1903 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
447 
RAISING FERRETS FOR BUSINESS 
There is one industry in which New Lon¬ 
don, O., leads the world, there being more 
ferrets shipped from here than any other 
point in the United States. There arc 
several who live near here who give their 
whole time and attention to raising ferrets, 
and others who raise them in small lots 
and sell to dealers. A majority of dealers 
in other places get their stock from here 
to sell again. The ferret belongs to the 
weasel family, and is a native of Africa, 
but is now extinct in the wild state. They 
were originally of a light yellow or white 
color with pink eyes. In an early day 
they were crossed with the fitchet, a species 
of the polecat, which gave them the dark 
color from which they derive the name of 
Fitch ferret. The white are sometimes 
called the English ferret. The two forms 
are shown in Fig. 161. Anyone not ac¬ 
quainted with the business would natu¬ 
rally wonder what becomes of so many. 
They are shipped all over the United States 
and Canada, mostly for rat and rabbit 
hunting. They are natural hunters, blood¬ 
thirsty and relentless, with the tenacity 
of a bulldog. They follow their game by 
scent with a persistency rarely seen in 
any other animal. Almost all kinds of 
game are in deadly fear of a ferret. The 
ferret is turned loose in the holes or bur¬ 
rows of the game, and it makes its escape 
unless cornered, when it can easily be 
caught or killed. If you drive rats from 
your buildings a few times with a ferret 
they will leave and not show up again for 
a long time. The ferret will make bad 
FERRET.S, WHITE AND DARK. Flo. 161. 
work if it gets loose in the poultry yard. 
It will kill everything it can get at. 
All the training a ferret needs is handling 
to make It tame, so you can pick it up 
anywhere. I have seen good hunters 
spoiled by rough handling. They are very 
playful, and make fine pets. They arc 
quite hardy when properly fed and housed 
but will not stand much neglect. The age 
of a ferret is four to five years, but with 
good care they will live seven or eight 
years. Six or eight is an average litter, 
but I have had them raise 12 at one litter. 
Some may ask whether the business can 
be overdone. Not any more than raising 
Spring chickens or hothouse lambs, for it 
is only those who tend strictly to business 
who succeed. I have customers who buy 
a ferret each year and use it during the 
hunting season. I have raised ferrets for 
nearly 20 years, and have always found 
a market for all I could raise. 
W. J. WOOD. 
A SOUTHERN VIEW OF OLEO. 
So far the oleo law has undoubtedly 
been a blessing to the dairymen; no sooner 
was the new law pa.ssed than everyone, 
excepting the dairymen, speculated in 
butter, and all butter advanced; the 10- 
cent butter to 15 cents, 12-cent butter to 
16 cents and 18 cents, and creamery to 22 
cents. As soon as all of the butter was 
bought up by the speculators, the manu¬ 
facturers of oleomargarine found some¬ 
thing that again colored their product, and 
the retailer’s license having been reduced 
from $48 to $6, and the price of real butter 
advanced, the oleomargarine agents went 
to work on the retailers and explained 
to them how high butter would be, and 
how low both oleo and the license were, 
and induced all of them by this argument 
to take out licenses—together with a few 
tubs of oleomargarine. When the specu¬ 
lators had secured the butter, they natu¬ 
rally looked around for an outlet, but 
found retailers’ trade all selling oleomar¬ 
garine, and unwilling to give it up. Now 
the butter season is about to commence 
again, and the Government seems to have 
found out the little secret, which the 
Secret Service Department has been look¬ 
ing for since last July. With warm 
weather against the sale of oleomargarine 
and the little yellow secret found out, the 
butter-makers will again be benefited, and 
by the same .speculators. The new law 
has been of great benefit to both manufac¬ 
turers of butter and oleo, and only detri- 
rnental to speculators. We would say the 
aw is a good one. We are of the opinion 
the law was enforced and lived up to 
it would be a good one; but the temptation 
s very great to overstep the law with 
just a little palm oil. or something else. 
or we would say. just a little tint of yel¬ 
low, and thereby defraud the Government 
out of 9% cents on every pound, or $5.80 
on every 60-pound tub sold; this clean 
profit is worth taking chances on. We 
have nothing to say against oleo when 
made and sold for what it is, but it cer¬ 
tainly has no right to be sold for butter 
under a disguise; but should be sold for 
what it is and in its original color, and 
not in Imitation of a much finer product. 
We have never heard anyone say the law 
was not a good one; no doubt the retailer 
who is growing rich would dislike to see 
the color taken out, so his customers 
would have to ask what it was. This 
would not have a wholesome effect on his 
feelings. The only complaint that we 
have heard of the new law comes from the 
manufacturers of renovated butter, and 
we think theirs a very just complaint. In 
our opinion, there has never been any 
need of the numerous stamps on renovated 
butter, since it is a pure butter, and not 
a mixture. We do believe, however, that 
the Government should see that It is pure 
and wholesome, and does not contain too 
much water. The stamps are an injury to 
the renovated butter and should be re¬ 
moved, as it hurts a legitimate business. 
