The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, July 17, 1946, Page 12

PAGE FOUR Hows and Why-fors of Fur Farming Expounded on Basis of Modern Research (Continued from Page Two) tigation Mink pens need not be large feet in length, two feet wide, and two feet high is of sufficient size Along the coast of Alaska the en- tire pen must be covered by a roof to protect the animals from the constant rain. Pens should be cov- ered with 16-gauge one-inch mesh wire and preferrably 12 to 18 inches above ground Double decked houses permit twice the number of animals in a building. It is important the material used for the roof the lower pens be ious that the lower tier s does not become soiled by those above. A good grade of tongue and groove flooring is excellent for this purpose. This layer of flooring serves as a dropping board for the upper tier of pens and as a roof for the lower pens. It a fall of approximately one to six feet Construction The ends of the building enclosed solid walk buiit flush with the floor of the lower pens, and headers placed between rafters Five that of has foot are a 0ld Russian Fur Traders | ground fish should com-|mainder of the ration should about 85 percent of the ra- |studied for possible causes. The best results are obtained Four percent powdered s when a mixture of fish used; | is particularly such as, flounders, salmon, bull-|tion during the period the young heads and cod fish. Caution should | are nursing and growing be exer in feeding salmon| alone, particularly as the first fresh | salmon are caught in the spring It will c mink to vom it and |t PEEE will produce a pronounced diarrhea | o' O P that will cause fatalities unless ™ o 4 aelikn prompt corrections are made by re- ¥ ducing the salmon content of the | ‘"o bonerally brings about atic a ears a a blohed ‘.‘“‘ Priardiol e “_(::1"”‘]”{ | prompt resumption of eating 3 R . | Proper feeding requires the “”;.',‘;‘)“‘j"‘r'!d‘i‘;‘i“'“’L’O‘r",fi“y““}‘(f;f{(:“’i"'gl | everyday ~ watchfulness of the e O e e ancher to get the best results mon to flounders and the other | z Generally speaking, the animals types of scrap fish' makes an ex- Y 8 cellent year around ration. The|% fish are fed in the round and fresh | ing caught fish to be preferred. | y aily i M hadi 1 They may bé'fed in the pen on While cereals are widely adver- | O, A S X s, they do ot appear to be of |@ board or dish ér_through the Sreat importance In the mink ra.|¥ire from_an oislde feeder of 3 3 - | either wood or galvanized iron. The outside feeder is merely a piece of | w r iron set at an angle of 40 home mixed will suffice, but the | 7009 Orron set at an angle , ti 3 jdegrees against the wire. These cereal portion of the ration must! 4 hot be Targe as their droppings be- | Should be scraped clean once daily come too soft &nd the animals are | /0 Brevent souring. The nest hoxes aGah - E- chciilbe should be checked frequently for A mixture of whole ground wheat | cleanliness Breeding Stock and rolled oats in equal parts or The ranch should be stocked with straight whole ground wheat is| | the best av ble breeding stock satisfactory. | Five. to eight percent is sufficient | a5 Poor pelts cost as much to pro- jduce as good on The beginner | should have one male to two fe- Males can be reduced some erience is gained. earliest matings will occur | about March 1 and will continue i for four weeks approximately. This naturally varies in different locali- Raw be prise tion m milk is sed " " Cod Liver Oil A few drops of cod liver oil are use vent the formation of bladder and kidneys. excellent source 1- | o Nursing females and grow- kittens should be fed twice tion A commercial mixed cereal or a In Young Days of Alaska | The male is taken to the female Were Comparafive Pikers Volume of furs taken by the Rus- sions during the heydey of Rus- sian exploitation of Alaska was nowhere as great as the fur re- source yields at the present time it is indicated from records com- piled by Clarence L. Andrews, Al- aska historian. From 1843 the average annual seals was 18,644. In under Government supervision in accord with the international fur seal convention, was 65,281 Some of the data gathered by Andrews in delving among early records and writings were fol- lows Furs reported at Kotzebue Sound and Port ence in 1867: 14,000 marten Michael, 16,000 mar- ten; and Yukon, 10,000 mar- ten In the first year of its trading at Fort Yukon, Hudson's Bay Com- pany bought furs to the value of to 1862, for instance, take of fur 1940 the Kkill, Fort - so that pens cant ing This enclosed type of mink build- ing is nec along the