1 ‘ 'l I 1 I . '1 _ ~\ I ‘. " 1 . *1 K ‘v I _ 1' <,__ ' .1 fl I IHTFIIWSITIII‘ i ' V, Zofililffilils PR O VINCE Inheritance Of Silver Band In é I Silver Fox Furs ‘ i [By G. Ennis Smith. illpcrlfllrll- dcnl, Evperlmetital Fox Ranch, inbred foxes having similar types‘ 01' silver in the offspring the silver biind was an improvement on the Sunimcrsiiie, l’. E. l.) In previous years nmny fox blR I‘1'I1‘l‘.\ COZIIOHKINI that tI1e narrow ~ilvcr Ditllli ‘ ~ I>\"‘»r1‘l'i\\‘1° i“ U“ “pp buy, “ 1, otiurs l1>.k 1hr exact 1\]i,u1.~1t<i \.1'\\.11o:1:l. A: 1hr.- {glue when hall .~-1l\i-r furs were in t! 111.1114 it 111112111 have bcvn tlt~li;it— able whether there uxis 110'. a l.-.:~- 1111111h1r of \\'<'1\1'<l'< W11" llll.l'l'()'v\' silver band, other condi- is \JC‘.Z‘.|I favourable, but for u ibii- 211,111 11 Iari-vtlizig sturd- i the niurkct in r1~r111t I ‘IIIIB ll ‘nus Iivvumc very IIIiDJFQTIE‘ 121M. the 1151111111" .'~lI\'[‘l‘ baud cunt ‘ 1,1,1 (14 one of 1h!‘ . il1r~ ll11llI:l!'_V. While» huw rrvoitiizvtl U.11.<>11s selection of 1.1111» bar ' r1111 a ruthlcm Glillh‘ the etl 111i111w»\.111\1\11t in c where ' xvtth foxes bands of a. re or I4‘.\§ nlucltiy iigipeurancc, ‘v - ‘E111 1111- majority 111v biing piziccd I 2.10.1: [iruft-i" silvcrf :1; 1m rrmv . ‘Z11: 11. 1.. |1'1lL‘lL'.".1'.IL'l5. Cites Experiments 4 1111- matings u‘, the- l"._1;' r-ntil I“\1X Ranch I Iiuvc, :1 (‘x1e COffildlTflilOll to the dif- . 12-1105 of silver bonds that :21 ich rind some vvry 1-1"1':1i lllIOTllTil- t»: PXIMTIIIIPHIIII work is u. JLCCI so that; it mid be 1111111 ~t1>~d that a de- : (tut-Iii lin 11.1» nut yet been " i311‘ r1 stiits obtained :>l.1l' t%.._i~___,.._i_ ._ ._._ fly a quarter 1. pre-icr a nvrlqnccv with n ~ I143 1.111112 ‘o p.111: silver tux, _ . of the 11arr1>u' bzintl have. - )l'1I a 1511c ()1 foxes showing‘, - 3:1 .1.lL1 chlritv of the silver Iiuinl, $11M‘ i». U111‘? fox breeders by" ii1dif-I11fl!'l‘0\\'i‘f 11nd required 11 fzt-nt 111111 111111211 lard mating hovel "F133." llllllefllfillvv- " ‘their I "5' " . 10d. 'I‘i1is cle- i vvowlil l11:l;c.11c:- black pigment 111 In the first outcross wlthl mitics of the silver band whicl1~ menus of those of their parents. 12) In the first. outcross with two different types of silvers in the offspring tlu- rIIXTI‘ baud was some- ‘ { viii-re n»:1_r the 111111.11 of ‘those of i, tin i1‘ 111151.. . t ~31 111 the mun-ii ziuil third out- l ('l'(.l:.§ of (Il!l1‘l'(‘llt types of silver bind.» in the offsprings the silver bonus wcrs mirrow and in B15115’ (IL-CS 111111112)". I 14v 1n any different groups of ‘ foxes SCICCIIZQ; the yvitler bands 1111c] ‘ outcrossmg them 111.1110 offspring 1 1 0 fox breeders it was never ovcnj mo", WAS a mcrcnu‘. =3, m“. “my, of the silvri‘ IJJ-nd. 1.1111 111 Ill-l‘ sums ps of s 1..\'I'Il uilvrc the . rroiver bllllflS \\'1‘l‘v hiicfr-cl mil inbred there was an miprovciiii-iv both in the width 1111-‘1 clarity o.’ the silvi-l‘. <5) U"t<-t'ti_\~i11~1111 the strvulul 111111 tlnrtl guncrunons 111.111 ti1lfcr~ ent 11111»; of silvtd IJJIIKIS the off- 11; illllit‘ ‘utl lo l‘ t'.11'1:11r!1b11- :11 CI1.1l'.\ .1, 1t lliii _' wide buutl 11:‘ 1 ' ' clcnr cuioiu‘. but in cat-h 12.11111 b.c111uo n10re L111‘ 11g yw-ur With loxrs inbred with u. (ivsuriible typo oi silver in the ofl- ._. pklg tlivre “as a. deruicd im- provement in the SII\'Cl' (‘il.l!'.’lCI.€'l‘ as ‘11111 foxes grew older and each yeurli 1t. xvns very noticeable that 1l1e Imzcl was not only WICICI‘ but had :1 j DTLZIIMT and more mctiilliz; appear’ EDGE. Results nf Inbreeding A microscopic examination 0i the silver band shows lhut xvhcre 1 thefoxes have been inbred and a i favourable typo of sihcr Iias bevn prxluced there is no tlifftision 0i the black pigment into the s.lver urea. On the other liitnti. xvl zre 1 there has bocu a crowing 0f dif- ferent tjvpcs of silver the micro-i I sropie cxuiiunutioii sahoxvs that g there is a. nmrlccri dillusioii of the‘ ‘ into both txtrcfi 1 flreetings from the CITY OF CHARLOTTE TO WN Through the faith, cow-age and pmrzrers in foxwlmcliiizg) the world was gircn a l.