FUR FARMING SECTION
PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
This section is open for discussion of anything pertaining
to fur farming.
Information concerning stock, site, house and pen con
struction, equipment, cost, breeding, mating, feeding, cooking
recipes, sanitation, prevention of contagious diseases, disinfec
tion, trapping, killing, pelting, marketing, packing, shipping
and other notes are welcomed for publication,—with due credit
to the author.
This section is intended to be the common meeting ground
for fur farmers. Interchange of ideas, helpful information, con- [
structive suggestions anent these particulars should readily i
solve vexatious problems of fur farming. Readers are urged to
take advantage of this section and help The Gateway foster fur !
farming throughout Alaska.
i BLUE-FOX FARMING IN ALASKA 1
iBy Frank G Ashbrook, Bureau of Biological Survey)
VTA a. VVW»**t*
The leal object to be kept in mind
-tn feeding foxes is to supply nutri
tive material for building and re
pairing the body and for producing
good fur. The ration must be whole- ■
some and acceptable, and at the.
•same time reasonably cheap. Clean- j
-iiness in preparation and regular-1
■ity in feeding are important.
While it is recognized that it is
;almost impossible to follow out
ideal systems of feeding under;
present conditions on islands, yet ■
it would be well to adopt as nearly l
as possible the methods here out-1
.lined.
For the best results, a palatable
feed must be provided. The same
combinations should be used stead
ily, and sudden changes either in
the diet or in the manner of feed
ing should be avoided. It is not
meant that the same kinds of feed
should be given during every sea
son of the year; but the danger is
pointed out that foxes may be
'thrown off their feed” by such
-radical changes as occur when a
rancher suddenly adepts a new ra
tion on learning of another’s suc
cess with it.
Kinds of Feed
As fish is readily obtainable in j
'this region and forms part of the:
natural diet of blue foxes, it con
stitutes in one form or another the
major part of the feed. Salmon,
cod, halibut, rockfish, skates, and
herring are all used. The kind most
rconimonly fed, however, is salmon,
'oecause of its comparative abund
ance during the summer and of the
fact that many ranchers are able
to obtain heads and discarded fish
from local canneries. In localities
where hair seals, porpoises, and |
white whales can be procured, these *
also are used. Occasionally larg-j
sr whales drift or are towed ashore, \
.and foxes have been fed on them, j
Mushes also form part of the
riiet, and are made of a variety of!
ingredients. - Cereals, such as rice,!
oatmeal, bran, shorts, middlings, j
bread and cracker waste, are used,;
-and in some cases seal, whale and j
porpoise oil. Ranchers who can*
raise root crops have added pota-;
toes and turnips. These vegetables j
are never fed raw. Where obtain
able, cracklings resulting from the j
rendering of lard in packing houses;
are used extensively.
A ration composed of a variety;
of feeds gives better results than a ■
-very simple fare, even though the 1
latter supplies the proper propor
tion of proteins, carbohydrates,
tats and minerals.
Methods of Preparing and Feeding
The preparation of the feed and
the method of feeding have a great
influence on the breeding of foxes
and the production of fine pelts. ,
Only cle&n and wholesome food
should be supplied—never putrid or
diseased material. A few extra
dollars spent to obtain the right
kind §ave many hundreds later,
for a proper diet and satisfactory
methods of feeding are Important
factors in lessening the chances of
outbreaks of disease.
Fish are generally obtained by the
rancher fresh from the water; or,
if the ranch is near a cannery, cull
fish and refuse may be procured.
Fish may be fed fresh, salted,
smoked or dried.
Formerly most ranchers prepared
their fish for winter by salting, but
more recently many have adopted
the method of smoking and drying
a large portion. The process of
smoking is practically the same as
that followed with fish intended
for human consumption; that is,
each one is split, cleaned, and hung
in a smokehouse until lightly
smoked. If the smokehouse is of
sufficient capacity, the fish may
remain there until needed. This
enables the rancher to supply a
little heat occasionally to prevent
mildewing. Where climatic condi
tions permit, fish are dried in the
5un without smoking and then;
stored in a dry place until needed
for winter feeding.
In salting, the fish are split and
cleaned and each piece rubbed
.ightly with salt and packed tight
ly in barrels or tanks, or the clean
('tistom tanner*
of far ftkim and
buckskin. Taxi*
dermisl on bit
trante rsuc», wall
mount*. M a n U
faetarer of
cltokera, e o a t a
Rtul giorea of
latest style*.
Send for onr
catalogue.
—Wi bny teeth for moandnst—*
W. W. WEAVER. Reading MlehUao
!
A Masters Work
| Jonas Bros, offer you a com
I plele Fur, Taxidermy and
Tanning Service — unexcelled
anywhere.
Game heads, fur rugs, birds,
etc., mounted true to nature.
Your raw far skins dressed
and made into coats and
chokers.
Write for free catalogue.
JONAS BROS.
1030 Broadway. Denver. Colo. 1
FUR SALES DATES 19*2
JANUARY ...20
FEBRUARY 24
MARCH .23
APRIL .27
MAY .25
JUNE .29
JULY .27
AUGUST .31
SEPTEMBER 28
OCTOBER . ...26
NOVEMBER .30
DECEMBER ..28
ed pieces may be placed in layers
and the salt sprinkled over them.
