﻿26 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  Hog 
  Island. 
  — 
  Hog 
  Island, 
  which 
  is 
  located 
  in 
  Marmot 
  Bay 
  3 
  miles 
  

   east 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Afognak, 
  has 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  about 
  50 
  acres 
  and 
  is 
  

   comparatively 
  low 
  land, 
  wooded 
  with 
  spruce. 
  It 
  was 
  originally 
  

   stocked 
  with 
  cross 
  foxes 
  by 
  Christensen 
  and 
  Johanson 
  in 
  1897 
  or 
  1898. 
  

   Some 
  three 
  years 
  later, 
  silver 
  grays 
  were 
  put 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  but 
  their 
  

   introduction 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  unwise 
  venture, 
  for 
  the 
  consequent 
  

   fighting 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  species 
  brought 
  about 
  the 
  extermination 
  

   of 
  both. 
  The 
  island 
  was 
  then 
  stocked 
  with 
  blue 
  foxes, 
  and, 
  in 
  1904, 
  

   it 
  was 
  transferred 
  to 
  Alex 
  Friedolin, 
  of 
  Afognak, 
  to 
  whom 
  it 
  now 
  

   belongs. 
  As 
  a 
  fox-raising 
  establishment 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  virtually 
  a 
  non- 
  

   producer. 
  There 
  is 
  room 
  for 
  doubt 
  whether 
  it 
  has 
  even 
  held 
  its 
  

   own, 
  for 
  losses 
  by 
  starvation 
  and 
  by 
  theft 
  have 
  kept 
  the 
  stock 
  reduced 
  

   to 
  or 
  below 
  the 
  original 
  number. 
  If 
  given 
  proper 
  care 
  and 
  plenty 
  

   of 
  food, 
  a 
  limited 
  number 
  of 
  foxes 
  can 
  be 
  successfully 
  reared 
  on 
  this 
  

   island, 
  for 
  its 
  location 
  is 
  favorable 
  in 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  far 
  enough 
  away 
  from 
  

   neighboring 
  land 
  to 
  preclude 
  the 
  probability 
  of 
  any 
  loss 
  in 
  that 
  

   du-ection. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  case 
  of 
  constant 
  feeding, 
  however, 
  as 
  the 
  beaches 
  

   contribute 
  nothing 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  food. 
  

  

  Last 
  year 
  ^Ir. 
  Friedolin 
  sold 
  two 
  pairs 
  of 
  live 
  foxes 
  for 
  $110 
  a 
  pair, 
  

   and 
  one 
  skin 
  from 
  a 
  fox 
  that 
  starved 
  to 
  death 
  for 
  $40. 
  That 
  was 
  

   the 
  banner 
  year 
  for 
  Hog 
  Island. 
  He 
  does 
  not 
  know 
  how 
  many 
  

   foxes 
  are 
  left, 
  but 
  thinks 
  there 
  are 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  six 
  or 
  eight. 
  

  

  Dry 
  Island. 
  — 
  Dry 
  Island, 
  stiuated 
  near 
  the 
  west 
  end 
  of 
  Kupreanof 
  

   Straits, 
  has 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  about 
  200 
  acres, 
  is 
  low, 
  flat, 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  

   scrub 
  spruce. 
  

  

  In 
  June, 
  1894, 
  Charles 
  Peterson 
  and 
  Charles 
  Eckstrom, 
  of 
  Afognak, 
  

   formed 
  a 
  partnership 
  and 
  settled 
  thereon 
  to 
  engage 
  in 
  fox 
  raising. 
  

   These 
  men 
  still 
  occupy 
  this 
  island. 
  Their 
  present 
  investment 
  is 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $6,300 
  (buildings, 
  $1,000; 
  vessels, 
  $300; 
  and 
  stock, 
  

   $5,000). 
  They 
  do 
  all 
  the 
  necessary 
  work 
  themselves 
  and 
  employ 
  

   no 
  special 
  labor. 
  

  

  Their 
  original 
  stock 
  consisted 
  of 
  one 
  pair 
  of 
  silver-gray 
  foxes 
  from 
  

   Nagai 
  Island 
  and 
  one 
  female 
  silver-gray 
  from 
  Afognak 
  Island. 
  

   In 
  1896 
  they 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  two 
  more 
  female 
  silver-grays 
  pur- 
  

   chased 
  from 
  M. 
  L. 
  Washburn, 
  of 
  Kodiak, 
  but 
  where 
  these 
  came 
  from 
  

   originally 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  Bureau. 
  In 
  January, 
  1901, 
  four 
  pairs 
  

   of 
  blue 
  foxes 
  from 
  DerinofF 
  Island 
  and 
  in 
  September 
  following 
  six 
  

   male 
  and 
  seven 
  female 
  blues 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  island 
  were 
  added. 
  At 
  

   the 
  present 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  25 
  pairs 
  of 
  blues 
  on 
  this 
  

   island. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  first 
  10 
  years 
  of 
  their 
  work 
  they 
  tried 
  breeding 
  the 
  

   silver-gray 
  fox, 
  but 
  the 
  wild, 
  savage 
  nature 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  made 
  

   domestication 
  unprofitable 
  on 
  such 
  a 
  small 
  island. 
  Some 
  10 
  years 
  

   ago 
  the 
  silver-grays 
  were 
  killed 
  off 
  and 
  blue 
  foxes 
  substituted. 
  Since 
  

   that 
  time, 
  by 
  giving 
  undivided 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  business, 
  their 
  

  

  