St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-04-26
AN POSSU FARM.
a Georgia Mans Interesting and Profit
able Venture.

a 0eorGho MANS interesting and 'FRONT.'.
able Venture.
Only those who have tasted the deli
:ious meat Of the opossum can have any
idea of its rare sweetness and delicacy
OF flavor. White as the breast of q
chicken, and tender as q sweet-bread,
1t fairly melts in the mouth.
A farmer, on the outskirts of our
town. finds yearly, in the hollow trees
OF the wood near which he lives, fami.
lies OF opossums, from whose home cir
cles he abstracts young mes Of suitable
age and confines them for ~fattening.
His annual gift of a fine possum for din
ner is looked forward to with infinite
relish and delight. 1t is only since last
year, however, that possum raising has
been classed among the industries of
our country.
In the town of Griffin, Ca. Mr..
Throckmorton has surrounded ten acres
of good land with a high board fence,
and calls the inlosure 1.-The Lime Creek
Possum Farm" A stream Of watcrruns
through it's center. and it is thickly
shaded with persimmon trees. uinter-
spersed with old hollow trunks and logs,
planted in the ground. Seven OF eight
hundred possums, with their families,
live in this grove.
They are fond of mapping, and when
the desire to sleep comes, the possum
climbs the most tempting tree near.
walks out on one of the branches, and
wrapping its tail one and a half times
around the limb of the tree, swings into
space. The legs and feet are drawn
close in to the body, with head we'll up
between the shoulders, forming a soft
ball. resembling a pear covered with
white fur. On approaching the per-
simmon grove. in the afternoon. when
they are taking their sic sta, the APP
pearance is described as resembling an
orchard, with strange whitish fruit de-
pending from the boughs.
As the sleepiness Of midday passes
over and sunset draws near, one sees
with amused wonder four or five little
'possums. perhaps. emerge from the
marsupial pocket of one and another
mother and run up on the limbs above
to frolic. Soon the ~half-wakened moth
ers rouse. and, stretching out both head
and feet, swing backward and forward
W. or three times, when. grabbing their
tails with their fore paws, each one
climbs on to the limb with the young
ones, intelligently untwisting her tail
and pulling herself into place. She
balances herself nicely, until the clever
little 'possums have finished their play
and climb into her pocket and hide
themselves in their haven Of rest.
When she climbs down the tree they are
entirely hidden from sight.
BY the time the seven or eight hum
dred have awakened and descended. the
ground becomes SO covered n can
scarcely get a glimpse Of it between
them. Immed lately each one hastens
to the creek, and after drinking thirsti-
ly, turns eagerly to the pen where they
are to be fed. OF course. they are of all
sizes. some weighing thirty pounds, and
some scarcely a pound.
When hungry they utter a strange
cry. Seven or eight hundred grooming
this petition for food at one time makes
the sound rise into a wild, weird wall.
They are fed with the refuse of the ia
BILE, garbage meat and bones. which
they gather up eagerly, and then climb
~contentcdly to their resting places in
the hollow trees and logs. In the per-
simmon season they are moi fed. as they
become fat and well-liking on the fruit
of the persimmon trees-M. Lansing,
in Once n Week.