" large number of

‘WE .. ‘ w‘ l‘ “I l’ m t z l“ ‘f’ s- AUGUST 10, 1940 ,_ TIMELY sores on TOPICS Mum, EARMHES

CONNECTED WITH Silver Fox Farming

John l)- J. Forbes. who has been Fur Trade Adviser to the Canad- inn Department of Agriculture since 19118. has resigned his position. He is now in London after having [PHIL the past year in Canada. Mr. Forbes has no definite plans for the future. Prior to accepting the Can- adigm position he was Managing Director of the London Fur Sales. Ltd. London. and prior to that Manager of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany warehouse. London. He is well known here and general regret voiced that he has given up his position.

Omar Brager-Larsen. who repre- pettts the. Norwegian fur farmers in the United states. is authority for the statement that there are still 250,000 foxes in Norway. That fig- ure includes the new arrivals this season. The production of blue o. s is tistiniatcd at about 15.000. Mr. Larsen sa_\‘s that the noisc of gitnflrc and aeroplanes was very destructive to breeder foxes as well as voting pups. but no reliable esti- mate can be given of the mortality figures.

The America National Fox Brrctirrs A iaflon smut $5.100 fgotn tin-it" Ps. rre fund to secure the y)il\‘$‘lllf‘ of the quota restrictions on the tniptirt of silver foxes into the l"illi"fl Stat-n. Prim‘ t0 this riiiflllltlii the duiv was 35 per cent with no restrictions on the nitni- bot- o’ pelts that. cottld he shipped pt, Now there is a definite quota for Cllllllilfl fiil..'l00--and for other powrtirlPS such as Norway, Sweden. ct al.

1'1.» {altoo letter for registra- tion lll the Canadian National Sil- vet‘ tot iirrcdors’ Association is U Foxes are rt-qttircd to be tattooed prior to September 15th. Quite a ranches in this Province are still members of the Canadian National. A meeting of Directors was held yesterday and Tltttrszlav Among those attending M5 A st. Doyle. 1.11.13 of Winni- peg. a former Islander who has made good in fox farming and law in ivinnipcg. Arthur has gone in verv rotisidcrably for producing Ivlillt‘ fires and has some 250 pups of that species this year.

Antr-rlran manufacturers are plac- ing on the nuirkot a freezer-cooler for fttt" fitrms sold for $295. It has capacity of 30 ciiblc feet with tem- p"l‘flilll‘f‘ controls ranging from 45 ricvrcrs above to l5 degree below 1"l‘tl. It is sclf-coiitzilnctl ready to plllq in and use. no installation cost for f‘lllli‘l‘ gas oi" electric models.

The Hill Packing Company of Totirka. Kansas. operate a tre- ntetuitttis tiltint for killing horses tt-ttl the preservation and packing of the iticat. 'I‘licy have agencies in 32 f‘lll1‘5 in the United States vrliert- their products can be hoirzht. writ as rluink mcat, ground meat. grottnd meat and bone, livers and hearts ptit up in 25 and 5ft pound C-flllfflflfls We wonder how many tltottstititis of horses they must put through thrir plant in the run 0f l year, possibly 100.000.

Word comes from Maine that Oscar W, Look. who had reached the ripe age of 77. died recently 0i cercbrallicmorrhngc. Mr. Look was a man of considerable pro- nunetice in the community of Joncsport, whore he was in busi- ness for many years and as a side- line bred silver foxes. For several years lie sent his agent: to Prince Erlivtirti Island purchasing good strains for the ranch and he took l deep interest in fur farming up to the last.

The American government has left. the fur farmers alone in fram- ing its new defense tax bill. It docs not include furs.

Sometime ago a T911011 W55 91'9" valcnt that. the Norwegians might tell platina sliver foxes to some selected breeders in the United States and Canada. Now we learn from a New York source that the overnmcnt of Norway tvlll n07- "l" ow the exportation of live animals from that country.