Oleo is always advertised as some brand of 
butter, and this is certainly very unfair; 
if the masses of people prefer it to butter, 
why not advertise it under its real name? 
We believe the law to be a good one, that 
w.ill finally prove itself so. The best trade 
tell us that they prefer to sell butter; and 
they only sell oleo for what it is, being 
forced to sell it on account of the cheap 
stores that use it, and thereby detract 
from the better class of trade. 
Kichmond, Va. s. f. Padgett & co. 
IMPROVING COMMON PASTURES. 
I think all my pastures are steadily im 
proving, and on my out pastures I simply 
keep the weeds cut or pulled, but on my 
pastures nearer home I keep them im- 
l)roving by top-dressing with barnyard 
manure, and I also scatter the seed that 
accumulates on the barn fioor, and keep 
the weeds out. I have no pastures that are 
run out. but I think if I had I should try 
sowing seed and top-dressing, or if the 
land was of such a condition that it could 
be conveniently plowed I would cultivate it 
and enrich before stocking down to pas¬ 
ture again. A good deal of my pasture is 
limestone ledge with a heavy mat of Blue 
grass, and I have been accustomed to 
cover any rocks tliat came up out of the 
ground with earth, sow seed on it and top- 
dress. I do this kind of work at odd jobs 
when we have time. Of course such pas¬ 
ture dries up in a dry time, but it yields 
quite a lot of feed, and looks better than 
to see rocks sticking up. 
Vermont. c. M. winslow. 
I have had very little experience in 
renovating pastures, as mine is natural 
grass land; has not been plowed in 35 
years, and even in this dry time is good 
(we have had no rain in 40 days). A year 
ago I had a meadow that was so badly 
run out that 1 intended to plow it, but set 
aside part of it for an experiment. 1 
sowed on i)art of it (the experiment plot) 
about five quarts of Timothy, four of Red 
clover and one of Alsike per acre and 
about 250 pounds acid phosphate as early 
in the Spring as I could work it; then 
harrowed it well with a smoothing harrow, 
and it now looks as though it would cut 
nearly if not quite three times as much 
hay as the piece left as a check. Most of 
my land seems to respond to phosphoric 
acid. If I had a pasture that I wanted to 
improve without plowing 1 would harrow 
it well late in the Fall and when the frpst 
was going out in the Spring would sow a 
liberal quantity of mixed grass seed. The 
kind would depend on what grew well on 
like .soil in my vicinity, and about 250 
pounds acid phosphate or the same of good 
wood ashes. If it was followed by a wet 
season I would expect good results; if a 
Spring dry like this would get my trouble 
for my pains. j. e. e. 
Pattersonville, N. Y. 
Apples for Cows.—I have never fed 
apples to any extent, but I know farmers 
do feed them, but I think they get the 
best results in feeding lightly, say four 
to six quarts, and I do not know that the 
variety of apples has anything in particu¬ 
lar to do with the results. Two feed.*! 
would be better than one. and I would 
suggest working them on gradually. I 
should think they might be fed whole, but 
would suggest keeping an eye on the cows 
in case they get choked. 
C. M. WINSLOW. 
Alfalfa Notes.— Alfalfa is a failure so 
far here; quite a number of farmers have 
tried it. We have a clay subsoil; sandy 
Missouri River bottom is right for it; they 
cut three times, two to three tons per 
acre, but usually cut twice and leave third 
crop for seed, two to seven bushels pei 
acre. It will bloat cattle and kill them in 
pasture; fine for horses, mules and hog.'-, 
but will kill sheep. We seed same as 
clover. I think it equal in value wilt' 
clover for hay when kept well, but is easy 
to mold, it is hard to cure in this climate, 
so much rain and dew at the harvest sea¬ 
son; extra fine in the dry West irrigated. 
Law’son, Mo. ray. 
HEY, THERE! JUNK MAN! 
I want to know how much you will give me 
for one of those separators that claim to be “just 
as good” as the 
DE LAVAL CREAM SEPARATORS 
I put in one of them last year because the agent 
claimed it was “just as good” as a DE LAVAL 
machine and was $10.- cheaper. I have looked about 
and gotten some separator experience since then an(i 
I find now that I could have bought a DE LAVAL 
machine of greater actual capacity for less money in 
the first place, while I have lost money every day 
through the imx)erfect skimming of this machine, 
^ide from hard running and trouble of all kinds from 
infernally poor construction. 
I am goin^ to have a DE LAVAL machine now 
if I have to “junk” this old one for scrap-iron. I 
know it will save its cost the first year of use and 
should be good for twenty years. I find all well- 
informed dairy farmers are using DE LAVAL 
machines and that there are over 400,000 of them. 
A De Laval catalogue may save this experience. 
PHILADELPHIA int Ut LAVAL SbPAKATUR CO. 
