The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-24
THE OLDEST OF FARMS.
They are to be Found in This Coun- try, and Each Raises Only Gold
 fish, Worms, ostriches,
 Mushrooms or Ginseng.

Chicago Tribune.
 From ostriches to worms, from birds oi
 the air to fish of the sea. the farming
 instict and ability of this country's citi.
 zens to turn every one of its advantages to account has given the United States reputation for unique farms unequaled by any other country on the globe.
 A partial list of these odd cultivations comprises goldfish. pigeons for culinary purposes exclusively. worms, ostriches, genseng, mushrooms and gladioluses and
 most of them carry the monopoly of the
 worlds trade. @
 The goldfish farm near waldron, Ind,
 was the result of one mans hobby forspet
 fish. and the disinclination of his ground
 to yield profitable income William
 Shopp. the owner. tried first to farm his land in the accustomed way. of tillingr the
 soil. The result he considered not worth
 the work involved. Pet stock claimed his
 attention, and he gave up his extensiye acres to rearing them. In 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.
 In order to get rid of them he sent to
 the East to find sale for his superfiuous
 fish. Mir. Shoup's especial hobby in his
 love for pets has always been goldfish,
 and as his were among the finest speci-
 mems to be had anywhere. he received a
 prompt request for more until he 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 a
 rough calculation. out of his 15o0oO fish
 this goldfish farmer realizes every year about $20 900.
 Worm farming is the strange hobby of another man, William Griswold, a public official in St., Louis. His whole farm is encompassed in two good d-sized packing boxes, yet despite it's limited accommoda- tions 1t counts about 10000 head of stock. In order to be ever ready for the sport on a minutes notice, MT. Griswold 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 care- fully nursed in separate inclosures.
 Pigeons form a means of revenue for a Los Angeles (Cal.) man who found that to meet the demand of dealers and satis- fly the appetite of the public he must raise at least 15,000 of the little feathered 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 MT. T. Y. Johnson, tho 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 al- most 10000 rooms. The menu for each meal is; One wagon load of screenings, two sacks of wheat, twelve gallons of boiled meat and about half sbarrei-of stale bread soaked in water. This costs on an average $500 a month. 5 sE
 At South Pasadena. Cal. lives Edwin Cawston, whose fame as an ostrich breed CT Is world wide. His farm is the parent farm. the headquarters of ostrich culture in this country. The hundreds of -os- triches which MT. Cawston breeds to meet the enormous demand for feathers have sprung from a single cargo which he brought from Africa. Here are dis played the processes of ostrich cultiva- ton from the beginning. Incubators filled with eggs about to be matched, young chicks and full grown ostriches ready to be plucked.
 J. G. Osborn of westfield, Penn, has a hobby for raising ginseng. the Chinese drug which has found favor in this coun- try Until MT. Osborn took 1t up, gin- seng users had to content themselves with taking chances of getting the root from "sheng" hunters. who seek it in the woods, or pay enormoues 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 growing plants require constant watch | ng and a great deal of care.
 Chicago has the largest mushroom 'arms in the United States. and it's farm l ITS are women. In several low brick | structures. standing partly under and partly over ground at Northwestern and Avenues. are 6,0OO square | 'eet of beds, from which during the | height of the season is taken a ton of a week.
 The most beautiful American farm Is on | he estate of MT. Arthur Cowee, known | IS MeadowVille farm, near Troy. N. Y. | For years MT. Cowee. who is one of the | bituminous coal barons. has ta- zen a keen interest in the cultivation of | ,ladioluses, his favorite flower. Seventy | i've acres of his farm are devoted entire V to the growing of these blooms No where else are to be found the fine vari- | ,ties and colors that this farm displays | every season. From all parts of the | world, at enormous cost, Mir. Cowee has gladiolus bulbs.