We had an interesting conversa- tion with Arthur Doyle of Winni- pcg regarding the price of fox food. Art said that it is practically im- possible to get cold storage foods in Winnipeg. that the various ranciics buy their meats direct from the abattoirs and in ordcr to keep them they must. secure cold stor- Bite space or have refrigeration on their ranches." Some. of the larger ranchers like Kllntberg have cool- liltl plants that cost upwards of 810.000. In Mr. Doyle's ranch which contains 1.000 mink females as well as a large number of silver fox pelts the amount of meat consum- ed daily is half a ton or more at this season of the year and his cold Slllmilc bill is consequently VQTY hit-lb. At present he is considering the installation oi a cooling system at the ranch. Mr. Doyle has been l/efv successful with his mink breeding. realizing u to $40 it auction in Montreal 1%. mink pelts this scnson.

We asked him about the price of cereals in the West and he said ill?"- hrices were no lower than on Prince Edward Island, although one would imagine with wheat being climber there. or wheat products. \\'01lld mean a reduction in price. We take it from our conversation with Mr. Doyle that there is very little difference between the cost “l Pwdiwlno a pelt in Winnipeg than la Charlottetown. that where it is done on a large scale.

>- c:

NFarther west where 0111c Mc- lfllils located and in centres where are plentiful at low prices. m“; is much cheaper and ranchers nndecwv "dmflltvlc. Edmonton m," 3.4")’ should be among the M t- cst adapted to the success- prosecutlon of fox farming.

A m" YBHIB H80 a reat many wreoséianlopiarrrherriiiniwitclledflio the ~ ; now ey are “WWW interested in developing

white face or so-called platinum foxes. As we take it there are very few platinums either mink or 10x and the name is therefore a mlsmlmer. but the breeding or the Iwhlto face foxes with good "Ive" is liable to produce a latinum no" and there with many in between foxes of beauty and desirability 1n ?§l‘.°§mw3i.‘l.i'a§f‘““’ one

We see nothin to b; “m”. hensive about the pelt situation for 1940 and these are our reasons. Fliifthlvorweglan and Bwediph pep, w ave very little entree if any into United States markets and not likely into south American mar- kets. That leaves North and South American fox markets to be sup- Dlled with Canadian and Ameri. S111 belts. Now the production of

anadian pelts will not be mgye than one-half as great as last sea- son and there is at least one-third of a cut- down in the United Stat. es. The amount of money circulat- ing in Canada and the United Stat. es next season will be the greatest since 1920 due to gigantic expendi- tllrcs for the production of war material and allied industries eat- eriug to war such as clothing, boots and shoes and various food stuffs. While a great deal of this will be taken up in taxes and possibly higher cost of living yet there will be quite a number of people who will have a surplus that they will Spend We should have some of 1t directed our way by advertisements in daily papers throughout Canada featuring the desirability and beauty of silver fox for our fem- inine friends,

Platinum foxes are being follow- ed hy platinum mink and we note where B. Wollman a. Brother, New York furrier, has just completed a coat made up of 39 matched plat- inum mink skins which he is ask- ing 839.000 for. I-Ie said that he would take a re-order for ten years delivery. in other words he claims that he won't be able to duplicate the coat inside of ten years.

The Department of Agriculture

through its fox Fieldmen W. Fred Burke, has been busy examining foxes for parasites in various ranches. some ranches have been found pretty free from the trouble while others show the presence of ascarids, hookworn and earmites. Honorable Mr. Dennisand the De- partment of Agriculture are to be very greatly commended for carry- lng on this highly important work and every rancher who suspects the presence of parasites should get in touch with the Department and endeavor to secure a survey which will give positive information as to whether or not the ranch is har- boring parasites. A survey made in over 300 ranches in King's and Queen's counties with a few in Prince, shows a fox pup population of a- bout 6.000. exc uslve of Raoul Rey- inond‘s ranch, McLure 8.: Mac- Kiiinon Silver Fox Farms Ltd. Well McNeill‘s and a few other ranches that. have from 150 to 1,- 000 pups. The same 300 ranches two years ago averaged over 50 pups. If what is true of the 300 ranches is also true of the remain- ing ranches in Prince Edward Is- land the fox pup population this fall will not likely go over the 20,- 000 mark.

