THE .IRRIGATION AGE. 



255 



It will probably require several years to 

 fully determine the extend to which this 

 form of agriculture can be extended in the 

 South. Even without the aid of irrigation 

 tea has been grown with profit, but if, as 

 is believed, a material increase can be 

 made in the yield through the addition of 

 this stimulus, and improvement in the 

 quality of the product as well, there is 

 little reason to doubt that the time is near 

 at hand when this country will have made 

 another significant addition to its capacity 

 to be entirely self-sustaining. 



object of the Government is to demonstrate 

 the value of tree plantations to land own- 

 ers, especially those in the treeless regions 

 of the West 



WILL RAISE TIMBER. 



The Division of Forestry is in consulta- 

 tion with three important railway compa- 

 nies over a contemplated innovation in 

 American railway methods. These roads 

 the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, the 

 Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, and the 

 Zane^ville & Ohio are considering rais- 

 ing tie and pole timber on a large scale on 

 their now non-utilized right of way lands. 

 Other large Western roads are also inter- 

 ested. 



This action is due chiefly to the failure 

 of the natural supply of this material in 

 all but the newer portions of the United 

 States. About one million acres of timber 

 are consumed annually by railroads in 

 buildings and repairing, and, at the pres- 

 ent rate of timber depletion, the increased 

 cost of such material will soon be a serious 

 factor in railroad economy. The Santa Fe 

 line has already done some experimental 

 planting, and the results have done much 

 to stimulate interest. This road planted 

 1 280 acres in catalpas fifteen years ago. 

 The total expense was $128,000; but it is 

 estimated by the railroad officials that in 

 ten years more the tract will have produced 

 $2.560,000 worth of poles, ties and posts. 



Having become convinced of the neces- 

 sity of growing their own timber, the rail- 

 roads naturally wish to take advantage of 

 the assistance offered by the Government 

 for tree planters which consists of expert 

 advice, and of the working plans for plant- 

 ing, based on personal examination. The 



FREAK FARMS IN INDIANA. 



Indiana shows up with a number of 

 what may be called freak farms. In that 

 State there are six farms given up to rais- 

 ing skunks, and some of them by the tens 

 of thousands each year. As a black 

 skunk's skin is worth $2 and a black 

 striped ones from $1.50 upward, these 

 farmers are said to be growing rich. There 

 are two or three weasel farms, and the 

 weasels are also grown for the value of 

 their skins. 



There are three large rabbit farms, the 

 largest containing 30 acres. This is being 

 stocked with Belgium hares, and the com- 

 pany owning it has an agent buying them 

 bv thousands in France and Belgium. 

 When fully stocked it will keep about 32,- 

 000 hares, and they should market 1,000, 

 000 hares each year. These sell when 

 dressed at about the price of poultry, and 

 the skins are worth from 10 to 25 cents 

 each. Many also can be sold as pets or for 

 breeding purposes. 



A number of farms have been devoted 

 to raising Angora cats, most of them in the 

 vicinity of New Harmony, and a cat 

 broker in Evansville has put 3,000 of 

 them on the market during the past three 

 years since the business started there. 

 Farmers get good prices for good 

 males and think that is better than dollar 

 wheat. A good market is fonnd for many 

 of them in the stores in Philadelphia, Pa. 



There is one farm where the main busi- 

 ness is the growing of leeches.. The stock 

 was imported from Germany, and they are 

 grown in moss-lined vats. While the de- 

 mand is not as good as a few years ago, 

 the owner sells several hundred thousand 

 each year. There are several goldfish 

 farms in Shelby county, one of them the 

 largest in the world, shipping away more 

 than 2,000,000 fish last year, some of which 

 went to the fountains of royal gardens in 

 Europe. 



