132 



COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



Polar Fox \ White skins 105,000 



(Vidpes lagopus) J Blue " 11 ,000 



Kit^Fox \ 64,000 



{Vulpes velox) J 



Gray Fox T 



(JJrocyon dnebrensargentaius) J 50,000 



The Japan fox or Raccoon dog, and a few thousand skins of two 

 South American species make up the balance. 



Brass estimates the world's 3'early production of the various species 

 of foxes as follows : 



FOX SKINS PRODUCED ANNUALLY 



Geographical The quotations published by fur-buyers make a geographi- 

 Classification ^^^ classification of furs, thus: 



Red Fox No. 1, Large:* 



Alaska, Northern and Western Canada $12.00 



Newfoundland and Labrador 8 . 50 



Minnesota, Wisconsin, Dakota, Missouri, Michigan 7 . 50 



Eastern Canada, Michigan, New York, and Northeastern states. . . 6 . 00 



Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois 5.00 



Central and Southern states 3 . 50 



Red Fox No. 1, Large rf 



Eastern Canada, Nova Scotia, Labrador 9 . 00 



Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Ontario 8 . 00 



Northern New York, northern Michigan, Connecticut 7 . 00 



Northern Pennsylvania, central New York, central Michigan .... 6 . 00 



Central Pennsylvania, northern Ohio, W. Virginia, New York .... 5 . 00 



Central Ohio, northern Indiana, Illinois 4.75 



South Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, southern 



Ohio, northern Kentucky 4 . 50 



Southern and Southwestern states 4 . 25 



The geographical classification reveals the fact that, in North Amer- 

 ica, the higher the altitude, or the lower the temperature, the heavier 

 the pelt. Mink descends steadily in value from Labrador to Florida, 

 Eastern Canada large No. 1 mink being quoted at $6.00 in March, 1914, 

 and Florida at S4.00. A heavy pelt, if properly coloured, is usually the 

 most valuable. Canada, therefore, produces the best fur in the New 

 World as Russia does in the Old. It is quite possible, also, that the pelts 



*Fur News Magazine, November, 1912. 

 ■\Fur Trade Review, December, 1912. 



