The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1897-02-04
ABOUTCATS ANDRATS
A TALE FROM IOWA, WHICH is TO
HAVE A CAT FARM.


Both-A Project Whose End Is Catskins.
A cat factory is the latest Iowa
scheme. Every little while strange ru-
mors come out of the west, but of all
the wild border it's Iowa sends the best
The Sun has had its eye on Iowa for a
long time. Even with half all eye Cne
could see that strange things were hap
pening ont there. In fact, four of these
strange things happened along this way:
When New York saw the four Cherrys,
it decided that there were stranger
things in heaven and earth and Iowa
than were dreamed Of in its philosophy.
The cat factory scheme goes to confirm
this belief.
Clinton, according to report, is to be
the home Of the projected factory. The
idea has not been entirely carried out,
but ii is ripe for execution, and the
magnificent schemes of Colonel Sellers
pale into insigniticance beside the pos
sibilities Of this prairie project.
Clinton is beautiful town in the ex-
treme eastern portion of the state. AS
far as can be learned, it has never borne
i'll will or malice against anybody, con-
sequently the cat factory cannot be Of
the nature of a revenge The Clinton
people do not understand it. They have
given bonuses to packing houses and
bonuses to wagon factories and build
ing site to the cracker man, who said
he'd let the poor have all his broken
crackers. But they never gave even en-
couragement to the cat factory.
The cat factory didn't ask for encour-
agement. All it wanted was a chance,
and two enterprising men from Kansas
have promised that. The simplicity Of
their scheme is in itself stroke Of
genius. Here are the details:
In the first place, they are to have q
number Of acres on the outskirts of the
town. This farm, if yOu choose to call
it that, is to be stocked with 1000 as
sorted cats. a separate portion of the
place Will be occupied by 5000 rats.
The 5000 rats are to be fed gradually
to the 600 cats. Meantime both cats
and rats will increase in numbers de-
spite the fact that the cats are eating the
rats 1t is estimated that the number Of
cats will increase to l5, 600 during the
first year and 10 225, coo during the sec
ond year.
OF course, if the rats increased no
faster than the cats, the cats would soon
eat up all the rats, and there would be
trouble. But they don't give way 10
these little difficulties out in Iowa. The
cats are TO be raised for the skins, which
are worth 81 each in the market. When
the cats are killed for their skins, their
bodies are fed to the rats, which will
fatten on their adversaries' bones. Thus
fattened, they themselves will become
more toothsome and nOurishing for the
cats, when it is the turn of the rats tC
be eaten.
The beauty Of this plan must be Gp.
parent. What are cats today become rats
tomorrow, and what are rats tomorrow
become cats next day, and so on round
the circle Of rats and cats until dooms-
day-Or the time when the Clinton peO-
pie shall turn out and eXterminate the
whole institution.
But this isn't all The cats become
rats and the rats become cats, as before
explained. Also, the cats become more
cats and the rats become more rats with
persistent rapidity which makes one S
brain reel. If the 1000 cats became
22j, 900 III two years, the question is,
how many rats will they have from q
beginning Of 5000, provided the rats
increase five times faster than the cats.
One must consider the fact, however,
that the cats will eat more rats than the
rats can eat cats. This is important.
Also, that many of the rats, having been
eaten by the cats, will therefore be in.
cOrporated in the cat population, and
will be assisting the cat total to the
detriment Of the rats. OF course, at the
same time, some Of the cats will have
been eaten by the rats, and must there.
fore be subtracted from the cat pro.
ducers and added to the rats.
Now, there is aDother problem. If the
cats ate nothing but rats, then the en-
tire 5, 600 rats would be eaten by the
1000 cats inside Of the first week, ant
the story would be done more quick iy
even than the famous tale Of Solomon
Grundy, which covered a period o.
seven days, not counting the obsequie
which must have occurred the mex
week. There must be a way out of this
Naturally enough. it is milky way. A
third section Of the farm will be devoted
TO cows. The COWS, it is to be hoped TO
the success Of the scheme, will Civ,
milk. Part Of this milk will be fed t,
the cats. The rest will be made int,
cheese for the rats. 1t is so easy to xii
two birds with one stone if you hav
the right kind Of birds and the righ
kind of stone.
Here, then, is the project complete
First, the farm, which is to be sur
rounded by 10 foot fence to proven
the escape Of the capitalized stock Of tn
company; second, the cows, which vii
furnish milk for the cats and cheese fo
the rats third and fourth. for they ar
lnseparable, or will be in the course {
year or two, the cats that are TO ca
the rats and the rats that are to eat tn
cats, the cats becoming rats and til
rats cats New York Sun.