Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 182, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 August 1915 — Topeka Plans to Make Money Out of Skunk Farm [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Topeka Plans to Make Money Out of Skunk Farm

TOPEKA, KAN. —The city of Topeka is to have a municipal skunk farm In Lakewood park. W. L. Porter, city commissioner of parks, so announced. “There’s money in it,” explained Porter, enthusiastically. "Of the

various kinds of animals which the city is keeping at the Gage park zoo, none is profitable. I have just purchased eight skunks, and from these I expect the city to reap a good profit. The skunks will help pay for maintaining the other animals. “The skunks I have bought are very fine animals. Their hides will lie worth |4 each when they are a year old, but the value of the fur depends somewhat upon the kind of feed

the animals are given. If the right kind Of feed la given, the hides will be worth even more than >4 each. And each pair of skunks should raise eight young ones each year. So multiply eight by four and the city should have 32 skunks a year from now, and four times 32 is 128, the number at the end of the second year, and four times 128 is 612. If these 612 hides are worth |4 each, the city should receive $2,040 in three years—looks like a good investment for the city. “What about the scent? Oh. that can be remedied. Skunks can be permanently deodorized. Deodorized skunks are not only profitable, but they make nice pets. They are real cute.”,