coast In the Interior where rainfall is negligible, the cage type pen ap- proximately two by two by five or six feet in length is satisfactory With this type of pen a covered type nest box is fastened at one end on the outside to facilitate cleaning. In the shed type, nest boxes are placed inside the pen. A nest box twelve inches sjuare, having no top, is satisfactory. No hole is necessary as the mink go over the ton. If a top is placed on the nest box, a hole for entrance near the top three and one-fourth inches in diameter is necessary. Food Grinder A power grinder that handles both meat and bone is essential to properly prepare their food. The plate may have one-half inch holes for any type of fish, If using root crops, like carrots, for vegetables, one-fourth inch holes are desirable as otherwise the material is indigestible. Cooking of tough root crops is recommended. Watering mink with the least difficulty is accomplished if the outside type mink waterer is used. The animals do not pack food in them and cannot bathe in them. Tin cans, like a salmon can, are commonly used but are constantly dirtied and used for bathing. Feeding The feeding of mink in Alaska must depend basically upon fish. animals getting out of st escape from the build- Hard and fast rules for feeding ' cannot be set, as generally indi- | viduals get different results upon the same ration. 6ty Landmark Restored For $350,000; Shelters Federal, Alaskan Units (Continued from Page One) Work commenced in May 1945, but was halted the following October when freezing temperatures made concrete construction impossible. Work was resumed with warmer weather and the building was rushed to completion. Subcontractors engaged construction include: Parsons’ Electrical Co., wiring; Paul Thorgaard Plumbing Co., heat- ing and plumbing; Chris Berg, plas- tering; Ideal Paint Shop, painting; Metcalf Sheet Metal Co., sheet met- al work; Otis Elevator Co., elevator installation. Northeast Marble and Terrazzo Co., flooring; Dave Burnett mag- nesite flooring in the lobby; Nord- quist and Engstrom millwork, and Victor Power, asphalt_ tiling and weatherstripping. in the | and japd tried. Animals should be sep- iarated if the fighting becomes too serious as either may become in- jured. It may be necessary to wait | a few days with some females. Gen- {erally matings last from one-half hour to an hour or more. A record of matings should be carefully kept particularly for purposes of im- proving the stock. Females will usually mate again in one week and this should be practiced. A great variation in the gestation period is common, but most litters | will arrive in 45 to 50 days. The estral cycle in females may be noticed by observing the swell- ing of the external genitals as well las by microscopic examination of the changes of intra-uterine cells, but breeding remains a tedious 5d. When it is consid- | ered that all the goods the trader ! had was packed on the backs of three men from La Pierre’s House | on the McKenzie watershed, and that the prices allowed for fur was extremely low, there must have been quite a catch of fur obtained. The Russian take during the years 1843-1862 was as follows 1 L, Ave No. Skins Per Y 25,899 1294 | 54,134 b [ 77,847 3,892 372,894 18,644 157,484 7874 70,473 3,523 10 6,027 g Fur Sea otter Blue and white fox Other fox Fur 1 Beaver Land otter Wolverine Lynx Marten (Alaska sable) Bear Wolf Muskrat Mink and ermine males remains the solution most practical -l General Care 346 | i nest boxes should be clean and well !filled with clean dried grass, al- | falfa or straw free of awans. The | females should be kept so that | no unusual disturbance upsets them ;at the time their young are born. ; Kittens will be heard squealing 2,782 1,893 24 6,570 872 6,301 99 12 328 43 cereal. Cooking will improve the coreals iakiDE SibEobia digflsuble.[(*xmmmng litters upsets the female During cold weather mixing the |and may cause some females to hot cereal with the fish warms |PACK the kittens about. False floors the fegd and permits the animals|Placed in the pen will prevent to L M B e 1E titiags { nervous females from dropping Five percent lettuce or mhlmgc“y‘)”“H through' the . wire. is an excellent vegetable supply | Nursing females should and when finely ground is gener-| Watched closely as their litter ally well digested. | grows because some may need ad- [ ditional care. | cellent for them and impossible several percent of | for the female to carry to the litter. root crops are fed, such as car-| AS the litter grows and starts eat- rots, it is ad: ble to cook them !ing solid food, the