The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1900-01-19
A RANK. FAILURE.
Such May BE Termed the NOn-Success
Of u Farmer who Tried to
Raise Skunks.

Regardless of the theoretical profits
in it, John 7. Friel, whose big farm is
near Sioux City, Ia, has quit raising
skunks. Even the distinction Of be-
ing the only skunk breeder in the
country could not keep him at it. The
trouble, the wear and tear on his OIL
factory nerves and those of the men,
bers of his family, the opprobrium of
his odoriferous farm, which practically
shut the family off from the world and
the smallness of his profits, put an end
to the business. Mr.. Friel is waiting
for winds that are strong enough to
blow the stencil away.
Three years ago Mr.. Friel read of
the untold profits there would be for
the man who had the hardihood to rear
skunks. He studied the subject lit
tie and found that the pelts were worth
50 to 60 cents, and the oil 10 cents an
ounce. The animals would require no
feeding, no attention, and would in
crease at an astonishing rate. Late in
the fall, when there was no farm work
to be done, he could kill off his skunks,
market the marketable portions, and
bury the rest deep in an out-of-the-way
corner of his broad acres and realize
a snug sum for Christmas presents.
theoretically, it would. be veritable
gold mine, but he has discovered that
the lode is of refractory ore.
After brooding on the novel scheme,
Mr.. Friel made up his mind to 60 about
the skunk breeding in systematic
way. He would have certain patch
of ground, far from the house, for the
use of the skunk tribe, and only go
there when it was time to begin the
slaughter. He trapped several of the
animals in the neighboring ravines,
paired them off and put them in the
''skunk garden" The fragrance which
blew in when the wind was southeast
caused Mrs. Friel to make remarks
which made it necessary for her hus-
band to reveal his new enterprise to
the Mortified woman.
That was the first Encouragement.
Then he soon had another. He discov-
cred that his black beauties refused
to stay in the territory allotted to
them. There were skunks all over the
farm. When he went out in the morn
ing he had to step high, not to tread
on one, for they grew as tame as kit
tens. His children could pick them up
as they did the old house cat and carry
them under their arms.
When the next fall Mr.. Friel started
to harvest his skunk pelts and skunk
oil, their presence on the farm had
become unbearable. He was surprised
to find that the majority of them had
built homes in the ravines and were
too cunning to be easily caught. Bu:
he killed the tame ones and began {,
crusade among the wild ones. With /.
dog for scout he was able to kill many
of them, but they still aired themselves
by night, and the dog had to be killed
to keep him out of the house.
He bought traps and spent weeks rid
ding his farm of the bonanza beasts.
Those he shot were worthless, for their
skins were perforated. One by one the
skunks were killed off during the win
ter. Sometimes he got three by whole
days chase. And in the spring, al
though Friel was ostensibly out of the
business, the remaining pests began to
propagate at the rate for which they
were celebrated. His farm was over
run again.
In the fall he went for the beasts.
again, and each succeeding winter has
put in all his spare time trying to undo
the indiscretion he had been guilty of.
He unwillingly harbored enough skunk
oil about his place to cure nation of
Group and colds and kindred ailments,
and grew pelts enough to supply all
the patients with handsome furs and
mnffs of "genuine imported monkey
skim" He says skunk raising is not
what it was ''cracked up to be."-Chi-
cago Inter Ocean.