‘l‘lI‘ inzlus- of a century or more ago. In where the first experiments in domestic breeding of foxes was carried on the industry has weathered many vicissi- tudes and still nlairztains its place as one of H10 Proirincfls most gainful fields of production. At the rcry oulscl the infant industry suffered greatly from an almost frenzied period of speculation. Then came the World War and the crash of world markets. More recently fox ranchers have felt ihe c/fccls of the world-wide depression, now happily giving way to a brighter era. It speaks well for the slend- iness, adaptability and common sense of Island ranchers that throughout good times and bad the industry has been nzaintained and that Island foxes are still the finest offer- ed at the great European auction sales. The annul Prince Edward Island Silver Fox Exhibition is a great contributing factor to our continued world leadership. It is a meeting place of our most progressive ranchers and offers splendid opportunities for the interchange of ideas on all phases of the industry. Recognlzing the importance of this annual show the citizens of Charlottetown gladly welcome the ex- hibitors lo the Island's capital, urith the hope that the I190" ahead will be pears of expansion and progress. l’. W. TURNER, Mayor rision of Island IYSIIIEIIIIIYUII ,UF FUR IIUIITIUN ISTRESSES VALUE Mr. B. W. Robinson, Mayor 0f Summerside, and a director of the Prince Edward Island Silver Fox Exhibitions Association, ls very en- thusiastic over the Silver fox r “T111 which is to be a feature at the Fox Show this week. '.\In_vor Robinsoncoiisltlcrs that It "rrns crmnnwrTirrown_ uonwpmn ' WIDE INTEREST 11v I Fox Show‘ Programme I TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17th— 9.00 a.m.—-_Iudging commences on Class throughout the day. 7.30 p.m.-Fnxmeu‘s Banquet Canadian WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER l8I.h— goo a.m.~_ludging continued. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19th- 9.0o a.m.—_luilgiiig couliuucil. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20th- 1 and will COIltintlc National Hotel. tiuuut tiovcrluu- l is o. very forward step in the 111:;- tory of the silver fox industry. It, will cioaiti- :1 uriuler interest. lll the I shozt‘ nuri will bring a lnrqrz" ‘tunv bor of visitors to the exhlf, ".1. The bipgvst factor, Iiowrirr, \v.ll be that l“.\lI('Ill‘l‘S will be able to buy foxes o.’ proven stock as noiox can be put up for auction unless he has been pLiccd. As a rule fox ri1nrlu-rs \v1.-l11n§_' to purchase gutxl Ili'(L‘[I1l]' siork hiivr grout (liflirirtr in Jliillg,’ 11 suitable choice when s1: z: from rant-h to ranch. With an ziiicnou sulc. such us this, theyi will he assured of good stock, certi- tic<l by rormxtent judges, through- ly (‘1iIl‘.‘t‘l‘>;|llT. with the required \il~‘s of foxes for breeding. ' .11 ioxmvn the world over .<tr1~.~.-111g the importance of produc- ing only the bust silver fox DPIIS, ilils mrthod (>1 yiurchase will do more than zinythiiig that 1111s yet been suggested to eliminate the poor pelt and raise the standard of our Island foxes. varirs both in urea and intensity with different loxes, and in 89"“ em‘. is directly propertiflnal I0 W"? 11111<1dy appearance of the silver- A vast zunoiuit of work is involv- ctl in the study of_ the inherltancé of the silver band. It; Is not only a questin of carrvlnE 011i’ 9' vast array of breeding experiments un- der various conditions but it also involves recording the exact meas- urements of the silver bnml during different times in their life hls- tovy. Fox breeders havfi been ruvnre for many; years that the IOXK-‘S from one rimcl1 will not blend with l foxes from other, ranches mid‘ thi-rc are many cases on record where pale silver foxes from out-l side ranches when mated to medium or pale silver foxes Pmdllccd m‘ li-rs, the majority oi them beim’. vitlu-r black or very dark 53W“- lContinued on P889 13) IllllIlllllIlllllllillllllllilllllllll i this Province i measurements o: . and all - that even this method was not rat- . 