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Forest and Stream Letters 
The Black Raccoon 
DEAR FOREST AND STREAM: 
ERE is a picture of my black rac- 
coon ranch, and I will explain 
what a black raccoon is, as very few 
people ever saw one. The black raccoon 
is a freak the same as the silver fox; 
once in a great while a black raccoon is 
born in the wild. Fifteen years ago I 
got hold of a black male that was 
caught with a litter of four grey ’coon. 
I finally bought a black female in 
Indiana, bred this pair and raised four 
young the first season. From this pair 
I got my start raising black raccoon, 
and am the only breeder in the United 
States to-day that has the genuine 
black raccoon. I have them as black 
as a skunk, and they now breed true 
to color. I sell a few each year and 
get a good price for them, but could 
sell ten times more than I can raise, as 
the raccoon has a good coat of fur and 
is getting more scarce every year in 
the wild. These animals are getting 
to be in great demand for fur farming, 
as they are easy to raise, will stand 
lots of hard use, very seldom get sick, 
and live to an old age. I have known 
them to live to be fifteen years old, and 
there is no doubt in my mind they will 
live to be twenty-five. 
You will notice by the picture that 
our pens are not covered by wire, but 
we use a strip of 26-inch galvanized 
iron at the top of fence which will keep 
them from climbing over the top. We 
use 2-inch mesh wire made from gal- 
vanized iron and placed into the ground 
6 inches. They do not dig and are very 
clean in their habits. Our pens are 
12 x 24 ft., which makes a nice pen and 
is plenty large enough. They breed in 
January and February, and the gesta- 
tion period is 63 days. The female 
should be put by herself two weeks 
before the young are born and given a 
little better care, so she will have milk 
to take care of the young, and they 
should not be disturbed. While the 
young are small, we feed them in the 
evening, as they are out very little 
through the day, preferring to sleep. 
Through cold weather we feed very 
little, for if kept very fat they will not 
breed. We feed them well through the 
482 

fall months, as that is when a raccoon 
lays up his fat for the winter. The 
food is mostly whole wheat, corn meal 
and rolled oats, made into a mush, and 
while there are young we add a little 
fresh milk. I have spent fifteen years 
getting black raccoons where I have 
Black raccoons. 
them now, and think they have a won- 
derful future. In fact, I am pleased 
with the outlook of all fur farming, as 
it is sure to be a great business. I 
myself being a hunter and trapper, can 
notice the fast disappearance of wild 
game of all kinds. 
2.25, RUSSELT: 
Cardington, Ohio. 
Wisconsin Lake Trout 
DEAR FOREST AND STREAM: 
HERE are but few places where 
lake trout fishing is other than a 
commercial project, but at Bayfield we 
enjoy that branch of game fishing 
which few fly or stream fishermen know 
about. It is lake trolling in Lake Su- 
perior among the Apostle Islands. 
From June 15 to July 10 is the best 
trolling season as they are more easily 
located at that time. During the month 
of June, when fish come to the surface 
to feed on flies and minnows, is the 
time Bayfield fishermen get their tackle 
in order. A regular mascalonge outfit 
will do, with most any kind of a hook 
from a No. 8 Skinner to a No. 11 Buhl. 
Hooks seem to make very little differ- 
ence, although you find each fisherman 
with his favorite kind. 
The writer has been fishing among 
the islands for the past seventeen years 
during trolling time, and if he lives 
seventeen more, not one suramer will 
pass without taking a whirl at his 
favorite pastime. 
Leaving Bayfield in a gasoline boat 
at about 5 A. M., with enough small 
boat to tow to accommodate the party, 
and tackle all arranged, the boat is 
headed for North Twin Island, better 
known as Brownstone by the fisher- 
men, as the island is one solid mass of 
brown stone. After circling the little 
island two or three times, the best fish- 
ing is located, which is usually on a 
reef, and here the boats are bunched. 
About noon a landing is made on the 
island and lunch is devoured by the 
fishermen, who, by that time, have keen 
appetites. In the afternoon perhaps 
some other locations are tried if the 
fish are not biting, and usually the 
famous Devil’s Island is the next move. 
At Devil’s Island you will see perhaps 
the most wonderful caves in the world, 
caves large enough to take care of the 
whole party and small boats. These 
caves were made by the constant splash 
of the waves from the northeast, and 
the thrill one gets listening to the con- 
stant “chug” of the blue water into the 
farthest crevice while being tossed 
about in a small boat will long be 
remembered. 
Most of the fishermen use a rod and 
reel, and some use a large hand-line 
about 1£0 feet long. The most fascinat- 
ing part of this sport is when a 25- 
pounder is hooked. His silvery skin 
can be seen for quite a long distance 

