﻿BLXJE-FOX FARMING IN ALASKA 7 



islands of this class are occupied for fur farming under the belief 

 that those in possession will have their occupancy recognized should 

 Congress pass the necessary law authorizing the issuance of leases or 

 permits for them. 



Shipments by mail of furs consigned to points outside of Alaska 

 are required to be reported to the Alaska Game Commission, Juneau, 

 Alaska, on appropriate blanks supplied for the purpose,^ 



SELECTING AN ISLAND OR RANCH SITE 



CLIMATE ANI> SHADE 



The production of a fine quality of fur is closely related to climate. 

 A long, cold winter, with a fair amount of rainfall, particularly 

 in spring, is conducive to the production of good pelts. Hot sum- 

 mers are not detrimental if short and if followed by a season of cold 

 weather sufficiently severe to cause the renewal of heavy coats. 



Fkj. i;. — I'aul Island. Scrubby underbrush is found here but no large timber 



It has been stated that excessive sunshine makes the fur of live 

 animals fade, but to what extent has not yet been definitely ascer- 

 tained. The sun will make fur fade, however, after the pelt has 

 been removed. When the fur of a blue fox is being shed the dead 

 hairs turn to various shades of brown and chocolate. During the 

 season when the blue-fox pelts are becoming prime, some will be 

 found with a chocolate tinge, commonly known as rusty. This, 

 however, is not conclusively proved to be the result of sun bleaching ; 

 in some cases it is due to inferior l)reeding stock, which has a tend- 

 ency to produce rust color instead of a clear maltese. 



A happy medium of shade and sunshine is necessary for the com- 

 fort and health of the foxes. Every animal likes to be in the shade 

 during extremely hot weather. On the other hand, sunshine is the 

 best natural means of keeping the ground clean and sanitary. Some 

 of the treeless islands have scattering })rush and shrubbery (figs. 6 



* Full text of law8 and rcKulatlons rolatinp to fur farming and thft trapping' of fur- 

 bearin),' iinimals can Ik? had on !ii»[)lifa(ion to tho Alaska (iamo CommiKSlon, .funcau. 



