ALASKA BECOMING KNOWN
AS IDEAL FUR COUNTRY
(By I'eivy A. Cole, Inspector of
American-National Fox Breed
ers’ Association.)
There isn’t any doubt but what
Alaska will be well known the world
over as an ideal country for fur farm
ing; where the climate is cold enough
there is a wonderful growth of fur
which has a very .fine texture and
very good color.
Fur farming is carried on now by
men who know fur and have very
good breeding ability. No doubt there
would be. failures, but these failures
will be mostly, by people who are not
adapted to (tie breeding game. After
seeing most of the ranches in Alaska,
I would like.to make some suggestions
on ranch construction for the benefit
of the rariehers that expect to in
crease...and. also for the new begin
ners.
1 hav«' s*>en probably about one
thousand ranches altogether, and the
following, is my opinion of the most
practi*' 1 ranch of my experience:
I believe it advisable to use one
inch .mesh, for ail wire construction,
for the fallowing reasons:
.The wire is just as cheap, if No. 18
wire .is used in the ground, and 3 feet
abov&ithe ground; and No. 20 wire is
used'fiom 3 feet above ground to the
height!1 of the yard, also for the over
hang.- Foxes will not fight the 1-inch
mesh to any great extent, because it
is impossible for them! to get their
nose.and lower jaw through the wire;
also it .lessens the., climbing of the
wire 90 per cent; hut the main reason
is, if a fox gets out of. its own yard
(which happens once in. a while, no
matter how careful), it is impossible
for the fox to stick its foot through
the wire of another yard to be chewed
off.
The larger the yard is built the
. better; but, for an example, I would
say to build the breeding yards 12x50
feet, and build them what is known
• as the alley system, that is to have
the alleys 12 feet, wide-also, and have
the ends of the alleys fenced in also,
■ and overhang. This is done so that
foxes can use the yards for two or
t.thwc- months, and' thtn use the alleys
for yards, and when the- animals are
in the alleys the yards will act as
alleys. The extra expensp of this
system, is. about $7.50. for material,
. and the • extra work, * which is very
small for each yard.
The house can bo either outside or
inside,-' as preferred, and each house
has two chutes, one opening into the
yard and the other into the. alley. Of
course, when the yard is used for the
.-..animals the chute into the. alley to
. be closed up.
The most practical shaped yard is
. a semi-circle, making the yard about
12. feet wide on. a front and about 18
f
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fc;
McGrath
Pool Hall
Fresh Fruits
Candies
Tobaccos
Pipes
Cigarettes
Soft Drinks
Cigarette Holders
Geo. Mutchler j
Proprietor f
*wmmm
feet on a back. The lookout tower to
be located so you can look directly
up all yard and not through wire of
one yard to .see other yards.
It is my opinion that these alter
nating yards are a wonderful help as
to the diseases of foxes, as the sun
has a chance to get in its good work
on empty yards, arid especially in the
spring, when the pups first come out
they can go on clean ground that has
iot been used all winter.
These breeding j ards to be in the
open, with a guard fence around all,
and outside of these yards an ideal
condition is four large yards, at least
200 feet long by 100 feet wide, built
x 1-inch mesh with a guard fence,
and built-in the shade of tall trees
vith the underbrush out; these yards
to be used from middle summer to;
about November 15; all adult males
to be put into one yard, with their
tushes cut off (I have cut off tushes
on males for the last four years with
outt he least bit of bad effect, and it
stops fighting); all adult males to go
In one yard, all male pups in one, and
all female pups in one; pups that are
small should be kept by themselves.,
As the fox business advances, each
rancher will se that these large yards,
or furring pens, will be necessary.
