Excerpt from Bulletin of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1913
So great has been the demand for islands that practically all the desirable ones under the control of the Department of Agriculture are leased for the purpose.
A number of individuals in Alaska have attempted to raise blue foxes in pens, and recent reports show that some of them have been successful. In addition, litters of blue foxes have been produced in captivity at the experimental fur farm of the Biological Survey, in New York State, as well as on ranches in other parts of the United States. A number of ranchers and raw-fur buyers maintain that blue-fox pelts produced in pens lack the quality and finish of those produced in the wild. This has been held to be the case with silver foxes also. Approximately 90 percent of the silver-fox pelts sold on the raw-fur market in 1924, however, were from ranch-bred animals.
Because the number of islands available for fox ranching is limited, those already engaged in the business should determine as quickly as possible whether blue foxes can be produced profitably in pens. If this is found possible, blue-fox ranching can spread to the mainland of Alaska, to Canada, and to the United States. With the resulting growth of the industry, there will be an increased demand for breeding stock as well as for pelts.
Blue-fox ranching is in a condition similar to silver-fox production in that it is an industry of too recent development to be supported by the results of extensive study and research. Sufficient is known, however, to assist beginners, as well as established ranchers, with information on some important phases of the business, such as organizing the ranch, breeding, feeding, pelting, and sanitation.
The information given in the following pages is based on a study of the methods and practices which have been found to give the greatest success on islands in Alaska.
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