Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-26
A CURIOUS CROP
A Farm in Kentucky Where Pole
cats Are Raised.
SINGULAR But LIffLEKNOWN ANIMALS
They Are las PIayfuIas Kittens When
in Good Humor.
T Fl Err ONLY APON
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.


WINCHESTER, Ky, October 10, 1896
Poets and orators have devoted much of
tLeir finest language to the bravery de-
veloped in facing the ?ngry muzzles of
bristling cannon, of meeting foemen with
cleshing steel, of standing firm before the
coming of dreadful epidemics, and all that
sort of thing, but they don't know what
Inspiration is until they let their language
loose on the bravery Of mingling with a
hundred and fifty sk,lnks loaded and ready
Tor business at moments notice.
Last Sunday afternoon 1 went four miles
from this town down the Muddy Creek pike
to see George Billiards. polecat plant or
skunk farm or whatever else it may be
caleld, and I enjoyed the experience very
much-after 1t was over and I was at
safe distance again. Here, on the slope of
a hillside, Mr.. Ballard has an Enclosure of
about three-quarters of an acre, fenced in
with wire net fence five feet HIGH and
within 1t he has probably one hundred and
hfty skuEks of various ages and sizes, and
prettier and hvelier sight than this colo
ny having fun with itself on sunny after
noon would be hard to find.
1 took camera along to get a snap shot
or two, and when George in his genuine
Kentucky hospitality. opened the gate of
the Enclosure and invited me to walk in
among his collection. confess to a feeling
ther away the better. A man can't show
the white feather, however, in any sort of
an emergency, and retain the proper re-
spect of a Kentuckian. and I would have
gone into that pen If every skunk there
had declared war and trained his arma-
meEt on me-
Dozens Of the pretty little black-and-
white-striped fellows came up to the net
ting to meet Us. and as they showed such
friendliness and curiosity standing up on
their hind legs and shifting the air after the
manner of prairie dogs, and winking and
blinking as much as to say they weren't
half as bad as they had been represented
to be, overcame my conscientious scru-
pies about going into such places on Sun
day, and boldly passed in among them.
They scampered away when we went in.
with little squeals like young pigs, and
lodged into their holes under the rocks
and into the boxes made for them, but in
minute or two their curiosity was too much
for them. and they came out again and
trooped around the pen in q long string like
a striped serpent.
Powerful When Aroused.
Every now and then a scrap would oc-
cur, there would be squeal or two and
big one would toss a smaller one over his
back and down the hill. and the procession
would move on. AS a rule. they are as
playful as kittens, show very little fear Of
man, and their habits are extremely
with all the world and the rest of Ken
lucky. When they are not at peace, then
well, language is utterly inadequate to
express what they are. 1t is one of the
things that must be smelled to be appre-
ciated. Fortunately. was not called on
to appreciate it.
This farm was established-it Is yet only
In an experimental stage-in April of last
year by Mr.. Ballard. Mr.. Mockabee and
others, who had been reading up in the
newspapers on skunk farming and the pos
sible profits in the business, and the first
thing they did was to select site and dig
trench down to bedrock, on which to lay
stone foundation. 1t was necessary to
go down to the rock, for a skunk can, and
will, dig mile underground if it should
occur to him that there is any necessity.
The foundation being firmly fixed, wire
netting fence. with a wide plank on top Of
1t, so the inmates could not reach up over
its edge and climb out. was run around 1t;
piles of stones and logs were placed around
at intervals, with number of boxes or
coops, and the plant was ready for BUSH
ness. The next thing was to get a skunk
or two, and as soon as the colored brother
learned that he could get fifty cents for
good, healthy mephitis mephitica that
want was supplied and business began.
The majority Of the animals owned by
Mr.. Ballard have been captured, and there
is an art in this work, as well as in other
dealings with a skunk AS they must be
in good condition. it is not possible to