s. 



FUR-FARMING IN CANADA 15 



forms of wire enclosures. In 1897, Dalton built a ranch at Tig- 

 nish, still retaining a half-interest in the Oulton ranch. He bought 

 and sold skins and generally conducted the fur sales for the district. 

 All Oulton's foxes were sold by Dalton, as well as those of his late part- 

 ners, James Eayner and others. Dalton also conducted a general corre- 

 spondence with the fur trade, and imported stock which proved of 

 value for crossing. 



It was inevitable that enterprising neighbours who guessed 

 Breeders how successfully the fox breeding was being carried on 



would chafe at not being able to participate in such a 

 profitable enterprise. Others soon began to experiment. In 1891, 

 James Tuplin and James Gordon purchased a pair of foxes for $340, and, 

 to the surprise of Dalton and Oulton, succeeded in rearing young from 

 them in the following season. Silas Eayner was also alive to the situa- 

 tion, and though, at first, unable to secure stock of good quality, he 

 learned how to keep foxes successfully and finally secured better stock 

 from Dalton and from Gordon. Frank Tuplin, of Summerside, ob- 

 tailied the foundation stock for his large ranch by securing foxes from 

 his uncle, Robert Tuplin. It is probable that the pelt value of foxes 

 owned by the above-mentioned individuals and their inheritors at the 

 present time aggregates $300,000. The value of their stock as breeders 

 is now in such demand, that possibly $2,000,000 could be obtained for 

 it. 



Most of the early attempts to rear foxes failed because : 



1. No good fencing material, such as the woven wire used 

 at the present time, was available. 



2. The monogamous nature of foxes was not recognized and, 

 being quartered in one pen in large numbers, the young were killed. 



3. The price of fur was not high enough to induce breeders 

 to risk large amounts of capital in experiments, and those who 

 had the aptitude for the business usually possessed but little 

 capital. 



The rising prices for silver fox in the ^ nineties ', the availability 

 of woven-wire fencing and the persistence of men like Oulton, Dalton, 

 Beetz and Burrowinan are responsible for the successful methods of 

 ranching evolved. The fox-breeding methods of the pioneer breeders 

 were kept from the public, and as late as 1910, not more tlian a 

 dozen ranches were in existence. The last big sales of fur were made in 

 that year, and selling for foundation breeding stock has been general 

 since that time. So great is the demand that the prices of breeders have 

 risen in two years, from $3,000 a pair to $15,000, and at the date of 

 writing — December, 1912 — the best stock cannot be obtained at the 

 last-named figure. 



