﻿24 
  ALASKA 
  FISHEEIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  Semidi 
  Islands. 
  — 
  Perhaps 
  the 
  earliest 
  attempt 
  at 
  fox 
  raisino; 
  in 
  the 
  

   region 
  of 
  the 
  Kodiak 
  group 
  of 
  islands 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Semidi 
  Propa- 
  

   gating 
  Co. 
  in 
  1885, 
  when 
  the 
  Semidi 
  Islands 
  were 
  stocked 
  with 
  blue 
  

   foxes. 
  About 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  this 
  company 
  also 
  stocked 
  Marmot, 
  

   Whale, 
  and 
  Long 
  Inland 
  with 
  blue 
  foxes, 
  but 
  for 
  some 
  rea'^on 
  all 
  of 
  

   these 
  ventures 
  have 
  proved 
  unprofitable. 
  Marmot 
  v/as 
  abandoned 
  

   some 
  years 
  ago; 
  Whale 
  and 
  Long 
  Island 
  have 
  produced 
  nothing 
  in 
  

   recent 
  years; 
  and 
  the 
  Semidi 
  Islands 
  were 
  without 
  a 
  keeper 
  for 
  three 
  

   years 
  until 
  this 
  winter, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  foxes 
  being 
  so 
  hmited 
  as 
  not 
  

   to 
  warrant 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  holding 
  a 
  watchman 
  there 
  continuously. 
  

  

  CMrilcof 
  Island. 
  — 
  Chirikof 
  Island, 
  about 
  70 
  miles 
  southwest 
  of 
  

   Kodiak 
  Island, 
  is 
  controlled 
  by 
  the 
  Semidi 
  Propagating 
  Co., 
  of 
  which 
  

   P. 
  D. 
  Blodgett, 
  of 
  Kodiak, 
  Ala'^ka, 
  is 
  manager. 
  This 
  idand 
  is 
  15 
  

   miles 
  long 
  and 
  3 
  miles 
  wide, 
  and, 
  except 
  for 
  one 
  hill, 
  is 
  l:)w 
  and 
  flat 
  

   and 
  untimbered. 
  It 
  was 
  stocked 
  with 
  blue 
  foxes 
  in 
  1891, 
  and 
  during 
  

   the 
  last 
  five 
  j^ears 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  paying 
  enterprise, 
  producing 
  annually 
  

   from 
  50 
  to 
  60 
  skins, 
  which 
  have 
  a 
  market 
  value 
  of 
  $50 
  or 
  S60 
  each. 
  

   Under 
  Mr. 
  Blodgett's 
  management 
  production 
  has 
  been 
  restricted 
  to 
  

   the 
  number 
  here 
  shown, 
  which 
  returns 
  a 
  revenue 
  sufficient 
  to 
  meet 
  

   the 
  expense 
  of 
  maintaining 
  three 
  keepers 
  on 
  the 
  i"-land. 
  Two 
  years 
  

   hence, 
  at 
  the 
  expiration 
  of 
  his 
  contract 
  with 
  the 
  company 
  as 
  manager, 
  

   a 
  wholesale 
  slaughter 
  will 
  be 
  ordered 
  ; 
  and 
  if 
  expectations 
  are 
  realized 
  

   several 
  hundred 
  skins 
  wiU 
  be 
  secured, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  con^^ervatively 
  estimated 
  

   that 
  there 
  are 
  now 
  600 
  foxes 
  on 
  the 
  island. 
  By 
  the 
  terms 
  of 
  his 
  

   agreement 
  with 
  the 
  company, 
  five 
  pairs 
  must 
  be 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  i-land, 
  

   and 
  he 
  believes 
  it 
  wiU 
  b? 
  practically 
  impossible 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  stock 
  

   below 
  that 
  number 
  in 
  one 
  season. 
  

  

  In 
  one 
  very 
  important 
  particular, 
  this 
  ranch 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  class 
  by 
  itself. 
  

   It 
  is 
  self-supporting, 
  which 
  means 
  that 
  feeding 
  is 
  not 
  necessary. 
  

   Up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  the 
  beaches 
  have 
  produced 
  an 
  ample 
  supply 
  

   of 
  food, 
  but 
  should 
  this 
  fail 
  the 
  keepers 
  are 
  instructed 
  to 
  kill 
  cattle, 
  

   also 
  raised 
  on 
  the 
  i'^land, 
  for 
  fox 
  food. 
  

  

  The 
  foxes 
  are 
  caught 
  alive 
  in 
  box 
  traps, 
  thus 
  making 
  possible 
  an 
  

   examination 
  of 
  the 
  fur 
  before 
  the 
  animals 
  are 
  kdled. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  

   only 
  prime 
  skins 
  are 
  taken. 
  

  

  UgaJc 
  Island. 
  — 
  Ugak 
  Island, 
  off 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Kodiak, 
  near 
  the 
  

   entrance 
  to 
  Ugak 
  Bay, 
  was 
  first 
  stocked 
  with 
  silver 
  gray 
  foxes 
  about 
  

   1891 
  by 
  Oliver 
  Smith, 
  who 
  three 
  years 
  later 
  introduced 
  blue 
  foxes 
  on 
  

   the 
  island. 
  The 
  two 
  kinds 
  of 
  foxes 
  did 
  not 
  thrive 
  well 
  together, 
  for 
  

   the 
  natural 
  enmity 
  between 
  them 
  led 
  to 
  contmual 
  fighting, 
  which 
  

   finally 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  extermination 
  of 
  the 
  blue 
  ones. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Smith 
  retained 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  ranch 
  for 
  10 
  years, 
  but 
  what 
  

   degree 
  of 
  success 
  attended 
  his 
  work 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  learned. 
  About 
  

   11 
  years 
  ago 
  O. 
  B. 
  Anderson 
  acquired 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  and 
  

   remained 
  in 
  control 
  until 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1912, 
  when 
  he 
  presented 
  the 
  

  

  