Silver Foxes were like "common stock to" my Father

Somewhere around 1920 to 30 + many ranchers in the Western United States raised Silver Foxes and made money selling them for their fur. Some years the prices were higher than others and the market had its ups and downs. On my grandfathers farm were Fox Pens where these animals were raised and sold over several years. My father had the assignment over several years to feed these foxes daily and to care for the needs of the animals in their pens. It involved carrying food to the pens each day and working out the water needs. This was a project to raise funds and was viewed in later years by my father as a hard lesson in speculation. He remembered a a few specific years very well. He told me that the price of the foxes and the cost of the food resulted in a loss not even counting the cost of "time". It was largely, at least for the years he remembered, his time. The issue was that the price of the fur went up and down and was really responding to speculation by investors.

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Probably my fathers Silver Fox experience lead in part to a rather conservative approach to savings and investments on his part over the rest of his life. I recall that he really never owned any "common stock" and stock for him was just too much subject to the influence of speculators and a market that moved up and down. The only exception to his never owning stock was some company stock at his employer but interest bearing investments were his focus.

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Remembering his commitment to interest bearing investments took me many years to appreciate. How glad I am that I was finally influenced.