It is regrettable this decline in n. once highly profitable and fascin- ating field of endeavor. but it was necessary. Each and everyone who cut down his ranch contributed to the welfare of all. I-Iad the fox farmers of the Dominion of can- ada carried on the same number of foxes they had two years ago there would have been a tre- mendous surplus of’ furs to mar- ket, but they looked the facts in the face and loyally co-operated and to our way of thinking they will have saved the situation and can look forward confidently to re- ceiving at least the cost of produc- ing their pelts.

‘The representatives of a fox bis- cuit firm who has the entree to a great number of ranches says he likes the appearance of tho pups this year better than for many years. For one thing they are larger and size means better prices for pelts. We asked him how he ac- counted for this and he said the fox business has cut down to herd- pan and the people that are in it now are not likely to-bo shaken out of it. In other words it has been "cu1led " Ranchers know they cannot feed a poor diet. and get results, so there is increment fed this year. perhaps because the price is low and all around better feed is given the foxes.

“In my travels," said he, "1 have found no indication of disease. Nothln of the midlest sort of an epidemc hat-we. ‘Prue. there were some losses in ranches but they were usually not any more than could be expected normally. A few of the places did not seem to take very good precautions, such as cleanliness and care of feed but most. ranchers are taking a genuine interest in their charges and a great many or them read your notes and follow out. the directions regarding cleaning watering foxes and other good tips which appear from time to time.”

BREED HEALTHY CHICKS

It is impossible to maintain a healthy poultry flock unless one starts with disease free chicks. and maintains this desirable condition, states the Agzieultural Supplies Board in its special pamphlet of the war-time Droduction eerie!“ entitled "Grow Healthy Chicks. Consequently. it is important to give special consideratfcn to each season's chicks. Whmifl’ they l" produced at home from the exist- ing flock or are purchased from outside. There are relatively few diseases which day-old crlcks may carry directly from the incubator;

consequently. chicks of this age are highly preferable for stocking

sobsx"

HOPE! control: Qcrmlfu coolly, cheaply and of- Iectlvely. Our upplloutlnn ll ulunlly mif- flclent. BOPEX hue lo equal for grooming the cont of III)‘ fur boning uulmgl. Many fox breeder: dip the tulle In u HOPEX lolutinu to prevent choir- ed flpe.

BOPEX in u Cooper Product — Blltllh Iladn and fully guarnu- teed. Order from your Drug, Hardware, Iced Ind Seed Store. or write

CANADIAN CO-OPIBATIVE WOOL BROWEBS LIMITED Quebec and Maritime Branch. Imnnnxvlllo, Que.

Gare of Barn- Yard Manure

(Ilbipellmeuw Farms News)

As manure is co valuable for maintaining crop production and an losses in its plant food can take place so readily, its care and pre- servation cannot beemphaslzed too strongly. A number of important points might be suggested which

will lead to considerable saving of the valuable fertilizing nutrients in manure.

First of all, says J. Mooney. Field husbandry Division, Experimental Farms Service, Dominion Depart- merit of Agriculture, precautions should be taken to see that the liq- uid portion is not lost. In the stable, this includes providing plen- ty of bedding material to absorb the liquid. Straw is probably the most satisfactory material and is available on most livestock farms. If sufficient straw is not available, sawdust, fine shavings, peat moss or dried peat. may be used. Super- phosphate scattered thinly on the fioors lessens the odours of the stable, absorbs some liquid and im- proves the balance of plant food of the manure. All cracks or breaks in the gutters should be repaired to avoid seepage through the floors.

Hauling manure directly frcm the stable to the field and spreading it daily is a good practice. If man- ure spread on the field is subje rad to warn-i dry winds, considerable loss of nutrients may occur. It is recommended. therefore. that the manure be ploughed into the soil as soon as possible after spreading.