1 V‘ I Always alert and Inleniou. Dalton ililul. (II limc x111 Ilgfiods Employed‘ In Felting Foxes ' . maxi By HAIIIIIJFON TOBTN {Imcrii-aii Fur Breeder llzic to the educational piogjzuiius o1‘ the AN F‘. m l~‘.B.A., and the American Fur Breeder and the stat: associations. there has been a marl-zed iiupruvciiiciit in the con- dition of lox prlts reaching the market tluiing the past. {cw yours. The uniform type and style‘ of drying bomds, now almost univer- sziflv 11 ed, was one of the first im- portant stops atlvur-ccd to bring about raw skins of gicatci- 11iiiform~ ity of appearance, with corre- spondingly enhanced values. In the early days of the American fur trade, 11nd ioutinuins down to com- paratively reccrzt times. the Wild-I taught; silver fox. taken from the wilds by hunter, native trapper, prospector or timber cruLser, al- though the skin may have bgen a beautiful specimen when prime, often reached the London or even the New York market in a sorry condition. Mishnpen, stale, soil- ed and 1501'". the shipper of those skins often received b11t a fraction of their original value, due to poor handling. Now, except for mls. fortune, downright carelessness, or, in occasional instances, ignorance 0r mislnfori11nlion,ti1c mink and file of those engaged in taking pelts , fire nble to market skin: which are reasonably free from unnecessarv‘ defects. As the peltlng season flDpfOhChes, however. it may beof interest to WFPTHIOTS of the s111111fc1'-r1111cl1i=s. 0r to beginners, who have lake“ 111-11111 pelts. to know rm- memods PmDIOl/ed sntisfuctorilv m‘ many yvflrs on the liznvkcys Itasca ranch, In referring to 1.111‘ VBTIDUS Stages of pelt handling, i1 will be assumed that the reader is familiar with the style, type 111111 so-calletl "stretching" or drying boards, (mm uionly accented as the mo t. desir- able. I1’ not. the first sfep to be taken by the beginner. is m get In touch with the editor of this Xnflg~ nzme, or with the American Na- tlonal office at Wausau, Wlsconslir, 811d Obfflln this highly egsentjal data forthwith. Then get out the boards and have them ready, and, have plenty of them, IICVGI‘ Q Killing When the writer's beloved olrl filoml Sir Charles Dalton. and hi. hiirtui-r Robert Oultou. first con- cluded to pelt some of the ‘OX0; 1 rnlsrd in secrecy in the Savage 0r ‘ Ch: i-ry Island much, Alberto“ Har- bour, P I., they discussed vnr- iotLs 11101105 of killing the animals 1o be PCIICLI. As an ardent fox ‘ hunter, Dalton hucPlem-ned that i the pelts from foxes killed with the rifle or shotgun, brought lower price". in London, than tlid the skins. from those taken ln traps or snares. it was immediately decided that. except as to animals which had es- caped and were running at large on the island. none ol’ the peltlng foxes should be disposed o! by shooting. Fox ‘tongs for handling were then an unheard o! luxury. animals handled were either "tailed," trapped. or comer- ed in the log dens, and dragged out by brwh or legs. It was agreed that striking the fox with any instru- ment would somewhat injure the pelt. Finally it was determined that the best method was to swing the fox with a whirling motion and bash its head against s smooth- barked tree. Observation disclosed lsfnctory, as the skin was bruised , and discolored in the region of the , head and neck. Shortly after- I wards. in attempting to prva fox from a burow by using a short pole, the animal was killed by pres- sure o! the lever across It“. chest. 9.oo:1.1u.—-_Iuil_4ii1g completed. 2.00p.iii.