160 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE. 



April, 1921. 



bred dogs c-ould not be suecessfully raised iu such en- 

 vironment. 



Fox ranchers have tried to copy nature. The usual 

 claim is that the fox in nature does not pay attention 

 to the sanitation of his burrow, and tliat he thrives best 

 when unmolested. Usually it is a good thing to copy 

 nature. Some of the best inventions of the modern world 

 are merely copies of natural processes. But when faci- 

 lities are lacking, as is the case in raising foxes in con- 

 fniement, it is sometimes advisable to deviate from nat- 

 ural habits. Modern civilization is merely the sum total 

 of our gradual adoption of artificial conditions. If we 

 had the same habits and lived under identical conditions 

 as our predecessors we could not thrive in our large con- 

 gested cities. Congestion is abnormal tn any animal, — 

 and we must allow for it when it becomes a necessity. In 

 large cities these dangers liave been overcome by apply- 

 ing the principals of hygiene, and liy making the indi- 

 vidual i-esponsible to the whole. 



Now it is evident on t.he face of it that fox-farmers 

 cani^ot furnisli for their foxes all the sanitary conven- 

 iences demanded by modern society, but some of the 

 essential re(|uirements can be approached. If the sani- 

 tation of fox-ranches is to be im])roved, fox men mu.st 



A pi-ize-winnei- at the recent International Fox Exhibition. 



sooner or later begin the education of their animals in 

 captivity in order that they may live more in accorcl- 

 ance with the essential rerpiirements of congested civi- 

 lization. 



There are several ways in which the sanitation of fox- 

 ranches could be improved. A ranch on the double-unit 

 plan could be provided, so that one half of the ranch 

 would be in use while the fouled soil of the vacant unit 

 was being thoroughly disinfected and left to be acted 

 upon by the sunlight and air. The chief objection to 

 this plan is the duplication of etiuipment ; but this 

 should not be an obstacle when the value of the silver 

 fox is taken into consideration. 



It might be advisable to experiment with impervious 

 flooring of some kind, such as asphalt, so that the runs 

 could be flushed with water and thoroughly disinfected. 

 The disinfection of pens with earth bcttoms has its lim- 

 itations, since the disinfectant substance is (luickly ab- 

 sorbed and soon becomes inert. 



Fox kennels should be cleansed at frequent intervals 

 throughout the year. This could be aeeom])lished by 

 providing two kennels for each enclosure, and the foxes 

 could be trained to occupy one kennel while the other is 

 being cleansed and disinfected. If this system were 

 can-led out weekly throughout the year, the animals 



would become accustomed to being moved from one to 

 the other and little inconvenience would be caused even 

 during the breeding season. 



The Problem of Disease: This problem has naturally 

 a direct bearing on the general problem of Sanitation. 

 Because of the unsanitary metnods, a large percentage 

 of young foxes become heavily infested with intestinal 

 parasites. Round worms have been found iu pups only 

 two weeks old, and since the young ordinarily do not 

 come out of the kennel until about the fourth week it 

 follows that the chief source of infestation is in these 

 dens. Either the worm eggs are widely disseminated 

 over the dens or else the parents are themselves infest cd. 

 The treatment of pups for worms is now universally 

 practiced when they reach the age of three or foui- 

 weeks. The medication of fox pups at such a tender 

 age is naturally attended with danger, and many of 

 them do not withstand the treatment. If more strict 

 attention were given to the cleanliness of the kennels 

 throughout the year, and the parents treated for intes- 

 tinal parasites before mating, the young would not be 

 so apt to become infested and treatment could be delay- 

 ed until weaning time. It has been difficult to get 

 ranchers to understand that worms do not arise spon- 

 taneously, but result from the ingestion (if worm eggs; 

 and the worms and their eggs are often allowed to re- 

 main in the dens and runs after being removed by An- 

 thelmintics. T^iis means of course tliat the animals 

 soon become reinfested. Too many fox-fai'mei-s i-egard 

 parasitic infestati<iii as a necessary cxil. 



A large number of foxes have been I'ouiul to liarbor 

 liookworms. Since they are blood suckers, these para- 

 sites have a very deleterious effect upon the health and 

 fur of the animal. In cxjieriments performed recently 

 at the Fox Research Station a method of removing these 

 worms has been found, but owing to the teiiaciousness 

 of the parasite, the weakened condition of heavily in- 

 fested hosts, and the potency that a drug must have to 

 be efficient, a mortality of about 10'; I'esults from 

 treatment. 



Foxes are subject to most of the common sporadic 

 diseases of Canines. Disorders ami inflammations of 

 neariy eveiy organ are observed; but foxes, particularly 

 young foxes, are more prone to intestinal disorders. 

 Tumors of various kinds have been taken from foxes of 

 all ages but their occurrence is rather rare. 



Distemper of various types has probalily caused more 

 destruction of fox-life than any one factor. Although 

 the disease has never become epidemic because ranches 

 are usually well isolated, great havoc has been expe- 

 rienced in ranches in which it has become introduced. 

 Individual owners have lost as much as $30,000 worth of 

 fox-life in a few weeks as the result of this contagious 

 disease. 



As in dog distemper, the etiology of tlie fox type is 

 very obscure. ^licro-organisms of several kinds have 

 been isolated in a few outbreaks, but seldom do we find 

 the same germ operative. Serums and vaccines have 

 given a little encouragement in the control of the disease, 

 but sanitation and preventive measures are at present 

 the prime factors in keeping the di.sease within bounds. 

 Even in this there is much difficulty as in most cases 

 fox ranches are too congested and no provision is made 

 for the isolation of affected animals. Every ranch 

 should be equipped with an isolation hospital in which 

 the sick animals could be kept under observation. 



The Problem of Feeding: There is no standardized 

 method of feeding foxes. The methods used and the 



