﻿BLUE-FOX FARMING IK ALASKA 



15 



the notch (6) and the bevel (8) faced with metal. All moving 

 parts should fit accurately and work freely. 



The entrance (2) and exit (12) may be interchanged to meet 

 conditions of installation. Where this is done, however, the posi- 

 tions of the beveled notch (8) and the square notch (6) on the 

 trigger (7) will have to be reversed. 



Some ranchers make use of a box-trap similar to that shown in 

 Figure 18. This type of trap is simple to construct, but is not very 

 satisfactory for general use. It is sometimes used to capture foxes 

 that have become too wary to be caught in trap-feed houses. In the 

 front part is built a sliding door, temporarily held up by a nail in 

 a slot. A wire fastened to this nail extends to the rear of the trap 

 through a series of screw eyes, which serve to keep it straight. On 

 the end of the wire the bait is fastened. When a fox enters the trap 

 and gnaws at the bait the nail slips from the slot and drops the 

 door. A treadle or pan is sometimes used instead of bait. To re- 



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FiG. 17. — Details of construction of trap for feeding house. Operation described in text 



move the foxes, the lid (which is the board propping up the trap 

 in fig. 18) is taken off. 



BREEDING STOCK AND EQUIPMENT 



The number of foxes to be purchased to stock an island depends 

 very largely upon the financial ability of the person engaging in the 

 industry and upon the size of the island. Some island ranches of 

 100 or more acres have been started with only 1 or 2 pairs of breed- 

 ers; but this is impractical, for the I'eason that much time is involved 

 in waiting for a sufficient increase to permit the taking of pelts or 

 the selling of breeding stock. A 50 to 100 acre island may ordinarily 

 be stocked with 10 to 20 pairs of foxes. Good breeding stock can 

 usually be purchased for $800 to $400 a pair. 



A moderate-sized dwelling of logs or frame construction for the 

 caretaker and his family can be built for $.500 to $2,000, depending 

 largely on the cost of labor. T^argc; islands sometimes require more 

 than one dwelling to ])rovid(' ])i'o|)f'r distril)ution of caretakers. A 

 combined feed, storage, and cook liousc, fi'anie construction, will cost 

 $800 to $500. Srnokelioiises cost $500 to $700, depending upon the 

 plan. Trap-feed liouses, which should be erected at numerous points 



