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Silver Fox and I Mink Farming 4

Tile first mink field day ever hold nlost beautif m this Province took ace last Wednesday afternoon. he mink u-crc PAIlIbILEd in the ‘Fox Pavilion l‘. the Provincial Exhibition grounds H, imnil crates. George H. Mayors o; Llilllpfifin, Fraser 8a Huth. 1110.. Ne“ York, who judged at a similar (Halli (lily at Salt Lake City, Utah, liq sliurday, flew from there and “p, l. hl-ief rest in New York con- hilled in Charlottetown. Ha was “romplnlcd by his son R.’ H. M also an authority on mink. ~,, h- pl-cscnt included Premier J. '\\f3l[@i‘ Jones. Hon; Dougald Mac- 1-1. J. Kennedy, President I Association Lowell W. lg, Mr. and Mrs. Raoul Rey- ,. lCI. III_COA- D. A. MacKinnon, lichcrl MUICII, T. Gordon Ives, B. a, JJllbi, Mr. and Mrs. L. L. Miller, M c. i1 Stewart, Mrs. Allen Mc- hi >. liarold Stewart. J. M. Roop, B Cutcliffe. Nelson Hansen. - - Luv-under. Raymond Lavan- Lclzuliii LHYMICIEI‘ of George- . KFIII) Kennedy, Ronald Ken- iviii Brown, Kensington,

ul of the Natural mink type they had ever seen. As a mat- icr of fact, the whole exhibit was so much better than most oi the audience expected that they really enthused about it and followed Mr. Meyers’ remarks with the keenest interest. This was shown by the fact that the demonstration lasted from one o'clock until 5:15.

Mr. Mayers from time to time would strongly emphasize certain points with remarks such. as "Dont think and worry too much about Arctics and Aleutians. Qne thing the mink farmer should do is to concentrate on solid colored mink and stay with them and he will save the mink business and himself. In other words, don't go distributing your energies into too many channels. Solid colors he de- scribed as Sliver-Bin and Breath of Spring Silver-Btu. Breath Spring Aleutian and Breath oi Spring Pastel. In determining the shade oi a mink turn the mink up- slde down' and look at its belly,

u fairly dark top. The Arctic is a cross between the Btu-Frost and Aleutian.

q-nlon Simmons, Freetown W. RifQPII Hunter, Summer-side, (ic ec Warren, Howlan, William 31;, jzind, Charlottetown, James Smith, Southporl.

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—-——-v Queried about the field day in Salt Lake City he said -"Last sat- ilrday so many turned up for that ,;.~h Iirmlglit an adult male, an'field day Ind UPWBM 8° many alulit fcuililc, a kit male and ki‘. mlflk I-IIBI my 5°11 ind I were N"? ivraie in suinll wire crates speb-occupied until seven o'clock in the v constructed for the purpose evening. ‘They were all so interest- dI$l)I.'l_V. Mr. Mayers called for cd and so pleased that no one er-Blus first and explained seemed to notice the time passing t there were three shades of away. Afterwards We hfld I Yer)’ tvpc, dark, medium and light, splendid supper and that night I he divided them into. He can assure you we rested very com- p a specimen of each shade ‘ortably and at noon- we were off _: _ ieiimes two or three and for New York,’ had another good LUII‘. steci them showing the good 'est and then on to the Garden qu mes or defects and stated that of the Gulf." H_e mentioned that. m hm pelt prices were obtained he always enjoyed being here and fur the mediums and also explain- was always glad to get back and m" how important it was to nave see so many old friends. mod nap or covering fur and good llfldEiillf‘. He said that pale Sliver- 'lllus did not add enough charac- lei to a garment when made. On we contrary furriers do not want l too dark. A fuirier will pay lizht medium color m-nk ice are what appeal to my Ildi of fashion. size is important bCiallSé it takes less large pelts h) make a garment.

a The dozen or more exhibitors

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Questioned as to prices he said that there were 58.000 Silver-Bins marketed the past year and that the average price was $51. There were 36s Breath of Spring Silva:- Blus sold and the average price was $143. “N0w," he said, "I don't. want you to think that this price can continue for as soon as great quantities go on the market the price is bound to drop to a lower level. This years market showed mink to be a very staple article and nearly all types of mink are cleared. The Silver-Bin shade is vary popular and no doubt will continue so.“ There were 35.000 Royal Koh-I-Nur sold at an ave- rage of $16._ and 19.500 Blu-Frost_ averaged 815.30; 3,500 White mink averaged $38., but if large quanti- ties of these come on the market prices would be considerably re- lluced. Natural mink averaged ironi $15 w $18 for all qualities. The out- look for the present c_rop is good. Only a small number oi pastels - '865—were offered and they averag- ed 841.11; miscellaneous mutation mink of various types sold at an average oi $10 to $13. These would be the low ends. "As I told i/(N today and I emphasize again, stay with the solid colors."