It is sometimes desirable to store manure to kill weed seeds or to

lace it. in a pile to prevent wasli- ng on sloping land or to meet some contingency. When stored in this way. leaching by rain may re- move large amounts of the souble matter from the manure. Much of this loss can be avoided by build- ing a well compacted high heap on a relatively small base. The manure at the top will be leached but this will serve as a seal to prevent access of air to the lower layers. Keeping the pile compact and exc1ud‘ng air encourages fer- mentation and retains fertility elc- ments. A good method is to pile the manure on a concrete founda- tion with walls high enough to ro- tain the liquid portion. Re-distri- buting the drained liquid over the pile helps to keep the manure moist and aids the fermentation process. Driving the team and wag- on over the pile or allowing ani- ma's to trample over it helps to keep it compact.

It is not always lble to follow the ideal method ut it is well to keep in mind the principles involv- ed and as far as possible make an effort to avoid losses of fertility elements.

STANDARD FOR. DRUGS

OALOUTTA-(OP) - After long delav the Indian Drugs Bill has re-- ceived the allbfoval 0i’ the Central Legislature. The hill among other things prohibits the sale of drugs and medicines of unsatisfactory quality.

or restocking purposes. Certain diseases, however. are transmitted by chicks of even this tender age and it is to the poultrymants ad- vantage to know what. they are and how they may be avoided.

These diseases are dealt with in the pamphlet. It may be obtained ftee from the Publicity and Exten- sion Division. Dominion Depart- ment of Agriculture, Ottawa.

Ule Millard’: for sprints.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIKI£JJIA A Naturalists Calendar

'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

NATURAL RESOURCES

I CONSERVATION I

A WEEKLY COLUMN OI‘ PRACTICAL OPINIONS OI‘ ‘I'll! VITAL ISSUES AFFIGPING TIIE U858 AND ABUSIU OF

BY II. LUDIDW JENKINS

IIARSIIFIELD. BlItl-s As‘ A FA "OR IN climate, Iums and other diseases. UOZWIROLL NG INSECT artificial control (Poisons), must be

DEPREDATION S

By Clarence Cottam Ind Francis M. Uhler, Biologists, Section of Food I-Iablts, Division of Wild- life Research.

That North American birds are regarded as a priceless national heritage ls shown by the fact that all but e. relatively few species (or groups) are protected by Federal law, by international treaty with Canada (Great Britain) and Mex- ico. or by the laws of the States or the Canadian Provinces.

Birds are useful as protectors of crops and forests through their feeding on destructive bisects. as part of Nature's great balancing mechanism, as scavengers. as game, food, or articles of commerce. or merely as objects of beauty and interest. To a people of sentiment, wildlife or other objects of nature need not be associated with the dollar sign in order to receive pro- tection and encouragement. We agree with Emerson that "if eyes acre tirade for seeing. then Beauty is its owii excuse for being." 'I'he esthctic and recreational values of birds, though largely intaugibie, are just as rcal as bank accounts or interest. on stocks and bonds. Like a masterpiece of art or an orchcslral Sjrllllllmlj’, they uplift the soul and give meaning and Dlifllofe to life. Man is rejuven- ated both in spirit and in bcdy by a day afield. enjoying the chat-m and beauty of the songs of birds, studying the grace and rhythm of their movements. and partaking of their contagious ioyciisncss. E. I-I. l-"nrbttsti has well said that "the beauty of birds. the music of their song, the weird wildness of their call. the majesty of their soaring Light, and the mystery of their migration. always have been sub- jects of absorbing interest to poets, artists and lovers of nature." Cer- taiuly much of the appeal. beauty, and charm of literature, art, and music would be lost if shorn of their allusions to birds.

