FUR FACTS 117 



cality is of prime importance. Silver fox do not thrive at all in the 

 middle and southern states. The silver fox belongs to a northern 

 chmate and thrives best in a cold severe winter; and it is the extreme 

 cold weather that brings out the heavy coat of fur and thins the pelt. 

 One of the characteristics of animals trapped in the north is that 

 the fur is very thick and heavy and the pelt thin, while in the south 

 the same animal develops a thin coat of fur and a thick pelt. In 

 planning a silver fox farm therefore, it would be advisable to keep 

 in mind that to raise silver fox for their fur it should be done in a 

 northern climate, in such States as Minnesota, Northern Michigan, 

 Wisconsin, Northern New York, Montana, Idaho, etc. These states 

 are especially favorable for this purpose. While it is a comparatively 

 simple matter to start a fur farm for the raising of small furbearers, 

 which may be done in almost any of the states, it is a somewhat 

 different and considerably more expensive business to start a silver 

 fox ranch. There need be little worry about the price of silver fox 

 being forced down. It will be many years before enough fine silver 

 fox pelts are raised to cause any serious declines in price; in fact it 

 will probably never occur. The price of silver fox, of course, like the 

 price of most other articles, is dependent on general conditions and 

 general prosperity. If times are good and money free, there will 

 naturally be more buyers for expensive furs than there are when 

 times are bad and money is scarce; but there has hardly been a time, 

 whether good or bad, when silver fox pelts have not found a ready 

 market. 



The name silver fox includes what are variously called silver, 

 silver grey, silver black, and black. The silver fox should not be 

 confused with the common grey fox, which is found in most parts of 

 the United States, and has comparatively little value. 



The breeding of silver fox in captivity, it is claimed was first suc- 

 cessfully carried on by Robert T. Oulton and Charles Dalton of 

 Prince Edward Islands, a Canadian Province in the Gulf of St. Law- 

 rence, and was started in 1894. These men had devoted considerable 

 time to the trapping and hunting of these rare animals and from long ex- 

 perience were well versed in their habits and familiar with their haunts. 

 They had been very successful in trapping silver fox and had realized 

 very high prices for their catches. After a study of the situation 

 these men were impressed with the possibilities of capturing a pair 

 of silver foxes alive and raising them in captivity, and after ex- 

 haustive trials were finally successful in doing so. After several 

 years work these two men formed a partnership and in 1894 built 



