Jiminy Crickets

Hugh Barnhill of Alabama, buck private, combat veteran World War One Rainbow Division, now an energetic, bespectacled, bachelor farmer. He has no labor problems and no marketing bottlenecks. Although he lacks all kinds of modern equipment, Hugh never operates in the red.
Every year is a good year.

Storms, hurricanes, floods and droughts never damage Barnhill ‘s Hill. Parity means nothing to this farm. You see, this farm only embraces 75 square feet.

“Jiminy Crickets”, you say. That’s right, It’s a cricket farm.

For nearly two years Barnhill’s Hill has been operating on the grounds of the Veterans’ Hospital at Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The one crop is crickets to be used as bait by fisherman who are hospitalized veterans. The project has the approval of the V. A. Special Services and through it the Veterans Administration saves money each year. In fact, you might say that Barnhill’s Hill has a government subsidy that enables it to pay a profit into the Government treasury. Because Barnhill, the farm manager, is an ardent fisherman himself, he is pleased with his project and does a fine job of it.

Two days each week during the fishing season, a busload of 30 patients from the Veteran’s Hospital travels about 40 miles to either Lake Payne or McShann Lake, The trip is open to all who are well enough to make the trip, and the patients take turns at enjoying this recreation. The trips are never compulsory, since their objective is recreation and rehabilitation. Of course each fisherman must have a good supply of bait and here is where Barnhill’s Hill comes in.

Barnhill ‘s cricket farm is laid out with boxes and drums alive with crickets. Two wooden boxes screened with copper wire, and five 60-gallon drums, each two and one-half feet in diameter, serve as the hatching and living quarters of the crickets.

“How many crickets do you have?”, we asked Barnhill.

“Jillions of them!”, reported the ‘Cricket Culturist. “That’s all I can say. Jillions of them!”

“What are some of the trade secrets about the care and feeding of crickets?”, we asked.

Barnhill scratched his head and began the story. “Well, I started out by buying 600 gray crickets. I put them in boxes with 60 black crickets I had picked up on the hospital reservation. Every day I feed and water them the same as chickens. It costs only about $5 a season to feed them the starting mash I use. That makes the cost per cricket infinitesimal. In fact you wouldn’t have the space to write all the digit costs per unit.”

“The eggs are laid in the moist sand you see in the pans at the bottom of the boxes and the drums. A layer of wood excelsior, four or five inches deep, goes over the sand. This provides cover for the young crickets and additional space for them to rest on. The young crickets are ready for use as bait in about two months after they are hatched.”

Barnhill pointed to a white enameled line painted about six inches from the top of the contain­ers. “See that? – that’s what keeps the crickets from climbing out of the box. They just won’t cross that white line. The screens you see over the drums and boxes are not needed to keep the crickets in, but rather to keep the parasites and spiders out.”

“Each drum and box has its own drinking fountain,” Barnhill went on. “It is a simple home­made device – just a glass inverted in a saucer of water. I try to make the crickets feel comfort­able and at home!”

“How did you happen to hit upon cross-breeding gray and black crickets?” we asked,

Barnhill, the ‘scientist’ explained: “Well, gray crickets are wild and uncontrollable, so I cross-bred gray and black varieties because their offspring are tamer and easier to handle, yet make good bait for stream fishing, Production can go on all year as we are equipped here to keep the pens comfortable by using artificial heat with thermostatic control.”

Anyone can see that Barnhill is an ideal farmer who enjoys his work. He has a comfortable, home-made hammock swinging nearby where he can recline during the day while production goes on. He also owns a hammock-side radio since it is necessary for him to be close by for supervision.

Barnhill’s hill is an economic asset to the Veterans’ Administration. Crickets on the open market would cost about two cents each. By raising them on Barnhill’s Hill, the owner estimates he saves the government about $450 each fishing season.

“A saving of $450,” you say. “Jiminy Cricket!”