The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1905-11-30
A WHALES MILK YARN
Present. Day Methods of Securing IT From
the Sen Cow

Fresent-Day Methods of Securing IT From
the Sen Cow.
The utter pang of the pit in which
Ananlas and Sapphira burn must GER
tainly consist i'll the thought of their
eclipse in glory. To have lied we'll and
persisted therefor has a kind of splen-
dor about it: it is almost. in view of
the late proclamatiOns about the EQuit-
able, highly respectable. But to have
lied, be caught at it, and thrust out
OF the -Four Hundred of AIendacity
IKE tramp from a kitchen, is indeed
awful
The Argonaut at present is very
'nneh interested in the New York Her.
aids correspondence from Port au
Basque, n. F.:
!. Not the least of the triumphs of sci
entlhc methods in the utilization of
natural resources is the forecast in all
announcement just received from the
Balena whale fisheries that Professor
Muller has succeeded in DEMONSTRATING
fifty sulphur bottom COW whales. and
has perfected an apparatus for milking
the cetaceans.
This is the Introduction of an &C
count of how at Port au Basque they
pass the long summer days. 1t quiet
~ remarks further along that 'Pro-
lessor Muller several years ago made
up his mind that the difficulties in the
way of domesticati ting the whales were
those which arose from their
size. The ingenious manner in which
this scientist 0vercame these STUN
bllnS-blocks must be told entire in the
words of the New Foundland Ananias:
He professor Muller) looked about
MIN until he found suitable inlet-a
saltwater lake about an eighth of
mile across. connected with the sea by
strait about fifty feet wide. He made
q gateway of iron bars by which the
strait could be closed. Late in the fall
ABOUT two years ago, herd of whales
was sporting in the offing, and it was
noticed that there were several young
heifers in the herd. By careful work
ten of these heifers were separated
from the main herd and driven through
the strait into the lake.
Then began the work of tanning
them They were watched and stud
1ed until their favorite food was
learned. This was d peculiar kind of
kelp, or rockwell. which grows in
abundance in about twelve fathOms of
wafer Off the coast. Large quantities
o. this rockwell were gathered and
stored.
1t is with ason: that we pass over
this without comment:
Twice Il day the food was put out
side. where the young whales could
get it. Within month they had
learned to come to the feeding place
Tor their meals. Within another month
the creatures were tame.
THE problem of teaching the onera-
tives to milk them was more difficult.
An apparatus was devised to do the
work, but when an effort was made to
try 1t. there was trouble at once. 1t
was necessary to drive the whales I'M
on the -,ats at low water 10 DO ,ae milk
ing, and it has been this part of the
work which has absorbed the atten-
tion of the professor for more than q
Year.
Patience in the face of discoura re-
ments finally conquered. The FIRST cap
tives learned gradually to 90 of their
own accord to the milking ground. The
herd has been increased few whales
1t 4 time, until it now numbers fifty.
and it requires the services of a staff
OF sixty men to carry on the daily
milking.
II, as is now believed, the whale milk
is Of rare medicinal value and proves
q paiatable substitute for cod-liver
Oil. large possibilities are, visible in
the new industry Of whale culture.