—l‘ruseuuuioii oi llophics by His Ilonor Lieut- .his right foot the operator pInCC MESSAGE I TO FOX BREEDERS I icorgc l). Dclllois in Iflaton Pav- il coiuliiioiis permit). The Premier and the Government of the Province wish to extend to ‘the promoters, the judges, and the exhibitors of the Fox Show their thanks and appreciation for the won- derful efficiency and co-operation with which they have alu-ays given to the public the proof of the outstanding quality of this product of our Province. " . The Fox Industry of the Island during the pas! few years, and especially during the years of depression, ivas to us as, the grain bins of Ancient Egypt, instituted by Joseph, was to the famishihg people of that period. As with them, so it was with us. It carried us through, and I have no hesitation in saying to the farmers throughout the length and breadth of the Province that this is a profitable sideline on your farm. Start u-ith the best stock procurable, compare always when an opportunity affords itself your foxes with the foxes of other ranches. If yours do not measure up in ap- pearance and quality, find out what is line matter. When you have discovered the defects, remove them. Improve your methods of feeding and housing. When possible, as- sist your fellow rancher by advice and demonstration. Re- tain an open mind-none of us know all of anyone thing" Boast the industry and the quality of its product. also the little Province down by the sea, so that we may be pointed out by others as a people who are bound to succeed in whatever undertaking to which we may devote our, energies. noted that the shin from the ani- mal ivas not damaged when remov- ed. Other foxes were deliberately killed in a similar manner. From this idea of killing was soon evolv ed the method oi’ exfmgulshln: I life from peltlng foxes, by "step- I ping on them.” Cruel as it ma ;oun1l, most ranchers still ugret ‘ that it is the most humane and ei- ficlent method. With the fox helt‘ at the neck, with tongs in the op- erator's left hand and hind legs i’. his right, the animal is placed or . lls right side with shoulders on :1 , clean, hard surface and its rear quarters elevated atian angle of forty-five degrees. standing on,‘ his left foot. just back of the lei‘ shoulder oi’ the fox and sudden‘ shifts his weight to his léft 1'00 The fox becomes unconscious a! most immediately: there ls no out cry and no indication o! pali: Death eirues within three or fou" i minutes. Killing boxes have been I devised for suffocation or for ad- I ministration of anesthetics, and In- Jectlons of strychnine solutions into the region of the heart have been recommended, but the writer still bellevm that the old fashioned w. H. DENNIS, Minister of Agriculture’ (Continued on page 11) 1.lllIIIIIIIIIIlllll!lllllll!IIIIIIIll!IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII " PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS A We Extend Our Compliments to—- THE CHARLOTTETOWN FOX SHOW This Has Been of lnestimable Value to the Island Ranchers as is Shown by the Unquestionable Improvement in the Quality of the Foxes Shown Each Succeeding Year. THROUGH FOX snows THE RANCHERS rIAVE BEEN BROUGHTi TOGETHER AND THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN HIGHLY SATISFACTORY. Does This Nolrlndieate That Creator Success Could be Attained in Other Depart- ments of the Fox Business if Foxmen would Co-operate More Closely? MARKETING FOX PELTS IS THE ULTIMATE SOURCE FROM WHICH THE PRIMARY REVENUE MUST COME. THEREFORE IT IS OF FOREMOST IMPORTANCE. The best available means for the Ranchers to _act together as a combined unit is by supporting Marketing Organizatlonssuch asTHE DOMINION SILVER FOX FURS LTD. I Snow noes nut wont 01m - nus WAY:—— Group Selling is the basis of all co-operative marketing. Pelts are sold absolutely on their own merits. No rancher has the advantage over another- ‘ "In Union There is Strength.” The old saying was never so true as it is to-day under the present trying conditions. Limit prices kept right up to the market levels produce stabilization- Buyers are willing to pay the price providing their competitors cannot 1 purchase pelts at lower figures. Haphazard Selling Has Been Driving The Market Down- I Let theSeller Beware. ——-——- YOUR IIITERESTS IIRE OUR INTERESTS WE ARE ALL TIED UP TOGETHER IN THE FOX BUSINESS. LET US COMBINE OUR EFFORTS. TIIE IIIIMIIIIIIII SILVER FUX FURS, LIMITED Head Office-SUMMERSIDE-P. E. I- CHARLOTTETOWN MONTACUE J. D. Jenkins BRANCH Marshall Fzeynolds and . an Major L. J. MacDonald RECEWWG sTATloNs Milton Mellish g :1