Location by Counties of Commercial Pheosonts Farms 



Number of Farms 



Algoma 3 



Brant 3 



Bruce 3 



Carleton 1 



Durham 4 



Elgin 6 



Essex 5 



Frontenac 3 



Grey 6 



Haldimand 4 



Halton 5 



Haliburton 1 



Hastings 4 



Huron 6 



Kent 3 



Lambton 4 



Lanark 1 



Leeds 2 



Lennox and Addington 1 



Lincoln 4 



Manitoulin 1 



Middlesex 6 



Muskoka 1 



Norfolk 9 



Northumberland 7 



Ontario 9 



Oxford 10 



Peel 8 



Perth 3 



Prince Edward 2 



Renfrew 2 



Simcoe 6 



Victoria 2 



Waterlooe 12 



Welland 9 



Wellington 8 



Wentworth 9 



York 9 



Total 181 



FUR MANAGEMENT 



Heavy snows on thin ice during the fall season created unusual trapping 

 conditions province wide and hazardous and difficult travel for the trapper. As 

 the season continued heavy layers of slush ice made trapsetting even more work. 

 Trappers were similar in number to previous years and continued interest and 

 effort by the trapper resulted in harvested totals comparable to other successful 

 years. The total beaver catch of almost 138,000 came within 2,500 of reaching 

 Ontario's peak production of 140,000 harvested during the 1957-58 season and 

 was higher by about 4% than the previous year's figure. With but a slight de- 

 crease in price, beaver remained in good demand. Continued improvement 

 through furs seasonably caught and through pelt preparation, held against a 

 larger drop in average price paid per pelt. Better prices received for seasonably 

 caught well handled fur supported the Department's encouragement to the trapper 

 along this line. 



The March 31st closing date was in effect again this year. Due to the 

 lateness of the spring thaw in most areas and the trapper's co-operation in taking 

 the bulk of his catch by midwinter, consideration is being given to a slightly 

 later closing date, possibly April 15th, in the North and Northwestern sections. 

 As most trappers have to wait for break-up before further employment, this 



101 