In the open yards today (depending
some on weather conditions the year)
one will find one out of twelve foxes
fit to pelt, or to take to a show, ac
count of being off dolor, and in most
of the States this off color is due to
the sun. A low-covered yard is as
bad as the open yard, because the
hot, sultry weather is held under the
low shade, and a yard partly closed is
about as bad, as a fox will go to sleep
in the shade, and when the sun moves
the shade also moves, and the fox
won’t wake up until the sun is on him
hot enough to make him wake; then
you will see him move to another
shady spot. If the fox is in the
shade, this off color will not be there
only once in a while, unless it is in
the breeding, and eleven out of twelve
foxes will be fit to pelt, instead of
x 11<x » c uiaur uicoc
decisions after looking at a good
many foxes and their conditions, and
I have seen some very good examples
of shaded yards, moving foxes to
other yards in the open. Animals of
the very same blood, lines and breed
ing and feeding; after a little while;
you wouldn’t recognize the animals as
soming from the same ranch on ac
count of the off color.
Polygamous mating will be carried
on more extensively as the rancher
gets accustomed to it. and the semi
circle yards will be a big help in
watching'the animals, as you are able
to see every animal at all times, pro
viding they are not in holes, which is
most of the cases in Alaska. I think
it is a very good thing for foxes to
dig holes,‘for the exercise, but it is
my opinion they should be filled each
, time before the animal gets but of
\ sight: and one will lose a fox once in
a while by the ground caving n, and
sometimes a whole litter. It has been
my system that when the cause of
losing a fox, to keep thinking or ob
i serving until I rectify it. That is one
of the reasons why I use a maternity :
hospital, cut tushes on males, use the |
| round-bottom nest box, etc.
I find a few that' are a little dis
i couraged with the fur-farming busi
i ness, but that will be so in any busi
| ness. Fur farming is here to stay,
and the ones that observe and use a
little good judgment will have a very
interesting and profitable business.
The fur market will vary, without a
doubt; all markets vary; but they are
bound to increase in time. Silver fox
is one of the most beautiful furs that
is known, and beauty will win with
our fair sex.
The American-National Fox Breed
ers’ Association, 424 MeKnight Build
ing, Minneapolis, Minn., is run by its
members, and is not a profit organiza
tion, and the $10 for membership
dues is money well spent, and has a
lot to do about advancing the busi
ness. To members of the association
the registration is $2 less on each
fox. The literature that is sent out
to each member per year costs more
for postage than the $10 membership
fee, a .d this literature is worth while.
If I can be of any assistance to
anyone, I will be only too glad to
do so.
Mr. E. P. Walker, of the Biological
Survey, Juneau, recognizes the ad
vantages of registration for Alaskan
fox farming, and I am sure he will
be only too glad to help out in any
way possible.
Thomas Edison has invented a rec
ord that plays far forty minutes, a
news item says. But the Americans j
mustn’t forget that. Edison was a
brilliant man and did some good-work
in his younger days.—El Paso Times.
Competition may he the lrf* of
trade, but it is the death of profit.—
Shoe and I^eather Reporter.
Don’t become discouraged, i* you
have a cold in the head. Even that’s
something.—El Paso Times.
TABLE OF DISTANCES BE
TWEEN NENANA AND FLAT
Miles
Nenana to Tavern . 17
Tavern to Knight’s . 24
Knight’s to 19 Roadhouse . 19
19 Roadhouse to Riffle Pole Road
house .;. 8
Riffle Pole Roadhouse to Diamond 11!
Diamond Roadhouse to Roosevelt.. 13
Roosevet to aka Mincbumina 25,
Lake Minch .ina to Lone Star ;
Roadhouse 24;
Lone Star to Telida . 18
Teiida to Tent Roadhouse . 10
Tent Roadhouse to Slow Fork . 6
Slow Fork to East Fork .. 22
East Fork to Nicoli . 10
Nicoli to Big'Itiiver . 21:
Big River Rcadhouseto McGrath ... 25
McGrath to Tokotna . 18
From Nenana .to Tokotna . 281
Tokotna to Bill Go's’ Roadhouse. .. 12
Bill Goss’ Roadhouse to Ophir . 10
Ophir to Jerry’s Roadhouse .. 33
Jerry’s to Schermeyer’s Roadhouse 27
Schermeyer’s to Iditarod . 10
Iditarod to Flat . 8
From Nenana. to Flat . 387
A Daughter for Mr. and Mrs. Franl
W askev.
