32 FERRET FACTS AND FANCIES. 



It is not generally known that the ferret's 

 choice of food is horse flesh. That must be an 

 acquired taste, for, of course, in his wild state 

 and unaided by man, the ferret could never 

 secure such food. Many an ancient horse, use- 

 less in other ways, finds a sale at a low price at 

 the Held ferret farms. The matter of providing 

 food for the young ferrets is quite another and 

 more expensive thing. A small dairy herd is 

 necessary for this purpose, for it is found that 

 the little fellows do best, and escape the many 

 diseases that assail young ferrets, when fed 

 liberally on ground whole wheat, liberally soaked 

 in fresh cow's milk." 



At the breeding period the mother ferrets are 

 also fed with the same preparation. 



Since the ferret raising industry was begun 

 in Northern Ohio several hundred people in the 

 New London vicinity have been interested in the 

 business. At one time there were probably a 

 hundred who had the "ferret fever" in a single 

 year. It is true that many only raised a few and 

 gave the business up after a year or two, but 

 others devoted their entire time and attention 

 to ferrets. While no accurate figures are avail- 

 able yet several million dollars have been paid 

 to the "Ferretville" raisers during the past 

 twenty years. 



