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Show SOME STRANGE FARMS I 3 . People Surely Have Unusual Means of-Money Making in United States. Turkey has its mosques; Russia has its Cossacks Cos-sacks ; Germany has Its U-boats, and Mexico has its fleas; but the United States has the queerest farms in the world. At Pasadena, Cal., Edwin Cawston operates what is perhaps the largest ostrich farm In the world. . Of course, it isn't everyone who would care to keep ostriches. But Mr. Cawston doesn't mind it a bit, for he controls a great part of the ostrich-plume supply of the world. If you have ever purchased an ostrich plume of the first grade you may have a faint inkling as to how much money can be made from an ostrich farm, if you know how. Once Pennsylvanians got the fever and started an ostrich farm up near Sunbury, but the poor, unoffending birds refused 'to become ac-'climated; ac-'climated; said they were not snowbirds, or something some-thing to that effect. Be that as it may, Cawston's ostrich farm remains today the greatest in the world. At Victoria, in Mexico, there is a parrot ranch. And some distance beyond Los Angeles, Cal., there is an immense pigeon farm. There one will find nearly 15,000 pigeons. And almost everybody knows that there is money in pigeons; indeed, where is the schoolboy who hasn't kept a few at one time or another? Also, in Colorado there is a bear farm. And somewhere up In Canada is a man who is making money by rearing wolves; the skins bring handsome prices. At Hot Springs, Ark., H. J. Campbell has an alligator farm, which is but another of the American Amer-ican queerest farms in the world. But down in Florida, where the alligator grows, the farmers used to shoot the whole blooming family. It is said that between 1890 and 1900 more than 3,000,-000 3,000,-000 saurians were killed. Of course, perhaps there was ample reason for this wholesale butchery. butch-ery. The alligators seemed to take great delight in depleting the fanners' herds of cattle. Even the docile cow was not immune. , Naturally, making mak-ing away 'with the alligators in wholesale lots caused a shortage in alligator skin, and the leather leath-er manufacturers felt the pinch. Alligator farms were the result. And Mr. Campbell goes Dame Nature oue betterhe bet-terhe hatches 'em out in incubators. After they get beyond the stage where they look like woolly worms with iron-clad backs, the alligators are allowed to shoot the chutes, play tag and otherwise make the most of life. But eventually eventually the sword of not Damocles but Camp-bell Camp-bell falls. Later, the pride of the family receives as a graduation gift a lovely alligatorskin grip or suitcase, and he and the baggage-smashers, all unmindful of the shattered romance and the pitiful piti-ful tragedy back of the advent of the grip or suitcase, treat it shamefully. That's life for you. In Texas the farmer Is breeding buffaloes and crossing them with cattle. In Oregon they are raising Chinese pheasants, but the story of how the ostrich was first introduced to America Is one that must be told. In 1882 an unknown soldier of fortune filled the hold of a steamer bound for New York with more than 100 ostriches. Now, these gigantic birds weigh as much as 200 and 300 pounds, even more. They are accustomed to sunlight, the open range and, above all, fresh air. But here they were, packed In badly ventilated pens in the smelly hold of a tramp steamer. The pitching and tossing of the steamer also was responsible for the death of many of the birds. At any rate, but a mere handful of the original shipment arrived in New York. Later they were shipped to San Francisco, and still later to Anaheim, In Lower California. Terrapin farming is one of the newer industries. indus-tries. Down on the Isle of Hope, Georgia, is one of the greatest of all terrapin farms. And the United States bureau of fisheries has been studying study-ing the diamond-back terrapin for the last eight years down at Beaufort, N. C. There terrapin have been in the pounds for more than six years, and the young have long ago reached the age where they can take care of themselves. William Hagan has an immense fur plant down along the shores of the Delaware he raises musk-rats, musk-rats, and makes money at it. During the season of 1914-15 Mr. Hagan realized more than $2,000 clear profit on his immense farm, which extends over an acre of 614 acres. But muskrat farming is a very strenuous business. In the first place, the farmer must wait until fall before the real "farming" "farm-ing" takes place. It is then that the skins are at their best. The animals are caught the greater part of them by means of stake traps; that is, traps attached to stakes. The stakes also serve as a guide. Then, too, the trappers take with them a needle-pointed rapier, used to spear any stray rat which may attempt to fleet at the first warning of danger to him or his. And those hip-booted hip-booted trappers can spear a rat with all the deftness deft-ness of a William Tell shoottng an apple. If you have never seen a muskrat farm, drop down to Mr. Hagan's place you'll be surprised to see how an "underwater" farm Is managed, and you'll hardly be able to believe there are so many muskrats in the world. Some days he averages more than 150, and he has come very near to the 200 mark. Yes, there's lots of money in muskrat farming; but unless you've got the constitution of an Alpine chasseur, don't attempt It. Joseph Matlack of Moorestown, N. J., owns what is perhaps the largest guinea-pig farm In the world. This much is uncontradictable. He raises more of' them than any grower in America, and makes money where others fail. Now, that's something some-thing to be proud of. Any man can be a farmer; but to be a successful farmer well, that's something some-thing different. Of course, there are other guinea-pig guinea-pig farms which enrich their owners lots nnd lots of them. But in the gulnon-pig world Mr. Mat-lack Mat-lack is king. Philadelphia North American. |
