The suburban citizen., 1902-12-20

&% the place. 1t is near the
village schoolhouse, and
-a1nn'HS everybody tells you it was
~111 put up by "Shoup, the fish
erman." 1t is not different from thou
sands of other iron fences in the coun-
try. but gold fish paid for it, for the
owner is what is called the biggest
gold fish farmer in the world.
People generally speak Of grain and
vegetables as being raised on farms,
but everybody in Waldron knows
Shoup's place as the FISH farm" That
is what he calls it. and it is the title by
which it is known all over the country,
for from it every year about 1OO,O0O
fish are scooped up in nets to be sent
by the canload and carload to swim
In all kinds of ponds, from the orna-
mental lake of the millionaire's S
grounds to the glass globe which stands
on the parlor table. 1t might have
ben called a hatchery, but the propri-
et.. simply drifted into the business be-
cause he thought it more profitable
than to raise pet stock, such as dogs
and cats. Originally he sowed and cul-
tivated like other farmers, but finally
decided that there was too much work
for the money, and with man named
Heck branched out into pet animals,
then TO pet fish.
The farm is in two parts, the larg-
est, twenty-ive-acre patch, being sit
uated on sloping piece of land &
few miles from Waldron. BY turning
up some furrows with dltching plow,
Hfty ponds have been made ranging all
the way from the little breeding ponds,
which are forty feet long and fifteen
feet wide, to sheets of water large
enough to give man plenty Of exer-
else in rowing. The ponds are fed
from springs, and as the grade is about
pne foot in ten the water flows through
with a rapid current, and even in
summer is almost as cold as ice. This
is a good thing for the gold fish, as
they become harder and healthier in
cold water than when the tempo ,ature
Is higher.
1t cost the owners of the farm almost
as much to stock it as if they had
gone into raising fancy cattle, for the
gold fish they imported for breeding
were the finest specimens raised in
China and Japan, including the aristo-
cratic telescope fish, which is the king
Of the species. Many of the breeders
which they secured of this variety
rost over 500 each. In addition to the
telescope they also raise what is called
the comet named on account of the
rapid motion and the fan-tails. The
telescope has very large eyes, which
stand out from It's head in. sockets
like telescope cases and is Of reddish
gold tint, which is considered a per-
feet color by fish breeders. The other
species are especially noted for their
tails. The comet has a tail which is
about as long as its body and as deli
cate as lace, while the fan-talls are
really bunch of two or three tails
fastened TO the body Of the fish which
can shut and open like a fan. SO many
cans full of these special varieties were
brought from the Celestial hatcheries
that the importers spent over $4,000
for many of them died on the way and
others had to be ordered in t, ,eir place.
There is plenty of work about the
farm for the score of hands employed
from morning till night, and the shot
gun is as useful as the spade or hoe,
for the ponds must be constantly
watched to prevent the birds from
harvesting the crop. Scarecrows are
of no use on this kind Of farm, and
us one of the owners puts it, "When
man asks us for a job we ask him
how straight he can shoot, for the
man behind the gun is as necessary as
he is in establishing n new republic.
We keep the air pretty well rlddled
with bird shot, but still we can't make
1t unhealthy enough to keep the snipe,
the kingfsher and their brothers and
sisters from getting away with tens Of
thousands of fish every year" 1t is a
fact that the man behind the gun Is
busy almost from sunrise to sunset,
and a constant fusillade is going on,
for this is one of the best shooting
grounds in the United States. The
birds are so bold that they are con-
stantly lowering over the ponds in
locl1s waiting for their chance to dart
down for dinner, and many of them
are shot within sixty or seventy-hve
feet of the gunner The tool sheds and
house containing the storage vats have
loaded shotguns where they can be
picked up in a moment, and the farm
is provided with regular arsenal of
these weapons.
But the birds form only one enemy.
The banks of the ponds are patrolled
daily by hands with spade and shovel
to fill up the holes made by the craw-
dsh and muskrat. Sometimes in n
single night a dozen or more rats will
bore into the earth to such an extent
that the ponds would be drained In a
few hours if they were not watched.
In addition to the course Of birds
which is frequently served at dinner,
a dish Of muskrat IS sometimes added,
as traps are set all around the ponds
for them. Millions Of eggs as well as
young fish yearly are stung to death