The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-11-25
ODD OCCUPATIONS.
Some New and Remarkable Ways
of Making a Living.
Raising Cats for Their Fur on an
Island in Lake Michigan.

Occupations open to the thrifty in
dividuals OF both sexes have greatly
increased during the last two decades.
or even since the taking OF the last
decennial census in 1890.
The extraordinary progress OF science
during the time specified and the APP
plication of its principle to the prac-
tical problems of human life have not
only had the effect of greatly increas-
ing the capacity for production in the
trades already firmly established, but
have opened hundreds of queer side
alleys which lead direct to the avenues
of trade.
There are, of course, dozens of
these new and remarkable occupations
with which science docs not deal even
in the remotest sense. In this class
we find the rat catcher, tho skunk
farmer, the man who makes his living
by picking up lost things IN depots,
theatres, hotels, ETC., and returning
them to their owners with the expec-
tation of being rewarded; the clock
winder, the man who collects orange
and lemon peels, aud the Lake Mich
igan syndicate, which is now engaged
in raising black cats for their fur.
They are not raising these cats on
water. MS might be inferred from tho
title, but have leased nm island in the
great lake, which is now plentifuily
stocked with both sexes of screeching
felines.
There are still others in the nom
scientific category OF queer occupa-
tions, but it will only be necessary to
mention few. One is "rattlesnake
farmer, who lives in the Ozark noun
tains, and makes the product of his
''farm" bring money from three diff
ferent directions. The oil he disposes
of to druggists, who have regular Gus
toners that believe it to be pnnacea
for hundred different ills the skins
he sells to wculd-be cowboys, who use
them as hat bands, and the skeletons
are always ready sale, the purch as
ers being the curators of the natural
history departments of the different
college and society museums, The
man who wakes people up in the
morning, the old cork collectors. and
the dog catchers are wel-known char
acters in every large city.
The individual Is who gain lveli-
hood in pursuits that are strictly sci-
entific are equally as numerous as
those who follow the more humble
callings. In the list of occupations
that are strictly scientific is the manu-
facture of artificial eggs, artificial
coffee and artificial diamonds. Also
the industry of making buttons, combs,
penholders and other articles of
similar nature from blood collected at
the slaughter houses. The man who
makes billiard balls, buttons and rings
from potatoes which have been treated
to "A solution OF nitric and sulphuric
acids is also the proprietor of an Gin
dustry" wherein the fundamental prin-
ciples are strictly scientific.
But the quoerest of all is carried on
by two young Peunsylvanians, who are
making poison from honey bees. Ac-
cording to the accounts. they have two
different ways of collecting their crop
of venom. In the first the bees are
caught and held with their abdomens
in small glass tubes until the poison
sacs have been emptied. In the second
they are placed in a bottle on wire
netting aud enraged until tue tiny
drops OF venom fall into the alcohol
which fills the lower third of the bot
tie. This venom is said to be n SOW
ereign remedy for cancer, rheumatism,
snake bite, and hundred others OF
the more terrible ills of humanity. -
st. Louis Republic.