Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1893-07-17
CURIOUS FARMS.
Places Where Wild Animals Are
Reared for Profit.
Snakes, skunks and BuGaloes rs y Source
OF misunderstanding About tho
Dog Farms OF Northern
Europe.

SkunkS arc bred on farms in Penn
sylvania, New York and Connecticut.
The skin and oil of a full grown skunk
will net the owner ut least $3.50. Tho
skin goes to the furrier, and tho oil is
deemed by many sovereign remedy
for coughs, colds, consumption, and SO
forth. According to the New York Sun
the most successful skunk farmer in
the country lives at Hamburg, Conn.
He has been called 1.-The deacon" SO
long that few know his real name. And
why "dcacon?" Because he is tho
most artistic user of explosives seen
since tho days of army mulc trains.
His favoritc books arc the Bible ard
Milton. and the lofty dcnuncia lions
therein contained furnish the basis of
his sulphurou3 vocabulary. Yet none
is moro tender hearted and charitable
than he. In the Orange mountains OF
NcWJ crsey and along the various rocky
hills OF Pennsylvania the r2ttlc5nallc
is trc:itcd asa scourcc OF income rather
than q deadly reptile. Rattlcsla1lc oil
is accounted good for rheumatic"
The farmers of Colorado and Idaho,
who have OF late begun the rearing Of
rabbits, will hardly gain or merit the
thanks OF their nciGhbora. The fur
hes market value and cGnncd rabbit
is not to be deSpiscl by g hungry tray
clcr, but, owing TO certain extra ca
dowmeDts of nature. bunny breeds so
fast-hnving q litter OF five ct least
once = month--aG to become q pest
equal in dc3tructivcnc35 ID the Gra3S-
hopper. At least this has been tic cZ-
pcr4crcc OF Australia AID New Zea-
land, to which countricS rabbits were
taken by settlers iron highland. In
the last decade New Zealand has OK
ported 100, GOO, 900 skins, and during the
sar1Ic period Victoria s. export has been
$4,000, 900. For these over $4,000 has
Iccn received, large Sun, yet scarcely
enough to pay for the potion and pow
Ger needed 10 l:ccp the rodents from
dc"curinG tho land. 1t Is to be hoped
that the western experiment in this
line nay not Get beyond control.
Far different Gcd quite prai3cworti1y
is Tie attempt to preserve and porpctu-
etc tic American bison. ''Eu1iG!o"
Jones of Kansas, the pioneer OF this
business, says only two herds Of wild
Duffalocs now exist and both number
but twenty head. The millions that
once Iaadc the prairic3 shake with
their tremendous tread ore no moro.
They were wiped out" between 1871
and 1875: when the railroads advanced
the Indians rctrcaSal and the pot
hunter could TnaG3acrc without sub
jccting himself to danger or giving his
noble prey q chance for c-ii3tcncc. At
least ono thousand buff2loc3 now live
in safe captivity, and, bred with the
domestic cow, q race Of valuable ny
Grid3 has been produced. Dog farms
there arc, but they arc devoted to thc
rearing Of fighting, sporting, or fancy
breeds. These bring high prices, and
TIC farmers, once they Get g regular
line Of customers, arc sure to do well.
Eu% the worlds great dog farms arc in
Maachuriu. There dogs ore raised fer
G2cjr skins, which arc sold to traders
from northern Europe. A Eanchuriau
who owns one thousand CANNES is
Thought to bc fairly prosperous. II q
pup is designed for food he must be
| straE %lcd to death, and the caters 1noy
not approach the tornplc of their gods
for three days thereafter. Deer are
| preserved and fancy pigeons arc bred
by tho wealthy, and in North Carolina
! on the Tar river, not far from Green
| vile, there is lccch farm.