The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-07-04
CURIOUS FARMS.
Places Where Wild Animals Arc
Reared for Profit.
Snakes. Siunks and BufTaloes as IL source
OF Income-Sometiing About the
Dog Farms OF Northern
Europe.

! CSl1unlts are bred on farms in Penn
1 sylvania, New York and Connecticut.
! The skin and oil OF a full grown skunk
, will net the owner at least 81. 80. The
skin goes to the furrier. and the oil is
deemed by many a 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 deacon" Because he is the
most artistic user of explosives seen
since the days of army mule trains.
His favOrite books are the Bible and
Milton;- and the lofty denunciations
therein contained furnish the basis of
his sulphurous vocabulary. Yet none
is more tender hearted and charitable
than he. In the Orange mountains of
NevJersey and along the various rocky
hills of Pennsylvania the rattiesnake
Is treated as scource OF income rather
than deadly reptile. Rattlesnake oil
is accounted good for rheumatic"
The farmers of Colorado and Idaho,
who have of late begun the rearing of
RABBITS, viii hardly gain or merit the
thanks of their neighborS. The fur
has market value and canned rabbit
is not to be despised by hungry trav-
eler. but, owing TO certain extra en-
dOwments of nature, bunny breeds so
fast-having a litter of five at least
once a month-as to become a pest
eo1raI IN dasfy,1c-i -apase 10 tho crr-, &C.
hopper At least this has been the ex-
perience of Australia and New Yea
land, to which countries rabbits were
taken by settlers from England In
the last decade New Zealand has ex-
ported 100, coo, 900 skins. and during the
same period yictoria's export has been
30, 600 CO., For these over so, 900 has
been received. large sum. yet scarcely
enough to pay for the poison and pow
der needed 70 keep the rodents from
devouring 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 tina: !
once made the prairies snake with |
their tremendous tread are no more. /
They were wiped out" between 1871 |
and 1875; when the railroads advanced I
the Indians rctrcated and the pot /
hunter could massacre without sub /
Jecting himself 70 danger or giving his !
noble prey a chance for existence. At /
least one thousand buffaloes now live |
IN safe captivity, and, bred with the /
domestic cow, a race Of valuable hy- |
birds has been produced Dog farms
there are, but they are devoted 20 the
rearing OF fighting. sporting. or fancy
breeds. These bring high prices, and
the farmers. once they get regular
line II customers, are s.re 70 do well |
But the world great dog farms are ia
Manchuria- There dogs are raised for
their skins. which are sold 10 traders
sroIn northern Europe. Eanehuriau
Who owns one thousand CANNES Is
thought 20 be fairly prosperous. r "a
pup Is designed far food re must be
atra1cleo 20 death. and theeaters 5z.ay