Man and Nature 425 



day the role of the beaver is being played by his humble 

 cousin the muskrat, while fox and fislici-, mink and martin 

 are following' in the l'o(jtsteps of liie bulTah), tlic elk and the 

 antelope. The codfish still manag'cs to hold his own, hut 

 many of his congeners are less fortunate. 



The rapid dimiinition of our fur-bearing hosts, with the 

 consequent lise in i)riee of furs, has led to experiments in 

 breeding these animals for market, which, while scarcely 

 beyond the experimental stage as yet, give promise of future 

 success. The prim ijial site of these experiments lias been 

 Prince Edward Islaiul, where the golden possibilities of fox 

 farming have so seized upon the imagination of many of the 

 local farmers, that they have mortgaged their farms to ob- 

 ta n the necessary capital for undertaking this venture. In 

 1911 the value of the captive foxes was twice that of all other 

 live stock on the island. That enormous profits are possible 

 in successful fox farming is shown by the value of the best 

 animals for breeding, as high as $25,000 having been i)aid 

 for a single pair of silver foxes for this purpose. Not alone 

 foxes, but fisher, martin, mink, skunk and other animals have 

 been cultivated for their furs, and to aid this industry in 

 the United States the Biological Survey maintains an experi- 

 mental fur farm in Essex County, N. Y., where several spe- 

 cies of fur bearers are being raised. 



When those of us who are privileged to pay a surtax on 

 our incomes and can accordingly indulge our appetites with 

 such delicacies as blue points on the half-shell, lobster a la 

 Newburg, or, shades of hpicurus defend us!, diamond-back 

 terrapin stew, how often do -we think of the part played by 

 our benevolent Uncle Sam in providing us with such de- 

 lights'? Were the wealth of Nature used, but not abused by 

 man, her resources would be never failing. But man is as 

 stupid as he is greedy and gluttonous, and ofttimes destroys 

 just for the sake of seeing the smash. Hence Artifice imist 

 come to the aid of Nature, and learning skill from her may 

 soon come to outdo her in the production of her own wealth. 



Nowhere has the pro])agation of wild aninuils been under- 

 taken with greater effort or larger success than in the Tnited 

 States. Our waters, both iidand and marine, form a vast 

 aquatic farm wherein fish and other aquatic animals are be- 

 ing reared by the billion every year. Our biggest fish farmer 

 is Uncle Sam himself, but a nmjority of the states are also 

 engaged in the busiiu'ss on a more or less extensive scale. 



The American Fish Cultural Association was organized in 

 1870, later becoming the American Fisheries Society, and 

 several states had already established fish conunissions. 

 Through the activity of these agencies the Federal Govern- 



