﻿GENERAL 
  ADMINISTEATIVE 
  EEPORT. 
  21 
  

  

  Suggestions 
  to 
  Prospective 
  Fox 
  Breeders. 
  

  

  If 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  listed 
  islands 
  is 
  leased, 
  the 
  minimum 
  charge 
  will 
  be 
  $200 
  

   per 
  year, 
  which 
  would 
  make 
  $1,000 
  for 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  lease, 
  which 
  is 
  

   five 
  years. 
  Buildings 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  expensive. 
  The 
  cost 
  of 
  breeding 
  

   stock 
  will 
  depend 
  upon 
  the 
  number 
  and 
  kind 
  of 
  foxes 
  with 
  which 
  

   operations 
  are 
  begun. 
  Silver 
  and 
  black 
  foxes 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  com- 
  

   mand 
  high 
  prices. 
  Breeders 
  of 
  these 
  varieties 
  can 
  probably 
  not 
  be 
  

   obtained 
  for 
  less 
  than 
  several 
  hundred 
  dollars 
  each. 
  A 
  pair 
  of 
  red 
  

   foxes 
  will, 
  however, 
  occasionally 
  produce 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  pups 
  of 
  these 
  

   desirable 
  color 
  varieties. 
  A 
  person 
  who 
  has 
  not 
  sufficient 
  capital 
  to 
  

   enable 
  him 
  to 
  buy 
  breeders 
  of 
  the 
  choice 
  varieties 
  can 
  start 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  

   pairs 
  of 
  reds, 
  which 
  are 
  relatively 
  cheap, 
  and 
  by 
  selective 
  breeding 
  

   should 
  be 
  able 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  to 
  establish 
  a 
  strain 
  of 
  silver 
  or 
  black 
  

   which 
  will 
  breed 
  true. 
  The 
  man 
  who 
  pursues 
  this 
  method 
  must 
  be 
  

   wilUng 
  to 
  wait 
  several 
  years 
  for 
  profits. 
  

  

  Operating 
  expenses 
  would 
  vary 
  with 
  the 
  accessibihty 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  people 
  employed, 
  and 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  natural 
  food. 
  

   There 
  should 
  be 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  persons 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  although 
  in 
  favor- 
  

   able 
  situations 
  one 
  caretaker 
  may 
  be 
  enough. 
  On 
  some 
  islands 
  the 
  

   foxes 
  find 
  sufficient 
  food, 
  w^hile 
  on 
  others 
  there 
  is 
  so 
  Uttle 
  that 
  prac- 
  

   tically 
  the 
  entire 
  supply 
  must 
  be 
  furnished 
  from 
  elsewhere. 
  Salmon 
  

   and 
  other 
  kinds 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  whale 
  meat 
  are 
  used. 
  

  

  No 
  definite 
  statement 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  prices 
  one 
  may 
  expect 
  

   to 
  obtain 
  for 
  fox 
  sldns. 
  The 
  blue 
  fox 
  sldns 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  

   Islands 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1911-12 
  sold 
  in 
  London 
  at 
  an 
  average 
  price 
  of 
  

   $56.53 
  per 
  skin. 
  Of 
  that 
  lot, 
  28 
  choice 
  sldns 
  from 
  St. 
  Paul 
  Island 
  

   (one 
  of 
  the 
  Pribilofs) 
  brought 
  a 
  Uttle 
  more 
  than 
  $131 
  each. 
  At 
  the 
  

   sale 
  at 
  St. 
  Louis, 
  in 
  December, 
  1913, 
  of 
  the 
  fox 
  sldns 
  taken 
  on 
  those 
  

   islands 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1912-13, 
  one 
  lot 
  of 
  six 
  blue-fox 
  skins 
  sold 
  for 
  

   $158 
  each. 
  These 
  are 
  perhaps 
  the 
  best 
  prices 
  that 
  blue-fox 
  skins 
  

   ever 
  brought, 
  and 
  whether 
  they 
  will 
  be 
  maintained 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  pre- 
  

   dicted. 
  With 
  the 
  large 
  and 
  increasing 
  demand 
  for 
  all 
  fuis, 
  however, 
  

   there 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  reason 
  why 
  fox 
  skins 
  should 
  not 
  continue 
  

   to 
  command 
  good 
  prices. 
  Skins 
  of 
  silver-gray 
  foxes 
  have 
  been 
  sold 
  

   at 
  much 
  higher 
  prices 
  than 
  the 
  above, 
  and 
  black-fox 
  sldns 
  the 
  high- 
  

   est 
  of 
  all. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  islands 
  Hsted 
  for 
  leasing 
  in 
  the 
  announcement, 
  

   there 
  are 
  other 
  unoccupied 
  islands 
  in 
  Alaska 
  available 
  for 
  fur 
  farming, 
  

   which 
  could 
  be 
  obtained 
  under 
  the 
  general 
  land 
  laws. 
  There 
  are 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  persons 
  operating 
  fox 
  ranches 
  in 
  Alaska 
  from 
  whom 
  breeding 
  

   stock 
  of 
  blue, 
  silver, 
  cross, 
  and 
  black 
  foxes 
  can 
  probably 
  be 
  purchased. 
  

   22889°— 
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  15 
  

  

  