118 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1915, 
It will be noted that the fences of the new corrals are but 6 feet in height, which we 
have demonstrated is sufficient height in this country, where the snowfall is light. In 
a district where the snow is apt to exceed 2 feet in depth, the height of the fence 
should be increased accordingly; also, if no coverine wire is used, the fence should be 
at least 10 feet high. Aside from the fact that a considerable saving in construction 
cost is effected by building low fences, the danger of the foxes being injured by falls 
is greatly lessened. Foxes are great climbers, and it often happens that they are 
seriously injured by falling from high fences. 
Many of the fox ranchers have constructed their corrals so as to allow a passageway 
around each one. This plan, of course, acts as a safeguard against the foxes fighting 
through the wire, but we think there are objectionable features in this method of build- 
ing the inclosures, and that the general scheme we have followed will better serve 
the purpose. The nest houses in our corrals are placed at the end farthest from the 
entrance, so it is not necessary for the keeper, when feeding and otherwise caring for 
the foxes, to approach nearer to the nests than just inside the entrance gate of the corral. 
This is an important matter, for during the period of gestation, and until the pups 
are weaned, extreme caution must be exercised not to disturb or excite the female. 
With passageways completely surrounding the breeding corrals, there is apt to be a tend- 
ency to disturb the foxes at a time when they should be left entirely alone, and for 
this reason the plan of construction should be given careful consideration. By fol- 
lowing our plan of construction the chances of accident from the animals fighting 
through the fences will surely be eliminated, and then the cost of construction will be 
considerably lessened. Fewer posts will be required for the corrals; and in case the 
ranch is situated where an outer inclosure is necessary, considerable expense can be 
avoided from the fact that a smaller area will have to be surrounded. 
Care must be exercised in the selection of wire netting, and this should be the grade 
that is galvanized after weaving. Nothing lighter than no. 14 wire should be placed 
under ground, and we would recommend, when it is possible to secure a heavier weight, 
the use of no. 12. For the fence wire we believe that nothing lighter than no. 14 should 
be used; some of the foxes are large and very strong, and by continually biting and 
pulling at one place in the fence a hole might easily be made if the wire is not of 
sufficient weight. For the covering wire no. 16 is heavy enough, but we think it 
would be dangerous to use anything lighter. Two-inch mesh might be used with 
safety for all the netting, although the use of 1-inch mesh wire for the lower half of 
the fences has its advantages. Any netting with larger mesh than 2 inches, however, 
should not be used in the construction of fox corrals. 
In fastening the wire netting to the posts and stringers a liberal supply of staples 
should be used. We recommend galvanized staples, 14 inches long and of no. 9 
gauge. 
Instead of using a lacing wire for connecting the strips of netting, as is done generally 
in constructing fox corrals, we have found that galvanized hog rings make a much bet- 
ter, cheaper, and neater job. These are used by fishermen on the Pacific coast for build- 
ing fish traps of wire netting, and can be secured from any house that deals in salmon 
cannery supplies. The rings are easily and quickly applied by the use of a hog ringer. 
Our advice generally, to those who contemplate going into the fur-farming business, 
is not to attempt to economize on the material that goes into their corrals. Only the 
best material and workmanship should be considered, for the fox is a valuable animal, 
and the loss of a single animal through improperly constructed inclosures might repre- 
sent a sum greater than the entire cost of the structures. 
Nest Houses.—In the construction of the nest houses, or artificial burrows, in 
which the male and female are to live for a good part of the year, and where the female 
is to whelp and rear her young to the weaning stage, the greatest care should be exer- 
cised. Our nest houses have been built on the lines suggested by J. Walter Jones in 
his Canadian report, but the plan has been somewhat altered through information 
gained by conversation and correspondence with parties who have had vast experience 
