TELUS or OPETOTION OP
WORLD'S. LARGEST FOX F^RM
(Fairbanks News-Miner.)
IIow Fairbanks., already the center
i a g-row.ng fur region, may gain a
‘ position, in this industry was
folded in am intervie with Harry
From, one of four brothers who own
and operate the iangest fur farm in
the world.
The strategic position of Fair
banks from a climatic' staiyl point, he
said, makes it an ideal location forr
the saising of fur bearers. Mr.
Fromm sgeakB especially from the
angle of the fox farmer, foxes being
the sole Fromm product, but he said
all fur bearers should do equally well
in this country..
Establishment of. an experimental
fox farm in Fairbanks or nearby is
being seriously considered by Mr.
Fromm. ‘We have excellent furs
now,” he said, “but in this business
you can’t stand still; you must either
go ahead or behind, and if conditions
in Alaska are such that we can im
prove the quality of our fur you may
be sure th at we will take advantage
of them.”
That Mr. Fromm speaks with au-!
thority on the subject of fox farm
ing will be realized when it is said
that 7,000 silver foxes pelted at the
Fromm farms last year sold in teh
market for $1^00,000. This was the ■
largest fur deal made by one concern
in the history of the industry.
Possibility that Alaska might be
made the place for pelting of foxes
bred in the south if the international/,
highway is put through was sug -1
gested by Mr. Fromm, who is an
earnest booster for the road. It is
his opinion that the cost of trans
porting the animals would be more '
than offset by the increased value of j
the fur.
"We raise foxes in the southern
part of the state of. Wisconsin,” he
'•xp’ained, “and pelt them in the
northern part. They are' trucked up
to the colder climate, and we find the
difference in the-price|>elts gained
through this operation is often $50'
each.
“Big fast tracks are used for the
200-mfle run. They often haul 500
foxes, valued at (125,000, at a load.
A single track load will be worth
(25,000 or so more when taken north:
to be pelted. We were laughed at
when we first started to do this, and
now when it is suggested that pelt
ing be done in Alhska it may seem'
impracticable to many. But in fur'
farming it is servioa'in providing al
ways finer furs that counts. There,
will always be a demand for fine funs'
those who establish- better quality*
need not worry about-, obtaining good*
prices.
“If trucking proved to be too slow
over the international highway after
the. road was first built it might be
advantageous to use airplanes. The
cost would be high, but so would be
the added r eturns through better
qualitty fur. The big planes in ser
vice tbday could haul many animals
at a single trip.
“Another point in favor of Fair
banks from a fur raising* standpoint
is that you get cold weather early in
the fall. It’s the cold that comes be
fore Christmas that counts in mak
ing line fur, not that which comes
after. With your early falls, fur
could be pelted in time to catch the
Christmas trade, something which we
find it hard to do,”
Mr. Fromm came here to purchase
foxes for experimental purposes and ]
he has already obtained several in
this vicinity. He started out from the
Fromm headquarters in Wisconsin
for Canada to secure stock, but not
finding exactly what he wanted there
contitnued on to Alaska. He has been
very much pleased with conditions as
Ae found them here and there is no
efhestion in his mind that better fur •
can be raised in the far north.
To put the Interior on the fur*
map, he thinks it is only a matter of
getting the right parties interested.
The fur industry, Mr. Fromm says, is
just cumin? into its own.' Wild fur
is becoming depleted, while demand
is increasing by leaps and bounds and
fur farms are the only agencies that
can meet this demand.
The problem of food is, of course*
an important one, but Mr. Fromm has
worked out a scheme which will aid
other industries. He sees no reason
why herds of reindeer should not sup
ply meat for the fox farms operating
on a large scale and localy grown
vegetables and grains could, supply
the other necessities.
The story of the growth of the
Fromm farm is the story of success
that comes in spite of many odds and
in the face of opposition. That suc
cess is ascribed by Mr. Fromm to the
fact that teamwork furnished by the
four brothers made for fewer mis
takes and quickly corrected those
made.
Their first venture into the fur
business came j'ust 20 years ago in
1909 with the purchase of seven red
foxes. Although ithe local price was
only $40, they could only scrape to
gether $5 of a down payment.
For five years they raised reds, in
creasing the> number through breed
ing and by catching others in the
woods. In 1914 they envisioned the
trend toward silvers and backed their
belief by contracting for three breed
ing anima's for $7,500.
They, had no money and their
father had ho faith in the fur busi
ness and was not- willing to assist
them. But the mother had confidence
in her sons and’she gave them her
farm. They, promptly tried to mort
gage it, but the'first bank at which
they called refused to even take the
mortgage when the purpose for which
the money was tb be used was ex
plained. It was with difiiificulty that
the mortgage was placed with a sec
ond bank.
In the years that have passed since
then the numb’er of foxes has in
creased from three to 4,000 pair, until
now -the Fromm farm is the' largest
in the world.- For the first five years
after 1914. the yearly expansion pro
gram was 20 pens per year. This
year:l,60ft pens were built.
Most of. the:- foxes are bred at Mil
waukee and* taken to Hamburg, Wis.,
for-pelting'. The skins of those pelts
last year were worth' $$10 each on
the average1 and’ the check received
by the Fromms was the largest ever
issued in the1 fur business.
About 3,000 acres of land are used,
the largest acreage being at Ham
burg, As high as 500 men are em
ployed! during construction periods,
and’ the average crew for the year is
20Q> men.
