118 FUR FACTS 



their first ranch on Prince Edward Islands and stocked it with two 

 pairs of silver foxes. They were successful from the first and this 

 ranch was the forerunner of a remarkable industry which in a few 

 years mounted into millions of dollars. At the time these men started 

 the pelt of the black fox was considerably more rare and more valu- 

 able than the silver fox. As a matter of fact the black fox were very 

 scarce and on this account brought]enormous prices. In later years the 

 highest priced fox have been the silver fox as women prefer the fox 

 having a few silver hairs to those that are solid black. By 1910 

 these men had raised some of the finest silver fox pelts that had ever 

 been offered on the market; one pelt from their ranch bringing over 

 two thousand dollars raw. It was not long until others heard of 

 the wonderful success of these two men and other ranches were 

 started in the maritime provinces, Newfoundalnd, Ontario, also 

 Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, parts of western Canada, 

 and Alaska. 



Another successful ranch of silver fox is owned by the Fromm 

 Brothers, of Hamburg, Wise, who started in a small way and now 

 have an investment of several hundred thousand dollars in their 

 silver fox ranch. They started in this industry in a rather interesting 

 way. Funsten Bros. & Co., offered a prize of one hundred dollars 

 for the best photograph of a catch of furs caught with Funsten 

 Animal Bait. The Fromm Brothers sent in their picture showing a 

 catch of red fox and won the first prize. With this prize money of 

 one hundred dollars they bought a litter of Red Fox pups and some 

 wire fencing and built one of the first fox ranches in this country, 

 and from this small beginning with a few red fox they increased 

 their ranch until they are now raising some of the finest silver fox 

 pelts to be had anywhere, and as stated have several hundred thou- 

 sand dollars invested in their enterprise, and made it themselves 

 out of fox farming. This shows the possibility of this industry, and 

 should be an encouragement to other enterprising young men to 

 give fur farming serious thought and get started in a small way. 



Oulton and Dalton, in order to keep their secret to themselves for 

 several years, shipped their pelts in small parcels from distant post 

 offices from their own in order that the source of the foxes could 

 not be traced to their ranch. However, notwithstanding this secrecy, 

 the evident improvement in their financial condition was noticed 

 by their neighbors, who thereupon decided to embark in the same 

 industry, and it was not long before the story was out and the wonder- 

 ful success that had been met with by these pioneers in silver fox 