The Times, in a recent mail, re
ceived from Olympa Wash., the fol
lowing:
“The Stork wishes to announce the
arrival of a baby girl to Mr. and Mrs.
Frank H. Waskey. Name, Phila June.
Weight, S pounds.”
Are you a Kusko Times subscriber ?
Why not?
In the Probate Court, Kuskokwim
Precinct, Fourth Division, Alaska,
before George W. Hoffman, Com
missioner and ex-officio Probate
Judge.
In the matter of the Estate of
Thomas Anderson, deceased.
Notice of Administrator's Sale.
Notice is hereby given that under
and in pursuance of an order made
and entered by the above Probate
Court on the 2nd day of January,
0)21, in the above matter, I will offer
for sale at public auction on Saturday,
the 12th day of February. 1927, at io
o’cock in the forenoon of said day, at
the Office of the United States Com
missioner at Napamute, Alaska, the
following described property, to-wit:
An undivided one-quarter interest
in and to the certain pacer mining
claims known and described as the
Alder Association and the Julian As
sociation claim, each of said claims
being situated on Julian Creek, in
the Kuskokwim Recording Pre
cinct, Fourth Division, Territory of
Alaska.
Said sale will be for cash to the
highest bolder and subject to the ap
prova formation of the above
entitle.. . .
D, ;ry 2nd, 1927.
H. M. HANSEN,
' ‘.tor of the Estate of
A nderson. deceased.
FORFEITURE NOTICE.
To John H. Anderson, his heirs, ex
ecutors, assigns and successors in
interest:
You, and .each of yon, are hereby
notified that the undersigned, through
power of attorney from Frank E.
Johnson, has expended for annual
labor and improvements the sum of
One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per
year for the years 1919, 1920, 1921,
1922, 1923. 1924, 1925 and 1.926, a
total of years years, upon the folk>»
| in# described placer mining claims, a)
located n the Ruby Recording District
Territory of Alaska:
No. 3 Above bong Creek, one-half
interest;
No. 3 Right. Limit Bench, Long
I Creek ,one-fourth interest;
I Lone Pine Claim, Long Creek, one
half interest;
Keystone Association, Long Creek
one-fourth interest.
That all of said work and improve
ments were required by law and
were put upon said claim in compli
ance therewith in order to hold the
same for each said year and there
after, all of said work having beer
performed by Jensen & Wiklund.
And if within ninety (90) days after
the publication of this notice you and
each of you do not contribute to the
undersigned your proportion of said
expenditure for each said claim for
each said year, your interest in said
claims will become the property of
the undersigned, according to the pro
visions of Section 2324 Revised Stat
utes of the United States.
H. JENSEN,
Attorney in Fact for
Frank E. Johnson.
First publcation, January 1, 1927.
Last publication, April 9, 1927.
NOTICE OF FORFEITURE.
To Max Altman, his heirs, executors,
assigns and successors in in
terest :
You, and each of you, are hereby
notifitd that the undersigned has ex
pended for annual labor One Hun
dred Dollars ($100.00) per year for
the years 1915, 1916, 1917, 1920,1921,
1922, 1923, 1924 and 1925, upon the
following described mining claim, in
Ruby Recording District, Territory of
l&sk^ *
The SANDBAG ASSOCIATION
CLAIM, on Greenstone Creek, a trib
utary of Long Creek, in order to hole
said claim under the provisions of
law protecting annual labor on min
ing claims.
And if within ninety (90) days after
the publication of this notice you, or
any of you, fail to pay your portior
of the amount expended on the above
claim, your interest in said claim wil!
become forfeited to the undersignec
co-owner, according to the provisions
of Section 2324 Revised Statutes of
the United State.s.
DAN SUTHERLAND.
First publication, January 1, 1927
Last publication, April 9," 1927.