lie Illustrated with dlaflfflm! the ldctliod manufacturers use when the. iillikc the mink skins into gar- ILLIIIS and showed how important ii ivas to have good quality fur and good color. He advised to keep sill; from very light under-fur mink arid do not under any circumstan- lcs "sqiiirreiy" types. that I8 w that show curly hairs. Weed défll out of your herd whenever they shoiv up. To tell when a mink is pz-ilvc you must view the mink I“..'\\f’E‘!1 ilic ears and watch the iiEiilC in Silver-Bins right down i‘ hack. With practice you can ‘c quite accurately. By no cans judge your whole herd as .=c g prime on the strength of a . .Hc described the various types ti; Silver-Bills and the Breath o! Sipring type, lie said, was a C1085 fi(’i\\'ECll (he Silver-Bi and Blu- (.1055. but a second cr s is neces- iary, that is to say it takes two years d?‘ IL.

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Asked regarding the outlook for Silver Fox and its mutation Mr. and hm,“ g Mayer's said . . “Prices are very low .. prim There is “other type , but one bright spot is that tgey M swwml Breath o; 59mm, have strengthened lately. T e5’ also imperial Platinum, a special H6 MW In 1'91"" demmd n‘ we (,5 s11,.,,_];1u_ moving much better. This 1s due

\ to their popularity with the trim- niing trade. It would not take very much oi a push. that is to say If a ghglnumber oi dealers featured Silver gm-lFox the carry-over on hand 110W both in Canada and the United states would soon disapPfllf- 911° reason why Silver Fox is neglected is that retail furriers and manu- facturers have had -the choice of a great number of other furs and have been featuring them. When~ they once again get back to Silver Fox and its mutations then it will move more quickly-

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lie gave a great deal of time to firs an . guard fur and all ilcs that make bzauiy and quality, also the care (if thr mink so that they ‘cliffbe lulled \\'IIII good color and free lrcni ticfel-ts. There are two new lire; out new that will be market- ca‘ iii quantities in the near fut- ilie. Oiie is the Eric_ s. very clear Iiihl mink much like Breath of 511N112. The Alautian that one Lear.- so much about has sky-blue undcrfilr with a fairly dark top. The Arctic is a cross between the Elli-Frost and Aleutian. some very fine specimens of Royal Koh-I-Nur were shown, also some almost shite mink of that type with some tnck markings on head and faint markings on back. There were Blu- ‘r051 mink and Babies and lastly Natural mink. ‘Two oi these were considered by many present as the

l :40++>o-eo~vo**‘ ‘ ¢““‘

GAIIIIEII ISLE MIIIK

A FIRST CLASS INVESTMENT FOR THE FOX RANCHER HOLDING ON

FOR ANYONE WISHING AN INTERESTING ANII PROFITAILE SIDELINE

SIIVQIbIII, Halibiood salmon enil Sim-Whites- (Rocalsivs) to o siroIn which has for yegn been bringing u higher than over- use price on the Mi Marker.

PRICES REASONAILE FOR HIGH QUALITY I095 DISCOUNT ON QIJQNTITY LOTS

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by when Mr. Meyers had finished. RB. Jones who with Lowell W. Ha cock were the prime movers in org izInI the field day. moves! =_ vote of thanks which was second;

ed and unanimously 111F195‘ E“

estended to Mr. May!" l1"! h 5 5°: for their vary hblllflll ldvl“ E“

the troll-his they Md "1"" I” come here. This would be a day long remembered b)‘ 131°" Wam"

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inspection INVITED ‘t °‘ In iIio some IUIICII—"_I'IILMU" FOXES" I‘ imsxcrnso roll HERD IMPROVEMENT ‘

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not. 357-1, SUMMIISIDE, v.2). (no.1... m4, '

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i - News

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of the Arctic Circl on the Atlantic North Carolina; Coast from south Lower California.

thousand of late years have beer. winter visitors on the broad ex- panse of Mattamuskeet Bay," the ornitliologlst H. H. Bri and he states that the mas e110“? plumage presents comparable only to a vast snow-

was the prelude t. ter. the dying bi

rh- stIEdYIYlt t? the Provincial Exhlbltig tlon through its Prcsid J. that it was a great pleasu visit the Island again. He had he present at the first ‘meld at Summerside ago. "I believe," cupled several da derfui tuccess."

