The Delta independent., 1893-10-11
CURIOUS FARMS.
Places Whcro Wild Animals Are
Reared for Profit.
Snakes, Skuniss and Buflnloes as IL Source
of Incomc-Somethins About the
Dog Farms Of Northern
Europe.

{ SlIunks are bred on farms in Penn
sylvania, New York and Connecticut
The skin and oil of 4 full grown skunk
will net the owner at least $3.50. The
skin goes TO the furricr. and the oil is
deemed by many q 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 ''the deacon" SO
long that few know his real name. And
why "dcaCon?" because he is the
most artistic user of cXpletivcs seen
since the days of army mule trains.
His favoritc books are the Bible and
Milton, and the lofty denunciations
therein contained furnish the basis of
his sulphurous vocabulary. Yet rome
is more tender hearted and charitable
than he. Il the Orange mountains OF
NewJcrsey and along the various rocky
hills OF Pennsylvania the rattlcsnalie
is treated as 4 scource of income rather
than q deadly reptile. RattlesnaiSc oil
is accounted good for rheumatic"
The farmers of Colorado and Idah6
who have of late begun the rearing of
rabbits, will hardly gain or merit the
thanks of their neighbors. The fur
has market value and canned rabbit
is not to be dcspised by g hungry trav-
elcr, but, owing to certain extra en-
dowmerts of nature, bunny breeds SO
fast-having a litter of five ut least
once Elonth-as to become q pest
equal in dcstructiveness to the grass
hopper. At least this has been the ex-
periercc of Australia and New Zea-
land, to which countries rabbits were
taken by settlers from England. In
the last decade New Zealand has ex-
ported 100, Geo, 600 skins, aad during the
same period Fictoria's export has been
S0,000,001. For these over $50, 600 has
been received, 4 large sum, yet scarcely
enough to pay for the poison and pow
der needed to keep the rodents from
dcvouricg the land. 1t is to be hoped
that the western experiment in this
line may not get beyond control.
Far different and quite praiseworthy
is the attempt to preserve and perpetu-
ate the American bison. Buffalo
Jones of Kansas, the pioneer of this
business, says only two herds of wild
buffaloes now exist and both number
but twenty head. The millions that
once made the prairics shake with
their tremendous tread nrc no more.
They were wiped out" between 1871
and 1875: when the railroads advanced
the Indians retrcated and the pot
hunter could massacre without SUBJ
jccting himself to danger or giving his
noble prey chance for existence. At
least one thousand buffaloes now live
in cafe captivity, and, bred with the
domestic COW, u race of valuable hy-
brids has been produced. Dog farms
there are, but they are devoted to the
rearing OF lighting, sporting, or fancy
breeds. These bring high prices, and
the farmers, once they get Z regular
line Of customers, arc sure to do well.
But the worlds great dog farms are in
Manchuria. There dogs are raised for
their skins, which are sold to traders
from northern Europe. A Manchurian
who owns one thousand CANNES is
thought to be fairly prosperous. If
pup is designed for food he must be
strangled to death, and the eaters may
not approach the temple of their gods
for three days thereafter. Deer are
preserved and fancy pigeons are bred
by the wealthy, ana in North Carolina
on the Tar river, not far from Green
vile, there is a lccch farm.