Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-06-01
QUEEREsT OF FARMS.
Some in the United States That
 Raise Singular Crops.
AngIeworms, Goldfish and Other An- imaI and Vegetable Products That Are Not Commonly
 Husba nded.

of the air to fish of the sea, the farm ing instinct and ability of this coun- try's citizens to turn every one of it's advantages to account has given the United States reputation for unique farms unequaled by any other coun- try on the face of the globe, says the Chicago Tribune.
 A partial list of these odd cultiva- tions comprises goldfish, pigeons, for culinary purposes exclusively, worms, ostriches, ginseng, mushrooms, and gladioluses, and most of them carry the monopoly to the worlds trade. ~ The goldfish farm near Waldron, Ind, was the result of one mans hobby for pet fish and the disinclination of his ground to yield profitable income. William Shoup, the owner, tried first to farm his land in the accustomed way of tilling the soil. The result he con- sidered not worth the work involved. Pet stock claimed his attention and he gave up his extensive acres to rearing them. Tn one small pond he kept his goldfish until he found that they were multiplying so quickly as to crowd each other out of their preserves.
 Tn order to get rid of them he sent to the east to find sale for his super huous fish. MT. shoup's especial hobby in his love for pets has always been goldfish, and as his were among the - finest specimens to be had anywhere, he received prompt request for more untiFhe decided that it would be worth while to devote additional farming space to his fish.
 So from a mere pastime sprang the biggest goldfish industry in the world. At rough calculation, out of his 15o,- 900 fish. this gold fish farmer realizes every year about $2o,ooo.
 Worm farming is the strange hobby of another man, William Griswold, a public official in St. Louis His wh ole farm is encompassed in two good sized packing boxes, yet despite its limited accom- citations it counts about 10000 "head" of stock,
 Tn order to be ever ready for the sport on a minutes notice MT. Gris- wold conceived the idea of cultivating his own bait instead of having to grub for it as occasion demanded.
 The tenants of this stock farm are earthworms. not a strange or rare breed, but the ordinary, common, every day, wriggling earthworm. There are four species-black, red, sulphur and blue clay worms. They are divided into classes. according to their kind, and carefully nursed in separate inclosures.
 Pigeons form a means of revenue for a Los Angeles man who found that to meet the demand of dealers and satisfy the appetite of the public he must raise at least 15,O00 of the little feath- cred creatures every year, Fifteen thousand little white and gray pigeons, called squabs in the vernacular of the produce market, go out to all parts of the United States from this farm, for lfr. T. Y. Johnson, the owner, has no rival in the country.
 His farm, which is the only one in the world, covers an area of eight acres. | Three gigantic lofts contain almost 10000 rooms.
 l The menu for each meal is: One wagon load of screenings, two sacks | of wheat i2 gallons of boiled meat and about half barrel of stale bread 1 eoakeo%in water. This costs on an | average of $3oo month, ' | At South Pasadena, Cal, lives Edwin 1 Cawston, whose fame as an ostrich breeder is world wide. His farm is l the parent farm, the headquarters of ostrich culture in this country. 1 The beautiful sweeping plumes that adorn the Gainsborough of the stately society dame and the feathers forming | the long boa, light as thistledown, that milady wears around her neck, and | IL II. Al. sS uses to such advantages as she knows how--all these come from MT. Caw. ston's huge farm, from birds so ugly that even their plumage scarce redeems their lack of beauty. | The hundreds of ostriches which MT. | Cawston breeds to meet the enorn ous l demand for feathers have sprung from a single cargo which he brought from 1 Africa. Here are displayed the pro- | cesses of ostrich cultivation from the beginning. Incubators filled with eggs about to be matched, young chicks and full grown ostriches ready to be l plucked. The owner has the world as his market place. .... . J. G. Osborn, of Westfield, Pa, has g \ hobby for raising ginseng, the Chinese | uTuR WllCl ldS IOuuQ SuCn IaVOT m
 this country. Until MT. Osborn took it up, ginseng users had to contend
 themselves with taking chances of get.
 ting the favorite root from 'sheng' hunters, who seek 1t in the woods, or l pay enormous prices for the imported
 article.
 It requires about eight years before
 The first crop of ginseng root can be
 dug, and during all that time the grow
 ing plants require constant watching
 and great deal of care.
 Chicago has the largest mushroom
 farms in the United States and its
 farmers are women. Tn several low
 brick structures, standing partly un
 der, and partly over ground at NortI
 Western and Bowmanville avenues, ar,
 s7,ooo square feet of beds, from whicl
 during the height of the season is taker
 a ton of mushrooms & week
 About the Size of It.
 | Gba-nn you consider iS xx,ioIxad 4.