18 NOVEMBER 1922, Page 3

Another interesting point is that Colonel Chute, the manager of

the farm, hopes by Mendelian principles to remove all white from the fur of the skunks. The correspondent points out in effect that the skunk is a most labour-saving animal. It is invaluable in planta- tions, as it is wonderfully efficient at keeping down pests, and as it hibernates in the winter, the workers who might otherwise have been attending to the skunks are free to work in the plantations. But is it not true that the skunk hibernates only when the weather is extremely cold ? If so, the saving of labour might not be very apparent in a mild Devonshire winter. We hope that the farm will succeed, and we shall then look for a transference of some of the silver foxes from Northumberland to Devonshire.