The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-11-26
CAVY CULTURE.
A Curious Business
Conducted BY
Mrs. Poyer.
A NEW HOUSEHOLD PET.
Evolved From the Guinea
Pig, 1t Is Very
Beautiful.
A NEW HOUSEHOLD PET.


the cavy, as household pet, was prac-
tically unknown in America, although
in England the little creature had al
ready arrived at the dignity of being
a distinct fancy amongst lovers of pets.
Always devoted to animals, Mrs. Edith
Kingman Poyer of Woodstock, Ill, in
1897, imported few varieties of these
little novelties to put alongside some
finely bred rabbits and other small
things which she kept principally for
pleasure and incidentally for profit.
Observing their entire winsomeness
and adaptlbility as household pets, Mrs.
Power conceived the idea of importing
and propagating them on large SCALE
and forthwith set about building
hutch for the purpose, with the result
that today she has the largest caVlary
and rabbitry in the world. with TWO
hundred and seventy breeding cages
and room for 1000 head of pet STOCK
and average of over a thousand caves
are under this one roof. A nun
bred loaves of bread are ordered at a
time from Chicago for their daily meal
of bread and milk; and carrots, oats,
and hay are bought by tons. EVERY
week registers large sales, ranging III
price all the way from $50 for pecu-
1iarly high bred rabbit or cavy, to the
more common varieties at So a pair. Re-
Gently Mrs. Poyer has added pet rats
and mice to her stock and has thereby
laid herself omen to the soft impeach-
ment of being the only woman known
to history who instead of running ana
screaming or. mounting chair at the
approach of mistress mousse, lures II
onward, picks it up tenderly IN her
hand. and affectionately caresses IT,
Al a recent exhibition of pet stock IN
chicago Mrs. Poyer had the distinction
of winning no less than forty-slX prizes
for various thoroughbreds.
One of the very interesting facts OF
Mrs. Powers experience in this new in
dustry is that hard-headed business
men are among the most numerous
buyers of fancy pets, their argument
being that after an arduous day in the
office nothing is more soothing than
to go home at night to some soft cud-
ding dumb thing that Graves their at
tention and diverts their minds from
business. Mice are in frequent demand
where the space is limited, as they are
unusually intelligent, bright and anus
ing and require such a speck of home
and so little care Partly as an out
growth of Mrs. Poyers fancy stock,
movement is on foot to establish
mouse club, made up of members from
all over the country interested in the
breeding and raising of aristocratic
mice.
The cavy is really an evolution from
the guinea pig, though the latter nick
name possesses even less fitness than
beauty. 1t is a native of South Ameri-
ca, where it was a great favorite with
the natives, who called it couy, and
from this comes the anglicized "cavy."
Several years ago a famous English
fancier brought the first specimen into
England, and by clever breeding has
succeeded in producing some very re-
markable varieties. There are four
distinct, recognized species of CAVES
the English, Peruvian, Abyssnian and
Angora. The English, or short haired
variety, is the more common, and is
indeed the original stock from which
the others were derived
The long, silken-haired Peruv1ans are
the especial pets of women and chill
dren, and quite deservedly so, as they
are really Of remarkable beauty. Their
long, fine, glossy hair falls in a nat
ural bang over the forehead and nose,
developing into a thick name on each
side of the head and trailing upon the
ground in the rear, making them Sym
like so many animated silken balls of
varying colors. They are found in
black, white, French red, tortoise shell
English solid black and English solid
red; the pure white, with delicate pink
eyes and pink claws, being perhaps the
most attractive Their hair is gem
orally from four to six inches long al
though Mrs Poyer possesses one
charming specimen with locks over
eight inches long, white as snow and
fine as spun silk
The Angora is quite different from
the Peruvian, having no bang or name
but being very attractive in its long
coat of straight hair that reaches to the
ground.
The Abyssinians although hardly as
pretty as their long haired sisters are
curiously interesting with their rough
wiry hair growing in a series of perfect
iy-Iormed rosettes in white, red, and
broken colors
AS pets for children, CAVES are really
without rival, says the Cleveland 70 !
Leader. They are always gentle, and
When accustomed to their SURROUNDINGS
their frisky antics and ever-reatlv an
petite especially endearing them to the
little ones. When first born thew are
mere tiny balls of fluffy down. which
a little child can hold in one hand: thew
are, however, wonderfully mature from
~ - OPCllAllS their eyes at once
upon the big world, and before they are
an hour old jumping about in the most
lively manner, and nibbling bread and
milk, grass, oats, and carrots along
with their elders. They love to be pet
ted as much as pussy herself, and man
ifest their pleasure in much the same
way; the purr of the former being mod
ihed by them into a kind of whirr or
chuckle. They also frequently indulge in
a musical twitter, which reminds one of
a nest full of singing birds.
A great point in their favor is that
they are easily cared for at very little
cost and are extremely hardy. Mrs
Foyer tells the story of valuable black
fellow which, having been, sent to an
exhibition Of pet stock was overlooked
and slowed away in the basement. with
no other food than a little dry hay pro-
vided for his bed. Here he was left for
ten days before being discovered. OF
course the poor little thing had eaten
up his bed and was greatly reduced in
flesh. He, however seemed in good
spirits, and upon being given a good
square meal was very soon himself
again, frisking about with all his sor-
rows forgotten. This treatment is not
to be recommended. but serves to show
his extreme hardness. AS a mere mat
ter of pleasure he likes to spend most
Of his waking hours nibbling away at
somethi1g-hay grass, carrots, oats, or
even W aste from the kitchen.
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