The fbr is sold t o one company, a
London concern with offices in New
York.- It is believed that by having
furs handled by a London firm a
world-wide1 market may be created
for Fromm products.
Last year over a half million dol
lars was spent in construction, and
over $60,000 was alloted to advertis
ing. To a large extent the Fromms
followed the practice of Henry Ford
in treatment of employes. They pay
his scale of wages and take every
possible care of the men w ho work
for them.
Every provision which might add
to the comfort of the foxes is taken.
They are well housed and given
plenty of room for exercise. A vet
erinarian does nothing else but treat
animals and make researches into
diseases afflicting the fox. Only about
2 per cent of the total number are
lost through illness
Two carloads of hoorses are used
daily for food. Vegetables f all kinds
and cereals foorm part of the- staple
diet. The vegetables are chopped up
in big electric grinders and with the
cereals and meat are mixed intoa sort
of hamburger.
The fur ranges,, to wdiich the ani
mals are taken fzmm Milwaukee, are
of 40 to 60 acres. They bold from
1,000 to 2,000 animals. The foxes re
main on the fur ranges threfe months
before pelting. When the time for
pelting comes they are run into ta
wring fnrrala until they are
brought to one about 40 feet senate. 1
There they are caught and killed.
This is done in the most humane man
ner possible, and no employe is al
lowed to hurt an animal. An animal.1
is held tightly and a heavy charge of]
chloroform is squirted into its nose.;
Death is instantaneous 90 per cent of j
the time, and very rarely does a fox
live more than a few seconds. This j
method is approved by humane so
cieties.
Pelting is done by a corps of ex
perts. under a secret process. It is.,
carried an in somewhat the same,
manner as assembling a car, one man ■
doing only a certain thing.. The fox,
goes through the hands of six men j
before the skin has been removed. j
Then follow drying, curing, scrap-,
ing, cleaning, etc., more than a dozen'
processes in all being necessary be
fore the pelt can be placed on the
market as a raw fur.
The silvers are valued according to j
grades, of which there are seven. The
scale given here is of ascending j
value: Black, slightly silver, one,
eighth, one-quarter, one-half, palej
silver or all silver and three-quarters. [
The Fromms keep their own herd
books in which are contained the ped- j
igrees for many generations back. All
animals are marked in the ear, and
almost the exact market value of a
pup can be determined through mat
ing of certain animals.
Although Mr. Fromm does not (
doubt that it would give very satis-;
factory results, his firm has never
followed the practice of in-breeding.
On this, his first trip to Alaska, he
has not only become highly enthusi-,
astic about the future possibilities ofi
the fur industry here, but is among
the most ardent of those advocating
construction of the international
highway.
He sees a wonderful opportunitty
here for the development of winter!
sports and believes that many who:
are tired of making the journey to
Florida and California every winter
would be glad to come to Alaska for
part of the winter season.
“Get road-minded and fur-minded,”
Mr. Fromm advised. ‘Go out for ac
tion. There are bushes of money in
the States waiting to develop such
places as this.”
NOTICE TO CREDITORS.
In the Probate Court at Ruby, Nulato
Precinct, Fourth Division, Ter
ritory of Alaska, before William
N. Growden, United States com
missioner, and ex-officio probate
judge.
In the matter of the estate of Ed|
SSenlatter, deceased.
Notice is hereby given that the un-!
dersigned has been duly appointed1
administrator of the estate of Eai
Schlatter, deceased.
All persons having claims against
said estate are required to present
them, duly verified, with proper
vouchers attached, to the under
signed, at my residence in Ruby,,
Alaska, within six (6) months from
the date of this notice.
Dated Ruby, Alaska, Oct. 25, 1929.
ALBERT VERHONIK,
Administrator.
JOHN W. DUNN,
Attorney for Administrator.
First pub. Oct. 26.
TABLE OF DISTANCES BE
i TWEEN NBNANA AND FLAT
Milas
Nenana . 00
Tavern Roadhouse__17% i
Knight's Roadhouse .. 28%
Nineteen-Mile Roadhouse ..88 ..
Diamond Roadhouse..76
Roosevelt ...... 80
Lake Minehumina___116
Trappers’ Cabin ..... 132
Lone Star Roadhouse. 160
TeliUa Roadhouse___ 169% i
Slow Fork Roadhouse.187 i
East Fork Roadhouse .) 206 |
Berry’s Landing Roadhouse. 227%
Big River Roadhouse__261
McGrath .....262
Takotna . 280
Bill Goes’ Roadhouse_...... 201
Ophir--800
MhOsOerty.. 808
Brown Greek simitar cabin-812
Frits shelter cabin .. 388
First Chance shelter eabin_ 846
Schermeyer R. H. _ 860
Iditarod-878
Flat.....884
Bonanxza shaler cabin, 12 miles
Crooked Creek shelter cabin,, 19
miles from Bonanza^.
frem..KUU, i
Babeesch Moosehide Mitts and Boots
Furs Bought and Sold:' Clothing
All Kinds of Nice Fresh Groceries and Fruits
Canned Goods of All Kinds Beds sad Bedding
L R, [fdridge
McGrath
TAKOTNA ROADHOUSE
Best of Meals and Rooms
Whtorer Everytkm* to Homelike u4
Where Toe Ado Cordially Welcomed
GOOD DOG HOUSES
BATHS
Ivar Chilstrom
Prop.
Rough' and Dressed Lum
ber of All Kinds
INNOKO LUMBER CO.