The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-12
RAISING MEAL WORMS.
A Profitable Industry That Perhaps
Affords n Puzzle for Natura1fsts.
Denver Republican.


A worm farm is one Of the features in
store Z. z. Achert runs ct 12l5 Seventeenth
street. Mr.. Achert and his wife have been
in the worm-raising industry in Denver for
over twenty years. nevertheless no account
of their farm has yet appeared In state
agricultural reports This happened, per-
haps, because il is the only institution OF
its kind in the country. and was overlooked
on account Of its novelty.
The worms are chiefly bred to furnish food
for hooking birds, and about three hun
dred Denver people who own feathered MINI
les of this variety are regular costumers
Of the Achert farm All soft-5ilied birds.
the kind of worm the Acherts raise, but
there are not many Of these birds in Den
yer. 50 the Achert farm provides delicacies
almost solely and entirely for the mock
ing bird tribe.
Although Mr.. and Mrs Achert call their
worm plant farm, there Is very little OF
the agricultural about IL. Ii looks more
like chiffonier than a ranch. Standing in
the middle of the little shop is large
ers. Each drawer is filled to the brim with
a moving. living mass. On the top OF each
wriggling heap is heavy linen cloth, eaten
through here and there into holes; Out or
nearly every hole just now sticks the brown
head of wriggling meal worm
AS explained by Z. f. Achert, the process
of raising meal worms for the feed of soft
billed birds is quite a complicated business.
The history of the Denver farm is also in
teresting. To begin with, the Acherts came
to Denver twenty years ago, bringing with
d
country feed for the pets. was easily OBJ
tanned in the Touring mills. They ate
yellowish worm, which seems 10 generate
and breed in ground meal flour and bran.
After arriving in America the Acherts could
obtain none Of these worms. They did not
seem to grow here. and they had hard
time keeping their birds alive. ignorant as
they were OF what other food the hooking
birG would eat.
1t happened that after couple OF months
STAY in Denver Mrs. Achert was called back
10 Germany and before leaving she was In
structed by her husband 10 bring back some
meal worms for the pair o, mocking birds;
In FRANKFORT she purchaser a supply ana
these formed the nucleus Of the farm at l2l5
Seventeenth street
From the worms brought here by Mrs.
Achert numerous millions have since been
raised. The staple diet OF the beasts con-
s:sts OF beer, wcoIen blankets ana meal
bran. Over the bottom Of each drawer Is
scattered a mess of BRAN in which the meal
worm bug lays its eggs. Over the bran is
laid a section Of thick wooden blankets.
hs nscs meal az an nsn b1 e se
linen and the bottom OF the drawer an In
teresting process Of evolution is going on all
Where the revolutionary movement COM
mences 81 a question for abstruse. hair
splitting scientists. but in Achert's farm IL
began with the worms. After a lapse OF
about three months his yellow. one-inch
long worms grew hard shell of orownish
hue upon them and appeared TO be dead.
thew WED Out of the upper strata OF the
farm for the soft bran at the bottom OF
the drawer. and lay there apparently with
out the power OF motion. few weeks
an ugly black bug OF small Dimensions. and
possessed OF horns and feelers In plenty.
These swarmed IN the neal bran until they
nessed all over and laid eggs. As fast as
4 hug laid her due quantity OF eggs she
rolled over on her bsck and died II there
are male meal worm bugs the Acherts have
not become oognixant OF the fact; al their
During the Matching period. which lasts
about month. there b no evidences 81