nest box can be and run them through the grinder | Ubped on its side near the food as raw carrot is not properly di- to encourage the gested. Ten percent of vegetable themselves. can be fed, but the droppings Taking the kittens from the fe- should be watched and when quan- | male at eight -or nine weeks of age tities are passed they should be | Will permit her to regain her proper cooked to prevent intestinal dis- | Physical condition and prevent the orders. | loss of an occasional animal. Two percent of lawn grass or! The nest boxes, pens and feed- alfalfa leaves and blossoms will | ing arrangement must be kept clean serve where lettuce or cabbage are!at all times. The Kittens should unavailable. | be separated early as inferior fur Tomatoes generally cost too much | results when litters remain togeth- to be incorporated in the ration, |er through the fall Four percent bone meal is a! The animals should receive all good source of caleium and should : they will consume to insure a rapid be kept in the ration unless con- |&rowth and excellent condition. siderable milk is fed. Steam bone|the animals are not in perfec meal is suggested because fresh |Physical conditton they will nof green bone is generally unavail- |Produce a good pelt and are un- able. Bone meal also aids in keep- | Suitable to keep as breeders. ing the bowels in proper condition ling the Pelters should diarrhea develop the| A few ounces of cyanide crystals bone meal content of the ration|in a well-stoppered bottle to which can be raised to check it. The re- a couple tablespoons of water has JUNEAU PAINT & SUPPLY €O CONTRACTORS for KENTILE ASPHALT TILE as seen in The New Goldstein Building Master No-Draft Sash Balances Master Weatherstripping Grind Root Crops If howe JUNEAU PAINT & SUPPLY (0. VIC POWER Phone 407 | should be given all they will con- | ] ! hand proposition and trying the | ) at birth and should be left quiet as | kittens to help It THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE—JUNEAU, ALASKA desirable in the ra-} | desirable daily in the animals’ ra- | | of | | vitamins and an egg to an animal | al frem wilds te world's markets. | EA e S £ | been added destroys them very }promp(ly. ‘he animal is caught | with gloves and held by the neck | A small stick dipped in the crystal Jan water is placed in his mouth for three or four seconds and the animal may be dropped in a bag or placed in his pen. It will be | dead before another is caught. The bottle should be kept stoppered tight when not in use and handled care- fully at all times as it is a deadly poison. Carbon monoxide gas from engine exhaust piped gito a tight box is also a popular method. an Pelting Mink The equipment used includes a Ikmic with a small pointed blade, |a pair of nail clippers, a fleshir | beam, fleshing tool and fine dry sawdust The fleshing beam 1s made hav- |ing a slight taper and flattened a little on top and bottom side. | A good fleshing tool can be made by grinding absolutely..smooth T | Following the mating season the ! be | Raw eggs are ex- | ' | | 'S CABIN—somewhere in Alaska. bag of prime pelts for the examination of the travelling fur buyer. At the end of a good season the trapper displays a bounteous Here's the first step on the fur trail But won’t you need something more? When “sometime” comes, and you want to turn that blueprint into brick or stone or wood, you'll need quite a it of cash. Will you have it? 7 You will, if you keep on putting every dollar you can spare into U§ Savings Bonds! ten-inch half round file. The flesh- | ing beam should be secured at a comfortable height and secured in a socket at the base to facili- tate turning easily which fleshing. Skinning Some recommentd the lowed to cool prior to ski; since skins come off fasl this practice is generally followe The hind legs are slit from the paws on the back side to a point at the base of the tail just above the vent which is cut around. Suf- ficient skinning near the legs and base of the tail is necessary to puil out the tail bone. Then hanging the animal by the hocks, the skin body be al- | but rm is pulled down to the shoulders to * permit pullng out the front legs. These are skinned down to the toe which are snipped off with the nail clippers. The skin is then pulled down to the ears. The knife is used to sever ear cartilage, leaving it with the ears as well as lips and nose. After finishing skinning. a pelt is| drawn on the fleshing beam and the hind feet secured to rubber bands fastened to the base of the beam. Then with a small blade slit the tail to the tip from inside. Sawdust Useful The fleshing