﻿22 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  Notes 
  on 
  Fox 
  Farms 
  in 
  Alaska. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  data 
  on 
  fox 
  ranches 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  Alaska 
  have 
  

   been 
  furnished 
  the 
  Bureau 
  by 
  the 
  wardens 
  on 
  duty 
  in 
  those 
  regions: 
  

  

  Vicinity 
  of 
  Haines. 
  — 
  There 
  has 
  been 
  much 
  activity 
  in 
  fox 
  farming 
  

   in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Haines 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  year. 
  In 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  

   August 
  T. 
  D. 
  Lahey 
  and 
  Charles 
  Handley 
  of 
  that 
  place 
  had 
  in 
  pens 
  31 
  

   young 
  foxes 
  ranging 
  in 
  age 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  five 
  months. 
  Among 
  them 
  

   were 
  one 
  black 
  fox 
  and 
  five 
  silver 
  grays, 
  the 
  remainder 
  being 
  red 
  or 
  

   showing 
  tendency 
  to 
  the 
  cross 
  variety. 
  IVIr. 
  Lahey 
  stated 
  that 
  when 
  

   young 
  they 
  were 
  all 
  red, 
  but 
  as 
  they 
  grew 
  toward 
  maturity 
  they 
  

   acquired 
  the 
  silver 
  gray 
  phase. 
  These 
  foxes 
  were 
  captured 
  in 
  the 
  

   country 
  back 
  from 
  Haines. 
  

  

  When 
  taken 
  by 
  steel 
  traps 
  the 
  legs 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  foxes 
  are 
  some- 
  

   times 
  quite 
  badly 
  injured, 
  but 
  nearly 
  all 
  recover. 
  Two 
  in 
  the 
  pens 
  

   had 
  deformed 
  fore 
  legs 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  traps, 
  but 
  they 
  seemed 
  as 
  

   active 
  as 
  the 
  others. 
  All 
  were 
  confined 
  in 
  pens 
  of 
  chicken-wire 
  net- 
  

   ting 
  and 
  were 
  tame 
  and 
  playful 
  and 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  fuie 
  condition. 
  

   They 
  were 
  fed 
  once 
  a 
  day, 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  when 
  each 
  was 
  given 
  a 
  

   ration 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  half 
  pound 
  of 
  fish. 
  

  

  The 
  pens 
  at 
  Haines 
  were 
  of 
  a 
  temporary 
  character, 
  pending 
  the 
  com- 
  

   pletion 
  of 
  more 
  extensive 
  quarters 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Chilkat 
  

   River 
  at 
  the 
  place 
  known 
  locally 
  as 
  Long 
  Bridge, 
  which 
  is 
  18 
  miles 
  

   out 
  from 
  Haines. 
  

  

  The 
  permanent 
  breeding 
  inclosure 
  now 
  used, 
  at 
  the 
  new 
  estabUsh- 
  

   ment, 
  consists 
  of 
  two 
  rows 
  of 
  pens, 
  10 
  in 
  a 
  row, 
  each 
  pen 
  being 
  30 
  by 
  

   40 
  feet. 
  These 
  two 
  rows 
  of 
  pens 
  face 
  upon 
  an 
  inner 
  range 
  40 
  by 
  300 
  

   feet. 
  Surrounding 
  all 
  is 
  an 
  outer 
  fence 
  350 
  feet 
  by 
  180 
  feet. 
  The 
  

   fences 
  extend 
  10 
  feet 
  above 
  ground 
  and 
  3 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  surface; 
  

   posts 
  are 
  set 
  10 
  feet 
  apart. 
  The 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  fencing 
  are 
  of 
  No. 
  16 
  

   gauge 
  wire 
  of 
  2-inch 
  mesh, 
  while 
  the 
  overhang, 
  which 
  is 
  2 
  feet 
  

   wide, 
  is 
  of 
  No. 
  18 
  gauge, 
  with 
  same 
  size 
  opening. 
  From 
  information 
  

   at 
  hand, 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  well-ordered 
  estabhshment. 
  

  

  Samalga 
  Island. 
  — 
  An 
  interesting 
  report 
  has 
  been 
  received 
  from 
  

   Mr. 
  Samuel 
  Applegate, 
  of 
  Unalaska, 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  propagation 
  

   of 
  blue 
  foxes 
  on 
  Samalga 
  Island, 
  which 
  is 
  located 
  southwest 
  of 
  Umnak 
  

   Island 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  Aleutians. 
  Samalga 
  Island 
  is 
  3f 
  miles 
  long 
  and 
  

   has 
  an 
  average 
  width 
  of 
  one-fourth 
  mile. 
  It 
  is 
  low 
  with 
  a 
  rocky 
  reef- 
  

   like 
  formation 
  running 
  through 
  it, 
  and 
  is 
  quite 
  heavily 
  covered 
  with 
  

   grass. 
  The 
  shore 
  runs 
  bare 
  from 
  250 
  to 
  400 
  yards 
  around 
  the 
  whole 
  

   island. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  island 
  in 
  the 
  district 
  upon 
  which 
  foxes 
  have 
  

   been 
  placed 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  breeding 
  them 
  for 
  their 
  pelts. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  1897, 
  Mr. 
  Applegate 
  first 
  stocked 
  the 
  island 
  with 
  13 
  

   blue 
  foxes. 
  They 
  were 
  allowed 
  to 
  run 
  wild, 
  and 
  were 
  not 
  fed, 
  as 
  

   there 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  plenty 
  of 
  natural 
  food. 
  Two 
  natives 
  were 
  

   employed 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  months 
  as 
  watchmen. 
  

  

  