oldest mink breed vlnce was present __ and he thought it wo thing to have Mr. Duggan

some leaves out of his book o: pcrience. Mr. Duggan said: "It thirty years since farming and I liav and downs. At on

again. By persist ed the many problems connected with breeding and raising them and

from the 5th of March to the

four weeks old and his losses are practically nil. When the kits are cw putting one kit to a pen. In that way he does not have damaged fur and keeps down fatalities. Regard- ing diet he believed that fish lcould

the first of September but strongly

proportion of two-thirds meat one-third cereal. He did not believe : was good practise to feed cereal

nlany mink ranchers lose mink be- cause they mix their iced early in the afternoon on hot days and it fcrments and when fed later on lauses food poisoning. He believes

feed a big feed in the evening of

over until the next day and per- haps cause poisoning, and if you feed a big feed in the winter time the left-over will be frozen solid

through pneumonia and the mary cause is wet nest boxes. [rake _e\ery precaution to have your bed- ding dry. He uses blower-straw and renews this from time to time r0- moving the wet material. Mink are subject to fleas but a flea. powder dusted on mink or dusted on the bedding would overcome that troub-

iypes kept.

Ioweli Hancock was the conclud- iug speaker and he paid a grace- iul tribute to George Mayors and his son R. 1-1., conveying to them his gratitude and that of other breeders. He also thanked Mr. Dug- gan and said this, the first mink frcld day. could not be consider-

nis belieg-that our Province could compete with any part of America

reason that we have a splendid supply of fish WhITh can be secur-

lmd placed in cold storage fish food can be used in place of meat for quits a number of months

a mink hers is, I believe,” low if not lower than western Canada despite the fact that their supplies of horse meat are cheaper. Ha was making his second .. mink ranching. The first he gs

now he was back stronger than ever and had a large production the past two year! and was thor- oughly is love with mink farming. -

"The Whistling Swan This la a very rare visitor in-

deed. as will be seen below:

Whistling Swan. AOU. 180. Mi-

grant, rarc. (“One taken at Wheat- ley River in 18B5"-Birds of P. E. I., 1947). Plumags of adults en- tirely white; bill and legs black. Feathers of head roften stained reddish brown; spot on the lores the eye), though this is not invari- able; nostrils nearer to the end of the bill than to the eye.

birds brownish and grayis and feet pale. grown bird about 54 inches, panse of Wings 6 to 7 feet; weight 18 to 24 lbs.

a small yellow

(space before

Young h. bill Length of

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This swan mostly breeds north e. but winters, Coast, mainly in on the Pacific em, Alaska to "Ten to fifteen

says mley. s of a sight

0am seaview, Sydney Mc- that will give you a true indication. b . - - . _ lulu?‘ Ray Clark Rph- Later on a question being asked as aggismwalgéltgfivrgzlllg this’. tl°ce6ngre_ ill. Frrink Cameron, Bill to what the Eric type was, he said gates m. large Immbers on the sllmlilerslde Melburn Craig, it is a very clear, light mink like Nlagam m,“ just above m’ H11 Jeffrey. Bedeque. Earl Can- Breath of Spring and the Aleu- Fans‘ In spflhgl on “any or M11, Jim Chappelle, Summerside, tian had Sky-blue underfur with foggy nights the

birds may drift own till the current grips them nd they are carrie ver the Falls. Formerly this o a great slaugh- rds were clubbed. nd those less injured were shot.

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the facilities which iey were using had been very indly placed at their disposal by n Associa- ent. Mr. H. Mayors replied re to en fox field day

some years he sa-id, “it oc- ys and was a won-

Kennedy. Mr.

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Lowell Hancock said that the er in the Pro- Roy Duggan, uld be a fine give ex- is I took up mink e had many ups e time I dropped nly to come back ence i finally solv-

few of these problems I will’ urh on. One is type of pens and do not think you can do better

than follow the lead oi Lowell Han- cock who has an exhibit of gens and dens here. will give you other advice withI regard to construction."

His booklet too,

Breeding time with him extended 5th April. He usually keeps 100 fe-

males and uses one male to three females. He emphasized the news- sizy of feeding liver in the diet and the amount he advised was 1 lb. to forty mink. Don't be .n a hurry to examine your litters. He

es not look at a litter until it ls

oqnonths old he separates them,

fed In considerable quantity up vised not to feed fish after that

te. His diet was based on the to

d ilsh together and said that

feeding twice daily. for if you hot day some of it will be left

morning. Many minks are lost ori-

Care should be taken in the ectlon of breeders and the beet

as other than a success. It was the production of mink for the

at low prices at certain seasons the year.» Herring. for instance, Spring can be obtained cheaply and

the year. The cost‘ of raising in

ve when foxes wsrebooming but

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Tllii I

THE GUARDIAN,

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$1.-

In most cases the bodies were si- lowcd to sink under the ice, since the flesh is not suitable for eat- ing. Of late years, I am happy to note. this barbarous practice has been abandoned, and now every care is taken to prevent the

swans from drifting over the Falls. The Whistling Swan gets its

name from its flute-like voice. The Anatidas of P.E.l.

