according to scientific principles, and with any 
hope of improving the stock and quality of fur produced, then the animals must be 
raised in captivity. This system permits of selective breeding, a thing that can not 
be accomplished if the foxes are allowed to run at large, and also provides a means of 
eliminating undesirable animals from the breeding stock. It also furnishes an oppor- 
tunity of giving the foxes individual care and attention at all times, and reduces 
to a minimum the chances of loss from the many causes that are known to exist on 
the islands where foxes are given their liberty. 
All the members of the Kodiak Fox Farm have had many years of experience in 
Alaska and excellent opportunities to observe the methods practiced by the fox 
ranchers and to note wherein mistakes have been made. Aside from their knowl- 
edge of local conditions, they have investigated as fully as possible the results of fur 
farming ventures in the United States and Canada, and from the data gathered on the 
subject, decided upon the system of fox propagation that is now in use on Long Island. 
LITERATURE ON FOX FARMING.—Much information was obtained on the subject of 
raising foxes in captivity from the excellent report of the Canadian Commission of 
Conservation, entitled, ‘‘Fur Farming in Canada,”’ by J. Walter Jones. This book is 
by far the best work we have seen on this interesting subject, and should prove of 
inestimable value to those engaged in fur farming, or who contemplate undertaking 
this business. Farmers’ Bulletin No. 328, of the United States Department of Agri- 
culture, entitled, ‘‘Silver Fox Farming,’ by Wilfred H. Osgood, also contains much 
valuable information, but the work does not treat the subject as exhaustively as does 
the Canadian report. The Silver Black Fox, a monthly magazine published in St. 
John, New Brunswick, and devoted exclusively to this industry, contains many val- 
uable and interesting articles.¢ 
CARETAKER.—Since the primary object in raising foxes in captivity is to be able to 
give them exceptional care, then the selection of a proper caretaker becomes an im- 
portant consideration. We have been most fortunate in securing the services of Dur- 
rell Finch, and we believe that if any man of his capabilities attempts this business, 
success is bound to result. Mr. Finch was formerly a stockman in the Middle West, 
and seems to have a natural intuition as to how animals should be handled. For about 
20 years he has been in Alaska, and for a good part of that time was in charge of a sta- 
tion belonging to the Alaska Commercial Co. where a great deal of fur was handled. 
Mr. Finch is responsible for a breed of sled dogs among which are found some of the 
most hardy and intelligent in the country. This he accomplished by crossing the St. 
Bernard with the Husky, and then carefully selecting his breeders from the resulting 
pups. With this experience, and being naturally fond of animals, he is particularly 
well fitted for the work of caretaker. 
One of the partners of the firm, Karl Armstrong, who acts as manager, is also of 
valuable assistance in conducting the ranch. He was also formerly a stockman, and 
the breeding of a thoroughbred line of field dogs has been for years his hobby. The 
services of a veterinary surgeon may be entirely dispensed with when Mr. Armstrong 
atn this connection the Bureau invites attention to Department of Agriculture Bulletin no. 301, 
Silver Fox Farming in eastern North America, by Dr. Ned Dearborn. The bulletin is a contribution 
from the Bureau of Biological Survey. 
