﻿20 
  ALASKA 
  FISHEKIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  FOX 
  BREEDING. 
  

  

  As 
  previously 
  stated, 
  the 
  Bureau 
  is 
  desirous 
  of 
  encouraging 
  fox 
  farm- 
  

   ing, 
  especially 
  on 
  those 
  Alaskan 
  islands 
  not 
  productive 
  in 
  other 
  

   respects, 
  but 
  suitable 
  to 
  an 
  industry 
  like 
  this. 
  The 
  get-rich-quick 
  

   possibihties, 
  however, 
  glowingly 
  put 
  forth 
  with 
  such 
  strong 
  appeal 
  to 
  

   the 
  trappers, 
  traders, 
  and 
  others 
  in 
  Alaska 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  year 
  or 
  

   two, 
  have 
  led 
  to 
  unfortunate 
  ventures, 
  which 
  are 
  much 
  to 
  be 
  deplored 
  

   and 
  which 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  prevented 
  by 
  adequate 
  understanding 
  of 
  

   the 
  facts. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  enthusiast 
  the 
  proposition 
  has 
  seemed 
  all 
  too 
  simple. 
  The 
  

   black, 
  silver-gray, 
  and 
  cross 
  foxes 
  are 
  varieties 
  of 
  the 
  red; 
  the 
  white 
  

   fox 
  is 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  the 
  blue. 
  Starting 
  with 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  blacks 
  or 
  silver 
  

   grays, 
  or 
  even 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  reds, 
  from 
  wliich 
  he 
  was 
  assured 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  

   or 
  two 
  blacks 
  would 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  litter 
  and 
  would 
  in 
  turn 
  

   breed 
  true, 
  it 
  was 
  easy 
  for 
  the 
  prospective 
  fox 
  breeder 
  to 
  calculate 
  

   that 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  year, 
  or 
  the 
  third 
  at 
  most, 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  at 
  least 
  

   10 
  good 
  blacks 
  or 
  silver 
  grays, 
  5 
  of 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  females, 
  each 
  to 
  

   produce 
  8 
  to 
  10 
  pups 
  the 
  next 
  year, 
  and 
  so 
  on; 
  and 
  as 
  blacks 
  and 
  silver 
  

   grays 
  were 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  worth 
  many 
  thousands 
  of 
  dollars 
  each 
  as 
  

   breeders, 
  it 
  was 
  easy 
  to 
  compute 
  the 
  great 
  and 
  rapid 
  gain 
  and 
  conse- 
  

   quent 
  wealth 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  years. 
  

  

  The 
  fallacies 
  in 
  this 
  reasoning 
  are 
  several. 
  The 
  desired 
  blacks 
  or 
  

   silvers 
  may 
  not 
  appear 
  in 
  the 
  htter 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  fox. 
  A 
  pair 
  of 
  reds 
  

   may 
  not 
  produce 
  a 
  black, 
  or 
  if 
  so, 
  only 
  rarely. 
  The 
  blacks 
  or 
  silvers 
  

   may 
  not 
  breed 
  true; 
  whether 
  they 
  will 
  or 
  not 
  depends 
  upon 
  their 
  own 
  

   history. 
  The 
  fox 
  breeder 
  is 
  not 
  ordinarily 
  in 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  knowl- 
  

   edge 
  necessary 
  to 
  enable 
  him 
  to 
  discover 
  and 
  interpret 
  the 
  facts 
  in 
  

   regard 
  to 
  his 
  stock. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  inherent 
  reason, 
  however, 
  why 
  fox 
  farming 
  should 
  not 
  

   be 
  a 
  success 
  in 
  Alaska. 
  Although 
  on 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  islands 
  various 
  per- 
  

   sons 
  and 
  companies 
  have 
  had 
  such 
  indifferent 
  success 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  

   them 
  have 
  abandoned 
  the 
  undertaking, 
  a 
  few 
  who 
  have 
  persisted 
  are 
  

   now 
  getting 
  fair 
  profits. 
  The 
  reasons 
  for 
  failure 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  chiefly 
  

   these: 
  Imperfect 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  business 
  or 
  lack 
  of 
  experience; 
  

   ignorance 
  of 
  elementary 
  principles 
  of 
  animal 
  breeding, 
  and 
  especi- 
  

   ally 
  ignorance 
  of 
  the 
  breeding, 
  feeding, 
  and 
  other 
  habits 
  of 
  foxes; 
  

   turning 
  the 
  business 
  over 
  to 
  unreUable 
  keepers, 
  with 
  lack 
  of 
  personal 
  

   supervision; 
  difficulty 
  in 
  getting 
  proper 
  fox 
  food; 
  and 
  great 
  destruc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  young 
  by 
  natural 
  enemies, 
  such 
  as 
  eagles. 
  Perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  

   serious 
  difficulty 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  intelHgent 
  supervision. 
  

  

  The 
  factors 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  in 
  the 
  business 
  of 
  fox 
  raising, 
  as 
  in 
  any 
  

   other 
  business 
  enterprise, 
  are 
  the 
  capital, 
  operating 
  expenses, 
  and 
  

   market 
  prices 
  of 
  the 
  product. 
  Although 
  the 
  data 
  at 
  hand 
  are 
  meager, 
  

   the 
  Bureau 
  offers 
  the 
  following 
  suggestions 
  : 
  

  

  