One of the
popular and giv
raising of i’oxe
in the business
is The Sernidi P
the Semidi Isla
land on the Eas
FOX M I N G.
industries of this portion of Alaska that has become quite
es promise of large profitsy though still in its infancy is tl
s for their skins. There are many companies already engaged
on a smaller or larger scale. The largest of these., no doub
ropagating Company which has several islands among which are
ndy Marmot Island, and Long Island which lies next to Wood Is
The plan usually followed is as
government at an annual rental of one
ed a keeper with a few pa .it* of foxes,
food for the foxes and to guard the i
raw fish, dried fish, whale meat, sea
the supply of meat food is limited, c
follows; an island is rented from the
hundred), dollars and on this is plat
The duty of the keeper is to supply
siand from poachers. The food used is
1 meat, and in some oases wild geese. If
ornmeal is used. Almost any food is ac
ceptable to the foxes.
Black and
Blue foxes have been found to be best suited to this purpose,
silver gray furs are worth much more but they do not do so well, and are ac
cused of devouring their young. The blue fox increases very rapidly. Each
female will produce a litter of from four to ten or more young each year. U
ually no furs are taken for a number of years as the plan is to stock the h
land thoroughly first. However, some males may be killed without fear
is not necessary to keep the sexes equally divided. The furs are wort,
fifteen to forty dollars.
The feeding is usually dons in a room around which are places to set box
* traps, At times these traps
marking, counting or killing.
are/Set and the foxes caught for examination,
By catching and marking the foxes the keeper
can approximate the number on the island.
Notwithstanding the growing industry of fox farming, the largest num
ber of blue foxes sent to market from any one place come from the Pribilof
are
islands, which .. rented by the North Amsricican Commercial Company* Accord
ing to the census of 1890~the^s-4fiilands ship 1Q00 to 1500 furs annually.