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STEWART CAVE has the Job of filling 1600 little drinking every day cups with water It takes about barrel of water to fill them all sayl Stewart Operates Biggest Mink Ranch In Simcoe County The biggest mink ranch in Simcoe County is that of Ben Swanson RR No Alliston who produces around 4000 pelts year That adds to good number of coats capes and fur accessories For anybody who has thought that mink come in only one or two colors it is surprising to learn that hcre irc on or more beautiful colors The dif ferent varieties of nink range from pure white through creamybrown gunmetal blue brown to black In the trade the different varieties are cal led white pastel violet pearl hope alcutian and standard Who buys the mink lur pelts All my pelts go directly to the Hudsons Bay for auction the same Company that played such an important part in Can adian history in Iew York says Mr Swenson There they are bought largely by buyers from such European countries as France Italy and Belgium The number of pelts required to make one fulllength coat may range from 50 to tit or 90 depending on the size of the pelts and ot the coat being made Mr Swenson who the mink ranching business in 1951 tools that the mink pelt market has been relatively good as far as he is concerned The market has been fairly good ever since the end of World War No he says it all depends on how well you look after your mink and how chI you prepare the pelts We got on average price if from $20 to $25 for cock pelt Prices paid or pelts depend on quality variety and size As fashions change so does the demand for different varic tics of pelts NOT ALL PROFIT But of course as with other types of farming mink ranch ing is not all profit large outlay of capital is necessary to purchase individual wire cages and nesting boxes for each mink Mink must be kept separately feed and pclting barn must be built along with long covered sheds to pro tect the mink from the heat of summer and then breeding stock must he bought to start the project Besides this food for the mink maintenance of equip ment and labor citsts must be entered taken into consideration by tho mink rancher mink rancher In Mr chnsoos cesc he must keep 1600 nnimnls all the time as breeding stock And he must employ three men on yearround basis to care for the minki The breeding stock is fed about four ounces of food day dahbed onto the top of its wire cage This fund consists of groundup misture oi scr aps lrom meat processing plants horse meat fish and cereal grainsI all of it being in the raw state It is interesting to see the hundreds of mink in long rows of wire cages impatiently rac ing hack and forth along these cages as they await their rat ion Thsy create on indescrib able patter as their thousands of feet patter over snow and wires Strangely there is not single vocal protest to be heard Disease has never been problem to Mr Swanson Each year sometime in AuJust the young mink are given com binatian vaccination to immun ize them against variety of ailments Feline distemper and virus or prospective enteritis In the roost common diseasel he Kayo Dog and cats are often can tiers of distemper especially when they are not vaccinated For this reason most mink ran chers will not allow strange dogs near their mink Strange dogs may aha lrightcn mink However Mr Swanseas mink are quite familiar with his fri ondly dog Suzie Suzie follows us all the time we are feeding the ank laughs Evert Ruth crs She likes to get bandouts of mink food If we dont not ice her she nudges our hands to remind us shes real good dog around the ranch If mink escapes she will hunt it down for us Out of the 5600 mink had last year only three escaped says Mr Swen son According to Evert baby mink or kits as they called are born early in Mays The number in each litter may range from one to ten although four is average These youngcat ravenously until about the third week in Novemberwhen they are full grown and ready to be kil led nnd sklnned After they have reached this age it wouldnt matter it you kept them three years they wouldnt grow any bigger asserts Ev art The skins are scraped clean of fat and stretched on boards to dry The dried skins are then packed up and sent to New York as cured pelts It takes skill to prepare high grade pelts REMOVE SKINS Some operators simply to move the skins and freeze them so that they can cure them at their leisure later in the winter Mr chnson preters to cure them as soon as they are token fmm the mink in peculiar contrast to other form animals which are turned outside for the summer months and brought back in indoors where It is warm for the win ter mink must be taken in doors ioto long comparatively cool shed for the hot summer months and taken outside for the winter months Like the polar bear colds wise mink are extremely hardy creatures But come sumnacr if they are not kept in cool shady place they suffer un pleasant effects from the heat Mink are naturally at homc in winter weather remarks Evert when the first heavy snow falls into their outdoor cages they just go crazy with excitement running over it and burrowing under just like kids do in the first snowfall of the year All they need is reg ular supply of food and water and warm nest box filled with clean straw Even though the mink dont drink much water through the winter wefill all the drinking FEHTILIZEH Our feeds are great stutf for your livestock llhaso balanced blend ednations have appet ite appeal are scientifically compoun ded to assure healthy growth and greater gain per feed dollar Whats more the pro dismmaheaeegreatstwfifforyonl BARRIE Cummin Feed NE 51 ARY FEED cups every day comments Stewart Cave formerly of Cook stown But in the summer they get pretty thirsty and real ly go to town drinking Stewart goes on to say that he finds working with mink iIQ rather agreeable While it Is steady work and in busy sen sons little evertime work must be done none of the work is very heavy The lane leading otf the Camp Borden Alllston Highway to THE BARBIE EXAMINER FRIDAY MARCH his house and buildings is most unusual and delighttul in that it twists and winds in way nearly quarter of mile 1981 through bush the trees 11 which grow right up the edge of the road The buildings an located in pleasant hollow but many are sleeping Le Reeves Craftsmen help you to awaken them To new Springtime beauty by suggesting new and exciting designs April is an opportune time when our workshops are particularly well equipped to perform this ser vice number of stock ring mountings available at sub stantial reductions of both Jewellery and Repair De partmenis VES Sin 4mm matmew Mill BALANCED FEEDING IEWELLERS LTD DIAMOND MERCHANTS ca 1890 PA 83745 06 mos PLAN YOUR FEEDING PROGRAM NOW WITH ONE OF THE SHURGAIN DEALERS IN YOUR AREA aaAtrranaEcEAoitt combbed BALANCED FEEDING HEADQUARTERS HEADQUARTERS BRADFORD Bradford Feed Mill DENle PR 53411 Ira Wilson 4584272