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You Call That a Farm?: Raising Otters, Leeches, Weeds and Other Unusual Things
Describes the activities at several farms where unusual plants or animals are raised
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1991
4 people want to read
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July 10, 2017
This off-the-beaten-path book covers alternative farming concepts: raising Alligators, Rare Plants & Animals, Weeds, Catfish, Parrots, Leeches, Mysid Shrimp, and - the reason I bought the book, Otters. Turns out there's a market for all these things.
Readers will learn of farming fish for food, parrots for zoo and pet trade, rare animals for reintroduction to the wild, and plants, shrimp and worms for medicinal purpose (yes, leeches are technically worms, it's even grosser than we thought).
I was so hoping that once I got the book, I would be able to 1) track down that temptingly-mentioned Otter Farm and 2) persuade the long-suffering hubs to get me there and 3) wrangle myself entry and 4) enjoy many delightful hours of otter company while 5) continuing to learn more about the most interesting animal on earth. But no, after finally hunting down this elusive book, I discovered that the otter farm had closed in 1999. Experts are few and far-between (not to mention that otters tend to wear you out...); Mr. Otter Farm has retired. My search continues.
Personal obsessions notwithstanding, all credit to the book which is an interesting 63 pages of text and black/white photography for the more proficient elementary school reader. Students will enjoy learning of the more creative uses of farmland, beyond just your basic sheep and lettuce - the authors aren't afraid to head over the line into gross details when it comes to leeches, which (who?) don't tend to be top of mind for me. And the pictures included in each section are actually from author research, not pulled from the web. A quality effort and a good story.
Readers will learn of farming fish for food, parrots for zoo and pet trade, rare animals for reintroduction to the wild, and plants, shrimp and worms for medicinal purpose (yes, leeches are technically worms, it's even grosser than we thought).
I was so hoping that once I got the book, I would be able to 1) track down that temptingly-mentioned Otter Farm and 2) persuade the long-suffering hubs to get me there and 3) wrangle myself entry and 4) enjoy many delightful hours of otter company while 5) continuing to learn more about the most interesting animal on earth. But no, after finally hunting down this elusive book, I discovered that the otter farm had closed in 1999. Experts are few and far-between (not to mention that otters tend to wear you out...); Mr. Otter Farm has retired. My search continues.
Personal obsessions notwithstanding, all credit to the book which is an interesting 63 pages of text and black/white photography for the more proficient elementary school reader. Students will enjoy learning of the more creative uses of farmland, beyond just your basic sheep and lettuce - the authors aren't afraid to head over the line into gross details when it comes to leeches, which (who?) don't tend to be top of mind for me. And the pictures included in each section are actually from author research, not pulled from the web. A quality effort and a good story.
Displaying 1 of 1 review