The same method is followed with
fish heads.
Some ranchers report satisfac
tory results Li packing both fish
and whale meat in fish, whale or
seal oil. Their experiments were
made for the purpose of determin
ing the value of the oil as a pre
servative and whether or not it is
palatable to the foxes
i^ried and smoked fish has the
| advantage over other feeds that it
can be fed without any further
preparation and does not freeze in
winter. Some ranchers, however,
cook it in mushes. It is essential
that all salt fish be soaked in run
ning water for a period of five days
to a week before being used. It
can then be given to the foxes with
out further preparation, or be
cooked in mushes.
All mushes fed to foxes are pre
pared along one general line. The
chief ingredient is generally fish
in one form or another. This is
boiled for a time, and then there
is added rice, finely ground wheat,
or rolled oats. All of these cereals
may be used, but one is sufficient.
Chopped vegetables, such as pota
toes, turnips, or mangels, may be
added and the whole boiled until
the cereals and vegetables are
; thoroughly cooked. Whale, seal or
j fish oil is sometimes added and
I thoroughly mixed in This forms a
[ reasonably thick mush. The rela
j tive proportions of the various in
| gredients are roughly as follows:
Fish, 40 per cent; cereals, 25 per
; cent; vegetables, 25 per cent; oil,<
110 per cent.
Feed can be cooked in large ket
tles over an open fireplace or in
the double-boiler manner. Altho
it cooks more quickly in kettles,
there is danger of burning it. The
use of a double boiler, though slow
er, prevents this. To simplify the
process some silver-fox ranchers use
a .''team-pressure cooker. Where
this is practicable, it would be en
tirely satisfactory for the blue-fox
rancher also.
A number of kinds of fox biscuits
can be purchased, but analyses
have shown that the majority are
deficient in the needed mineral
material. Biscuits prepared accord
ing to the following recipe have
been used successfully and are rel
ished by young as well as lod foxes:
Biscuits—-To a mixture of ground
whole wheat, middlings, and crack
er waste weighing 70 pounds, add
one pound of baking powder and
30 pounds of cracklings or fish
meal. Mix with enough water to
form a stiff dough Place in pans
approximately 10 by 12 inches in
Get your share this season of tills
extra fur money which i3 offered
to trappers everywhere by the
FUR SHOW
FREE!!
Mail This Chicago Philadelphia
■ ■ ■ Memohla Kansas City ,■ •i*
Coupon to can** »oatti« •***_,*
_ (Write naarest point!
Please mall me without cost
or obligation Johnny Muskrat's new-- , j
• ». --ee fur mat' “
Pur Show.
r63Gf
-- --rviusKrat B new ^
book explaining your free fur marketing service
and the Third National-- —
Postofflcc.
. Rural Box
State .Route..No..
ilead» both yo«r Knot* and Horn Numb**
if on a Rural Root* f
Street Addrets.
[aJV m'
size and one and one-hall inches
deep, and bake in a slow oven one
and one-half to two hours.
When thoroughly baked these
biscuits are not dry and hard, but
are more like cake. They are not
fed fresh, but are allowed to stand
for a day or two.
All feed should be given in dish
es, preferably of aluminum or
earthenware. Under no circum
stances should it be thrown on the
ground, as such practice makes it
impossible to keep the surround
ings clean and sanitary and the
feed itself from becoming con
(Please turn to Tuge Six)
January 26
February 16
March 15
April 19
May 17
June 21
July 19
August 23
September 20
October 18
November 22
December 20
Advances will be made
as usual when request
ed. Transferred by tel
egraph if desired.
Special sates held on
request of shippers.
Seattie FurIxchange jl
65 MAHIOH STREET VtADLCfCVY
SEATTLE. J.S.A. -V •• &
, Incorporated
228 West 26th Street
NEW YO»K
The purchasing power
of the American fur in
dustry is concentrated in
New York, the fur center
of the world. Offer your
raw furs to these buyers
through the NEW YORK
AUCTION CO., INC. This
Is the safest and best
method of marketing your
merchandise.
Let us put you on our
mailing list. Write us
today.
The BtitST place for
CLEANING
PRESSING
ami ALTERATIONS
AT
C. Henning’s
Tailor Shop
NUKA BAY TRANS
PORTATION CO.
MS ROLriI III
Leaves Seward 28th
of each month
Capt. Pete Sather
For Charter or Hire
Telephone Main £4
M’Mullen’s Grocery
FOR PROMPT DELIVERY
STAPLE AND FANCY GROCERIES
MAIL AND PHONE ORDERS PROMPTLY
ATTENDED TO
ONE OF THE MOST MODERN SHOPS
IN THE TERRITORY!
AUTO REPAIRING
ACETYLENE AND
ELECTRIC WELDING
FORD AGENT
Agent for The Kohler Automatic Power
and Light Plant
Oils, Greases and Gasoline
Agent and Installing Engineers for Fur
nace Oil Burners
PLUMBING
TINNING
STEAMFITTING
GENERAL MACHINE
WORK, REPAIRING
Seward Machine Shop
ALL WORK GUARANTEED — MADISON 56
i
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