- Silver Fox Reaching on Prince Edward Island : 
     
    
   
   
    
     How an Important Industry Was Born 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     ILVER Fox Ranching, an industry that is now seriously pursued in 
     
    

    
     practically every country north of the equator, was first attempted 
     
    

    
     and brought to an exact breeding science in Prince Edward Island 
     
     nearly 60 years ago. Since then the industry has made the men of various 
     
     lands wealthy, but, today, as over a century ago, the prize foxes and 
     
     choicest pelts are from Prince Edward Island stock. 
     
    
   
   
    
     It was early in the 70’s that the first foxes were caught and tamed 
     
     by man. These, dug out of a den in the woods near Tignish, (P. E. I.) 
     
     by a Mr. Thompson, were sold to Benjamin Haywood who built a hollow 
     
     log den and was successful in raising two pups to maturity, out of a litter 
     
     of four. A neighbor of Haywood’s—Charles Dalton (now Sir Charles) 
     
     became interested and got two wild foxes from Anticosti, which produced 
     
     crosses. Dalton bought a black male fox and mated with a red, but 
     
     got reds. 
     
    

    
     Years of unsuccessful experimentation followed until with the 
     
     assistanee of another neighbor, Robert T. Oulton (since deceased) the 
     
     first wire pen ever used for fox ranching was erected at Oulton’s Island, 
     
     in Alberton Harbor, and in one of these pens the first litter of ranch bred 
     
     silver foxes was raised to maturity. 
     
    
   
   
    
     - In the following years, many men who knew either Dalton or Oulton 
     
     personally were engaged in ranching silver foxes and these men, each a 
     
     pioneer in his way, developed certain characteristics which distinguished 
     
     their foxes like certain breeds of horses and cattle are distinguished. 
     
     Among these pioneers were James Rayner, Silas Rayner, B. I. Rayner, 
     
     James Gordon, James Tuplin, Henry Lewis, John Champion, Frank T. 
     
     Tuplin and others. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In the early days of the industry the sole income to the pioneers was 
     
     through the sale of pelts, which brought all the way from $1500 to $2600. 
     
     In 1910 a lot of 25 silver fox skins were sold at the London auctions by 
     
     Charles Dalton for an average of £285 Sterling; one pelt bringing 
     
     $2624.40 and three others bringing £500 each or $2430. 
     
    
   
   
    
     \ 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     i 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     = \ Sas —159—-