28 SEPTEMBER 1929, Page 18

FUR FARMING IN ENGLAND

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—In the Spectator of September 7th- there appears a letter under the above heading, which I beg leave to answer. May I, in the first place, suggest to your correspondent that she is more likely to be given accurate information if she divulges the real object of her next visit to a fox farm, instead of wasting the farmer's time by asking cinestions in which she is not interested ?

I have been interested iriSilVer Fox Farming in this country for the last ten years, and we Wive had several inquiries from the R.S.P.C.A., and other people interested, as to the method employed in killing the foxes. On learning that all foxes are killed by chloroform all these inquirers have been completely satisfied. I do not believe that any fox farmer of repute in this country would employ any other method in killing his foxes, not only from motives of humanity, but also for eco- nomic reasons, and the Association would always advise that chloroform supplies the best means of killing foxes from every point of view.

Your correspondent's letter might lead the public to suppose that the only methods practised are cruel, but this is far from being the case.—I am, Sir, &c.,

1-3 Oxford Court, Cannon Street, B.C. 4.

[We are communicating with the Silver Fox Breeders' Association of Great Britain with a view to seeing if there is not some method by which their furs might be marketed as humanely killed. We shall return to this matter.—En. Spectator.]