AN ALLIGATOR FARM.

Northland Age, Volume 3, Issue 22, 8 January 1907, Page 6

AN ALLIGATOR FARM.

—*— WHERE THE REPTILES ARE HATCHED IN A SUN INCUBATOR. —+ Mr. Frazier has startled the millionaire visitors at Palm Beach, the popular Florida resort, by moving his whole menagerie of alligators down from his original iagoon incubating ground to -the sands of the beach, where he expects to reap a fortune by selling young live alligators ast watch-charms to the men and as substitutes for chameleons to the ladies. Frazier's farm has been a favourite sight for visitors and every one who goes there wants to take home a basketful of young snappers, just to prove that he has been in Florida.

The big ones lie around in the yard yawn, and eat any stray dogs or cats that happens to intrude, and the females occupy their time by laying eggs. The eggs Frazier digs out and places in the sun in an old log canoe, which makes a line incubator. Here they hatch out in the mellow sunshine, and crawl over each other and take lessons in biting o*ff each other’s tails. One of the proprietor’s favourite stories to make the visitor's eyes stick out is that alligators’ eggs are fine eating, and that he has alligators eggs on toast every morning. When Frazier started his alligator farm the 'gator tribe had begun to disappear, and dealers in alligator hide were beginning to substitute mottled cowhide for handbags and other gew-gaws. Then every hide that Frazier could produce brought its price, and 'gator teeth from his farm began to appear in the market. Frazier made money. "But I should think it would cost a good deal to feed them while they are growing,” said one visitor. "Oh, they eats each other when

they'se hungry,” he said ; ‘ an’ if half of them that’s born grows up, my profit is good, 'cause I ain’t fed 'em anything but their brothers and sisters.”