The Family of‘ the Anatidae is that division of birds which con- tains the Ducks, Geese. and Swans, the great bulk of which are high- ly valued by our sportsmen. Anatldae is divided by Taverner into five subfamilies: (1) the Mergansers; (2) the River Ducks; (3) the Sea Ducks; (4) the Geese, and (5) the Swans. m. bers of these subfamilies have been described in turn in these Notes, but a few remarks on the five divisions will fitly ‘conclude the subject.

The Mergansers (AOU. 129-131.) are known as saw-bills from their slender toothed bills. which enable them to hold the fish they catch. Locally they are "Sheilducks" or "Shelldrokes" because they feed on shell-fish (among other things). Their hooked bills help them in this. The bill.is "diagnostic", be- ing cylindric and tapered. not fiat-

hlnd toe is -a "flat paddle"; in this resemblliiig the sea Ducks.

The River Ducks (AOU. 132-144 inclusive) have flattened spatulate (spoon-like) bills without teeth The feet have small. well defined hind toes, which are not flatten- en into a lobed appendage. Some- times called Pond Ducks. they prefer the smaller stretches of still water. where they get their food by tipping.

The Sea Ducks (AOU. 145-167 inclusive) get their food by div-

tened, spatulate, and without teeth, like that of the River Ducks. but it has a hook, resembling a human nail, at the end. In the latter feature it resembles the bill of the Mergansers. The hind toe is modified into a flat, paddle-like structure, as in the Mergansers. “The Sea. Ducks, though more at home in large open waters, often frequent the marshes and shallow- er watsrs for feeding"—'f‘averner.

The Geese (AOU. 169-173) in form. resemble the ducks, but are larger. and longer legged. ‘he

bill has a broad “nail" at its tip, but is not as spatuiate as that of the Ducks, being stoutcr, mote laterally compressed and less flat. Geese are more terrestrial than the subfamilies previously men- tioned, and feed largely glasses, eel-grass. and the like.‘ 'I‘he Canada Goose and the Brant are our commonest species. g

The Swans are rarae aves in-.

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-dccd on P. E. 1., for, as already

noted, there has been only one reported for the past sixty years. Their size and color (white) pro-; vide sufficient distinction from the = other subfamilies; but it may be remarked that the bill begin.-

h.gh on the forehead. and has a flattened "nail" at the tip. i Next week's Notes will be de-

voted to the Order I-Ierodiones, that is, the Herons and the Bit- tern, known to us as summer residents. I The English People (21) I I "Hypocrisy," says Mr. Orwell, “ls so generally accepted as part of the Emglish character that a for- eign observer would ‘be prepared to meet with it at every turn." Two disastrous wars and a falling away from religion and morality may have given rise to this evil, but certainly in my day. to be known as a hypocrite was no light matter. Such a person was almost a. social pariah. The in- tlelligent European observer might note (with an ironlcai smile) that the English thought it wrong to hfivo a big anrny. but saw nothing w ong in having a big navy. He sets this clown as hypocrisy, not reflecting (as he ought) that as an island Britain has no nepd of a rge army, while the navy has, p to the present, stood (if one may use the word) between her and. harm.

I

Class distinctions have been diminishing over a period of thirty years, but newcomers to

England are still astonished byI the differences between class anu- class. Mr. Orwell calls them "blatant differences," but blatant or not, their elimination seems to have cost the nation its effective leadership. There are no more leaders like Disraeli. and Balls- bury, not even like Gladstone or Balfour. It has come to pass that Jack is as good as his master, and his master is no better than Jacki

The English invented several of the world's most popular games and have spread them more wide-I iy than is generally imagined. And . strange to say no scientist or art- ist can enjoy the popularity achieved by our professional foot- ballers, boxers. jockeys andevon‘

cricketers. This ought not to be.f for the miglish scientists have‘ worked miracles in late years,

while the boxers and the rcsi. are usually second-rate men.

With all then traits in mind the foreign observer miglit reel sure that He could construct a reliable picture d the lmglisn character. ‘than. more than like- ly the thought would strike him: is there such a thing as a na- tional character?

There is one of the questions. says Mr. ‘Qwsii, where ail the arguments are on one side, and all instinctive knowledge is on the other. It is not easy. for in- stance, to find the " , thread that runs through mg- land's life from the ioth century onwarda. but ovuv fislisblan