FOXES AND FOX-F ARMING- 213 



But expanding civilization is steadily diminish- 

 ing the supply of furs, and the animals which 

 bear them are proportionately decreasing, es- 

 pecially those whose coats are of high quality. 

 The growing demand may be met partly by 

 stricter enforcement of the game laws, but it 

 is evident that it is becoming necessary to 

 propagate fur-bearers in confinement, and by 

 this means an important and new industry will 

 presently be developed. This has already been 

 the subject of no little thought and experiment, 

 but mainly in reference to the smaller and less 

 valuable animals, such as skunks and minks, as 

 we shall see. Results of considerable impor- 

 tance have been obtained recently with Alaskan 

 blue foxes, and a good deal has been done 

 quietly in experimental cultivation of the Cana- 

 dian silver fox. 



This last industry has recently been made 

 the subject of official investigation by Mr. W. 

 H. Osgood, of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, from whose report the present 

 article is mainly compiled. More persons have 

 engaged in it than the public generally is aware 

 of, for they have been disposed to keep their 



