34 Fur Farming. 



always will be because that fur will be as popular with 

 royalty in the future as it has been in the past, and the 

 existing demand will be increased rather than diminished. 

 The enormous decrease in many costly furs, and the vastly 

 increased number of people demanding them, have brought 

 about a situation very encouraging for the domestication 

 of many animals, because of the great profits to be de- 

 rived from the industry. 



There can be no question as to the possibilities of "fur 

 farming" when carried on by competent individuals. 

 The reports show that the Silver Fox industry will bring 

 to the ranchers on Prince Edward Island over six million 

 dollars in 1913, and that orders have been placed there 

 for a large number of pairs of a particular breed at an 

 average price of ten thousand dollars per pair. In addi- 

 tion to the hundreds of private partnerships with an ag- 

 gregate capital of one million five hundred thousand dol- 

 lars, there are over fifty registered companies with a total 

 investment of upwards of four million and a half; every- 

 one of any importance on the island seems to be interested 

 in this enterprise w^hich is developing more millionaires 

 to the square mile on Prince Edward Island than are to 

 be found in any province in Canada. 



The pioneer "Fox Farmer" on the island was Hon. Chas. 

 Dalton, a farmer of Irish descent, who after many experi- 

 ments and as many failures finally succeeded with the 

 help of his partner Mr. R. T. Oulton in raising near Al- 

 berton the first breed of Foxes reared in captivity. This 

 was twenty years ago, and as before stated up to 1910 

 the business "was confined to the owners of the Dalton- 

 Oulton ranch, Mr. Robert Tuplin, Mr. Frank Tuplin, IMr. 

 Harry Lewis and a few others who were in the secret; and 

 even now all the stock used on the many farms being 

 operated on the island comes from the Dalton and Oulton 

 original breed. 



The Russian Government and the New Zealand authori- 

 ties gave an impetus to the industry when the}- sent ex- 

 perts to investigate, and upon their report invested one 

 hundred thousand dollars in young stock. Since that time 

 existing ranches have had more orders tlian they can fill, 

 even at a price of twelve thousand five hundred dollars 

 for a pair of Silver Black Foxes. 



