BLUE-FOX FARMING IN ALASKA 
25 
PELTING 
The business of fox raising is based on pelt value, and the most 
successful fox ranchers market some pelts every year. This, of 
course, can not be done on islands where the business has just started. 
In such cases it will be necessary to wait two or three years for the 
stock to increase. 
It is not good practice to pelt pups, as their skins lack finish both 
in the fur and in the leather. Occasionally a pup skin of exceptional 
development sells for a good price, but this is not the rule. It is 
better for the rancher to carry the young over until they are at least 
a year and a half old and the pelt has developed into a more market- 
Fig. 24. — Shipping crate for two foxes, made of %-ineh material, tonguo-and-groove 
bottom, and 1-inch mesh, 14-gauge wire netting 
able skin. Foxes not desirable for breeders, however, should be 
pelted at the first opportunit} 7- . 
When animals are caught for examination and pelting, those not 
killed should be marked in order to show that they have been trapped 
and then released for breeding. Males can be marked by clipping a 
ring of fur around the tail near the body. Females can be marked 
in the same manner, the ring clipped being near the tip of the tail. 
Records should be kept of animals pelted and of those released for 
breeding. Wherever practicable more females should be left than 
males. 
PRIMENESS 
Pelts of foxes usually become prime in November or December, 
depending upon the weather, climate, and feeding. Primeness is 
the highest perfection of quality in a pelt. When the pelt shows 