tool is then used for scraping the fat clear of the pelt, working from the tail to the head. The use of a generous quantity of fine dry sawdust will absorb much fat and keep it from getting on the fur. Some additional care is nec sary on the tail, head, and legs to thoroughly clean the hide. After completing the fleshing, rub the skins with some sawdust to pick up all available gre Then turn the pelt fur side out slip it on a board that does not stretch the hide. Tack both traction and be sure the skin is hind feet but only give them slight on the board so that the tail is in the center. Run a wedge under the tail to the nose and put a tack in the tip of the tail after drawing and | WED ARTS & CRAFTS CENTER UNiQUE AS ENTERPRISE (Continued from Page Two) Crafts Divi vice. Eight princi ion, Alaska Native Ser- bal objectives of Nat- ive Arts snd Crafts—objectives which Mr. Burrus believes are on the toward being achieved—he emphasis tandards ar product rotecticn on higher d development for con- hrough winning recc rk of Genuineness the bona-fide native products d tributed by Na nd Crafts 4.—Prcmotion of cons ation and utfiization of resources vital to na- tive economy., 5—Expansion of m: ine Alas| native handicraft 6—Education for discrimination between actual native products and “outside” or machine-produced imi- tations, T—Assistance in, stabiliza crafts products prices. 8—Perpetuation of native cultures and combat of decadence by makir craftsmanship profitable to natives. The daily tasks of Mr. Burrus and his staff of three in the Goldstein Building clearing center consist of receiving native products direct from their creators or from school shops rts arkets for genu- ion of the tail down slightly. Tack out the tail. Slide ancther thin wedge under the belly side and hang the hide up to dry. Slow drying without much heat is recommended. Three or four days will be required to d the pelts when they are taken from the boards and cleaned to make them appear their best. A furrier comb, sawdust, or cornmeal are used in cleaning the furs, following which ~ What have you go DAY, JULY 17, 1946 they should be laid flat and sewed in ugly for shipment or throug native cooperatives. small lots are grouped to fill received from dealers who have learned that they can meney and trouble by Native Arts and Crafts hem with bandwor! frcm all sections of the Territory, rather than themselves going on long treks into the field orde: alres calling u; to sup Prices the ces ers will te: pay and which are fair to A commission of charged the crafts- additic two percent of the price to the it four percent the s and is 1stain- handled pur- 1 outright are at the center are that employees of e Service may buy directly irom the center School craft producis, Aleut bas- Eskimo ivory carvings, South- and Interior Alaska Indian wares, all are received here and sent on to dealers bearing the “Mark of Genuineness” assu are handmade b of Alasl Proving the recognition its services, Burrus quotes that business of the center in its first year, 1938-39, was only about $90,- 000. Last -year goods handled were valued at close to a quarter million dollars. Ninety-five percent of Al- ska native craftsmen are now d ing of the major portion of their wares through the center, he said. There is ne compuision on the natives to 1 to the center. They may set themselves up as retailers or otherwise 'sell directly, in the er of the Indian women who spread their moccasins to greet ship travelers at Southeast ports, or oth- erwise dispose of their products directly. However, both craftsmen and buyers have learned the advan- ges of dealing with Native Arts and Crafts; now located at the rear cf the entrance foyer of the Gold- of bestdes a Llaghrin . Tiar's a mighty fine blueprint, mister . . . a really swell plan for your “sometime” home. What else have you planned? There’s more than a home in your plans for the future. What about college for your children, the trips you want to take, and, above all, the Those all take money, too! And the surest way to have dollars when you financial security you’re working to wi need them is to save now, when you have them. Buy U.S. Savings Bonds. Buy them regularly, ? at any bank, ];oal officé, or thru the Payroll Plan. Above all, hang on to every bond you buy! These Bonds are just like the War Bonds you own. They put your money to work making more money—every $75 you save today will be 3 back in 10 years as $100. guarantee yours! During the war, Bonds helped to guarantee your country’s future. Today let them help to Now, Bj:l‘ck Your Future - Buy U.S. Savings Bonds