SAN FRANCISCO 
MONTREAL 
TORONTO 
WINNIPEG 
General Offices: 
74 CORTLANDT STREET, 
NEW YORK. 
SEPARATORS' 
The largest cream aeparator works In the world 
is unable to keep up with the demand for these superior 
machines. Thousands and thousands of Tubulars sold 
every year to dairymen in all parts of the earth. What 
docs this demand mean? Why do the Tubulars sell bet¬ 
ter thftn other eeparmtors? Becauee they are better maohlneA, a« 
you will agree If you examine one. Write for f^ee oalalogue No. 168. 
THE SHARPLES CO., P. M. SHARPLCS, 
Chicago, Illinois* Woat Chestsr« Pa* 
Dairy Dollars 
We claim that the 
EMPIRE 
Running Cream Separator 
will make you more money than any other ' 
separator can or will, because the Empire 
turns more easily, is more easily 
cleaned and kept clean and has | 
fewer parts to get out of order. 
Send for our book, “A Dairy¬ 
man's Dollars;" investigate all 
claims and decide for yourself. 
^Empire Cream SeparatorCo. 
Bloomfield, N. J. 
Western Office, Fisher Bldg;., 
Chicago. 
DON’T BE HUMBUGGED 
by Cream Extractors that mix water with 
the milk and do not extract. 
The Superior Cream Extractor 
(NoWaterMixed with the Milk) 
effects a complete separation In an hour 
by a circulation of cold water In an outer 
jacket, A trialconvinces,and every can 
Is guaranteed. Write us to-day tor our 
catalogue. 
8UPKRIOK FENCE MACHI.N'E CO., 
183 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, Mich. 
Mark Your Slock 
Dip Your Stock 
Cure Your Stock 
Shear Your Stock 
We make a specialty of Ear 
Labels and Buttons, Tattoo 
Markers, Milk Oil Sheep Dip 
Cooper Sheep Dip (English), 
Worm Powders, Insect Pow- 
der, Rice's Lice RainL Shears, 
Shearing Machines, Toxaline 
French Worm Cure, Crooks, 
Bells, Poultry Tonic, Poultry 
Bands, Shepherds’ Cordial. 
All Best and Cheapest. 
Write for Illii.tratcd Catalogue. 
F. 8. BURCH & CO., 
142 Illinois St. Chicago. 
Mention this paper. 
ROUND SILO 
The "Philadelphia.” 
The only Perfect Continuous 
Open Front Silo made. See our 
Patent Roof. Ask for catalog. 
E. F. SCHLICHTER, 
331 Vine Street, 
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
AKso made in the West by the 
DUPLEX MFG. CO., South 
Superior, Wis. 
SEND FOR CATAIX)GUB AND 
PRICES OF THE 
DIRIQOSILO 
Manufactured by 
D.B. STEVENS & CO., 
AUBURN, ME. 
AGENTS WANTED. 
CREAM EXTRACTOR 
This is a genuine 
jtai* ’ 
FREE 
offer ma<ie to introduce the People* 
Cream Extractor in every nelghbor- 
hootl. It Is the best and simplest In 
the world. We ask that you show It to 
your neighbors who have cows. Send 
your name and the name of the near¬ 
est freight office. Address 
PEOPLES SUPPLY CO., 
Dept. 86. Kansas City, Mo. 
Pat. May 21,1901. 
THE ARRAS 
Cream Extractor 
The leading Cream Extractor 
on the market because milk and 
water are not mixed. You al¬ 
ways have pure, sweet milk for 
home use and not diluted for 
feeding. The most convenient 
extractor made for handling 
your milk In Winter as well as 
In Summer. It saves all can 
lifting, skimming and washing 
of crocks. It is easliy kept 
clean. Write for descriptive 
catalogue and special introduc¬ 
tory prices to THE ARIIA.S 
CKEAM SKPAK ATOK CO. 
Bluffton,Ohio. 
PRESCOTT’S S 
KEEPS 
WINGING 
WIVEL 
TANCHION 
COWS CLEAN 
Swings forward while get¬ 
ting up or lying down. Locks 
back while standing. Full 
particulars free. PRBS(X)TT, 
99 Beverly St., Boston, Mass. 
THE CHAIN-HANGING 
Cattle Stanchion 
The most practical and humane Fastener ever In¬ 
vented. G ives perfect freedom of the head. Illustrated 
Circular and I’rlcefreeon application. Manufactured 
by O. H. ROBERTSON, Forestvllle, Conn. 
Stanchion 
—Deini? an J mprovemant orer 
Smitn’a tightest, tftrongeet, 
qalckasi, BafMt iwlog •toooblot 
latch and aatoiDAtk 
lock.fYBdcomei atatlonar/ when 
|op«Q. Animal cannot taratttn back¬ 
ing oot. Made of boat Manonad bard 
wood. Pinaforfaalantng with avarv 
stanchion. Sand far ^ “ 
I. WlL2FB*S0IIS,ij;S,m*fc. 