Although their esthetic and re- creational worth constitutes, per- haps, their urctifcst value to man- kind. birds have a'so tremendous er ncrnic tiotentlallties to which consideration must be given. Prob- ably more than half the food of the 1.400 species and varieties of North American birds consists of insects. That the aggregate num- ber of insects constgmcti is enor- mous no one can question. Yet the significance and effectiveness of such feeding as a factor in in- sect control are matters far more difficult to appraise. Ordinarily, climate. disease, and parasites are equally cr .. ‘bly more imporlant as itatiiral checks Oil most pest species of inscc bttt eiitomoiogisfs and Ollllillftfla. that the

S inscctivorotis bi ds. through their feeding habits.-_.t"eiirlci' lncalcul- able aid to ag" ilturc, horticul- titre. and fores

\'.

Tho greatest value of birds in the role of insect. destroyers lies in the co-orditiaiion of their feeding activities with all other natural factors of the etivlronnient 1n pre- venting the dcvcloycnent to pague

proportions of (lest t-uctive insect crupliotts. 131"’ aid in maintain- ing an cqtiihbrittni in the biotic

complex. 'I‘heii" repressive influence is constantly cxcrtcci. and their great mobility and propensity to wander causes thcm to concentrate at the scene of any local outbreak. Frequently. they not only control a pest. but almost effect its local extirpation. Thus they level off the waves of insect abundance and teiid to maintain uniformity in numbers. W. L. McAtee has given many examples of the effectiveness of birds in the control or suppres- sicn of insect outbreaks and has pointed oiit that. realizing this. e'n- toniologists had mticli to do with the establishment of econcmic ornitholonv in this country and have constantly maintained their interest ln it.

Although birds often texcrt Ml it portant. degree of control on in- sects. over an extensive area. jt is usuaIly only in very limited sec- tions that t-hey actually suppress them. In widespread invasions, for example, the grasshopper plagues of recent _vert.rs in the Cemt-ral and Western Slates. birds and other predatory‘ agents are not stifflci- ently numerous to exert any notice- able control. Under these condi-

Prince Edward Island

A carefully prepared series of notes of Meteorological and Botanical observations made in the period 1910-1937; and includ- ing a short list of common insects.

By BLYTI-IE I-IURST (“Agricola”) Brackley Beach

On Sale at

THE SCHOOL SUPPLY CARTER AND C0.

MARITIME STATIONERS

WOOLWORTHS

TRAVEL BUREAU GUARDIAN PUB. CO.

Price 10 cents per copy

tlons other factors, as unfavorable

FOR

vIZFIlIIlllIIllI/III)

relied upon.

As a control agency, birds, of they do not kill all the pests, but the same is true of every other con- control measure, biological or arti- ficial. It has been stated that be- cause of the great fecundity of in- sects in comparison with that. of birds. the work of the latter- can- not be very effective. Excursions into the realm of mathematics to demonstrate the ineetimable num- ber of progeny that may be pro- duced from a single pair of insects profit little, as a continued un- checked increase never occurs. ‘Pi-ion resorting to mathematical arguments fail to recognize the im- portance of the various insect pre- dators, including conjunction wit all other natural and environmental factors ivhen insects are present in normal num- bers. Birds have a high rate of metabolism, which gives them I. most impressive consuming capac- ity. A bhd may destroy more in- sects at a single feeding than in- dividual parasites destroy in a lifetime. Furthermore. birds con- tinue to feed dtiring seasons when unfavorable temperatures reitder insect parasites of little or no

value as control agents. The sea. gun-cricket episode in Salt Lake Valley in 1848, which

saved the lives of the early Mor- mon pioneers. is perhaps one of the best-known instances of effec- tive control by birds of a serious ct pest. In 1856 a. similar but. less serious and less conscpicuous in- cident occurred in the same valley when another cricket plague de- veloped, which was again suppress- ed by the California gull early enough in the summer to permit a second planting and a fairly suc- cessful harvest. The beautiful Sea Gull Monument on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, erected at a cost of more than $40,000 in grateful remembrance of the ser- vices of these birds in delivering the early Utah pioneers from a cricket. plague, is indeed a fitting tribute to the California gull.