The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-22
oUEEREST FARMS IN
 UNITED STATES
Some That Raise Only Goldfish, Worms, ostrichss, Ginseng,
 Gladialuses. Mushrooms.

tlad1aluses, Mushrooms.
 Chicago Tribune
 Fromostriches to worms. from birds
 or the air to fish of the sea. the farm
 ing instinct and abilitw of this country's citizens to turn every one of it's advan-
 Iages to account has given the United
 states reputation for unique farms un- lequaied by any other country on the face of the globe.
 partial list of these odd cultivations comprises goldfish, pigeons. for culinary
 ginseng. mushrooms. and gladiouiuses.
 and most of them carry the monopoly of
 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 a profitable income. William
 Shoup. the owner, tried first to farm his
 land in the accustomed way of tilling the
 soil. The result he considered not worth the work involved. Pet stock claimed his attention and he gave up his extensive
 acres to rearing them In one small pond
 they were multiplying so quickly as to
 crowd each other out of their preserves.
 In order to get rid of them he sent to
 fish. Mir. Shoup's especial hobby in his Hove for pets has always been goldfish, and
 as his were among the finest specimens
 to be had anywhere he received a prompt twould be worth while to devote addit-
 ional farming space to his fish. | So from a mere pastime sprang the big
 gest goldfish industry in the world. At | rough calculation, out of his 10000 fish.
 this goldfish farmer realizes every year ! about $20,000.
 Worm farming is the strange hobby of
 another man William Griswold. a public
 official in St. Louis. His whole farm is encomposed in two good sized packing
 boxes, yet despite its limited accomod- | stock.
 | In order to be ever ready for the snort
 on a minutes notice Mir. Griswold con-
 ceived the idea of cultivating his own bait | instead of having to grub for it as occas- | ion demanded.
 The tenants of this stock farm are earth worms, not strange or rare breed but
 the ordinary, common every day, wrig-
 black. red. sulphur, and blue clay worms They are divided into classes, according
 to their kind. and carefully nursed in separate inclosures.
 Los Angeles man who found that to meet the demand of dealers and satisfy the ap-
 petite of the public he must raise at least l5.OOO of the little feathered creatures | every year Fifteen thousand little white and gray pigeons, called squabs fin the yer | nacular of the produce market. go out to
 all parts of the United States from this
 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.
 The menu for each meal is: One wagon load of screenings, two sacks of wheat, twelve gallons of boiled meat. and about half barrel of stale bread soaked in | water. This costs on an average of $500 a month.
 At South Pasadena Cal. lives Edwin Cawston whose fame as an ostrich breeder Is world wide. His farm is the parent farm, the headquarters of ostrich culture
 in this country.
 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 the | snowy fan which the coy maiden uses to such advantages as she knows how-all these come from MT. Cawston's huge | farm, from birds so ugly that even their plumage scarce rcdeems their lack of beauty.
 The hundreds of ostriches which MT. Cawston breeds to meet the enormous de- mand for feathers have sprung from | single cargo which he brught from Africa. Here are displayed the processes of ostrich l cultivation from the beginning. Incuba- ors filled with eggs about ta be matched, young chicks and full grown ostriches | ready to be plucked. The owner has the world as his market place. J. G. Osborn of Westfield, Pa., has hobby for raising ginseing, the Chinese drug which has found such favor in this | country. Until MT. Osborn took it up, ginseng users had to content themselves
 with taking chances of getting the favorite | rootsfrom ''sheng" hunters, who seek 1t in
 the woods, or 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 growing plants require constant watching and great deal of care.
 Chicago has the largest mushroom farm in the United States and its farmers are
 women. Tn several low brick structures standing partly under and partly over ground at Northwestern and Bowman vile avenues. are 6.000 square feet of beds, from which during the height of the season is taken a ton of mushrooms week.
 The most beautiful American farm is on the estates of Mr. Arthur Cowee, known , as "Meadowvale larm." near Troy N. Y., For years MT. Cowee, who Is one of the country's bituminous coal barons, has taken a keen interest in the cultivation of gladioluses. his favorite flower Seventy five acres of his farm are devoted entirely to the growing of these blooms. Nowhere else are to be found the fine varieties and colors that this farm displays every sea son. From all parts of the world, at enor- nous cost, MT, Cowee has gathered glad iolus bulbs of the most expensive species.