*20 / "NEBRASKA"S FABULOUS FISHWORM FARMER" / MEET PETE SCHEIDT, OF MCCOOK, NEBRASKA, THE ONE FARMER /IN AMERICA TODAY WITHOUT A GRIPE, SUBSIDY, OR WORRY TO /HIS NAME, WITH ONE EXCEPTION. "DOGGONE IT!" PETE GRUMBLES /EVERY DAY OF HIS LIFE. "I AIN"T HAD TIME TO GO FISHIN^ /ONLY ONCE IN TWO YEARS." / PETE DIDN"T REALLY INTEND TO GET INTO THE BIG FARMING /BUSINESS. IT JUST CAUGHT UP WITH HIM IN AN ACCIDENTAL /SORT OF WAY. ALL PETE ASKED OF LIFE WAS SOMETHING TO TIN- /KER AROUND WITH AFTER HE"D RETIRED FROM THE RAILROAD IN /1951. "IF YOU WOULD LIVE LONGER AND HAPPIER, GET A HOBBY" /HE^D READ OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN A HOBBY MAGAZINE, AND SO /PETE WAS IN QUEST OF HIS FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH AND HAPPINESS /WITH A HOBBY - WHEN IT HAPPENED. / ONE SPRING MORNING A LITTLE WRIGGLER STUCK HIS HEAD OUT /OF THE SOFT WARM EARTH IN PETE"S BACK YARD AND SMILED AT /PETE. PETE SMILED BACK, AND THEN IT STRUCK HIM LIKE A /BOLT FROM THE BLUE! / THAT VERY MORNING PETE STARTED DIGGING PITS, THEN DIG- /ING WORMS TO FILL THEM. HE CALCULATED HE HAD CLOSE TO /20,000 BIG RED WRIGGLERS TO START WITH. A FEMALE WORM /LAYS 100 TO 120 EGGS A YEAR, AND EACH EGG, WHICH LOOKS /LIKE A SMALL BROWN SEED, HATCHES FIVE LITTLE WRIGGLERS - /SO THAT"S HOW BIG BUSINESS CAUGHT UP WITH PETE. / THE FIRST YEAR HE SOLD MORE THAN 140,000 WORMS WHOLE- /SALE AT $4.20 PER BOX OF 12-PINT CARTONS. EACH PINT /CONTAINED 60 TO 70 WORMS. AND HE RETAILED THOUSANDS OF /WORMS AT 60 CENTS A PINT, OR APPROXIMATELY ONE CENT PER /WORM. / TO GET ALL THE EGGS POSSIBLE, PETE KEEPS 150,000 /BREEDER WORMS IN BOXES IN HIS HATCHERY. EVERY SIX WEEKS /THEY ARE TRANSFERED TO NEW BOXES, AND THE EGGS ARE DEPOS- /ITED IN HATCHERY BOXES MADE ESPECIALLY FOR THAT PURPOSE. /PETE"S HATCHERY IS A FRAME BUILDING ON THE REAR OF HIS /LOT, WITH HUNDREDS OF CLEAN SUNNY SOUTH WINDOWS ACROSS /THE ENTIRE FRONT OF THE STRUCTURE. THE HATCHERY IS IMMAC- /ULATE, AND A HEATER IS KEPT BURNING NIGHT AND DAY AT THE /RIGHT TEMPERATURE TO RAISE WORMS. EACH BOX IS WATERED /WITH CARE AND REGULARITY. UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS MAIN- /TAINED IN THE HATCHERY, PETE HAS A BOX OF EGGS HATCHING /EVERY 30 DAYS, AND IN THIS WAY HE IS ABLE TO SELECT ONE /YEAR-OLD WORMS FOR HIS BREEDING STOCK. / PETE HAS HAD TO HIRE A LOT OF HELP, TOO, BECAUSE HIS /WORM PITS ARE A LITTLE OUT OF THE ORDINARY. EACH PIT IS /LINED WITH A SOFT MULCH OF LEAVES, BARNYARD FERTILIZER, /AND THEN ALFALFA "LEAVINGS." / LAST SPRING HE STARTED SOMETHING NEW. HE BOUGHT FIFTY /OLD WASHING-MACHINE TUBS, SOMETHING THAT A DEALER HAD HAD /TO TAKE IN ON TRADE, AND INTENDED TO JUNK. EACH TUB WAS /PLACED IN A PIT, AND GRAPE VINES WERE PLANTED AROUND EACH /PIT TO RUN ARBORS OVER THE TUBS. THIS WILL, AS PETE SAYS, /"KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE": KEEP HIS WORMS FROM /COOKING IN SUMMER HEAT AND PRODUCE THE FINEST GRAPES /KNOWN. THE SOIL IS EXTREMELY RICH, AND THE WORMS ACT MORE /OR LESS AS CULTIVATORS IN KEEPING IT STIRRED UP DEEP DOWN /IN THE PITS. / NOT LONG AGO A YOUNG CHEMICAL ENGINEER FROM SUN VALLEY /SAW PETE"S SIGN ALONG HIGHWAY 6 AND STOPPED IN TO FIND /OUT ABOUT FISHWORM FARMING. BEFORE HE LEFT, HE BOUGHT /100,000 WORMS. / PETE SHIPS WORMS ALL OVER AMERICA TODAY, AND HE JUST /CAN"T KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND. IN FACT, IT REQUIRES MORE /THAN ONE MAN TO COUNT AND BOX THEM FOR SHIPMENT. THE /WORMS ARE SENT PARCEL POST. HE LINES WAXED-PAPER PINT /CARTONS WITH PEAT MOSS, PUTS IN HIS WORMS AND ADDS JUST /ENOUGH WATER; THEN PUNCHES HOLES IN THE LID SO THE WORMS /CAN BREATHE. / COUNTING WORMS FOR HIS SHIPMENTS IS THE HARDEST PART OF /THE BUSINESS, BECAUSE IT IS NECESSARY TO DIG YOUR HANDS /DOWN INTO THE WARM MULCH, AND THE WORMS MOVE VERY FAST. /LET A LITTLE LIGHT IN, AND THEY SWARM OVER TO THE DARK /OF THE BOX QUICK AND SLIPPERY. / "TAKES ME EXACTLY 13 DAYS TO COUNT OUT 96 BOXES," PETE /SAYS. "SO I BRING MY RADIO OUT HERE TO MAKE THE JOB MORE /PLEASANT." / PETE IS POSSIBLY THE LARGEST FISHWORM FARMER IN THE /WORLD TODAY, AS ORDERS POUR IN FROM THE 48 STATES AND /CANADA. HE HAS PITS ALL OVER HIS YARD WITH MORE THAN /100,000 WORMS PER PIT. PETE BELIEVES THAT THE REASON /THERE AREN"T MORE FISHWORM FARMERS IN AMERICA TODAY IS /BECAUSE IT"S A SQUEAMISH BUSINESS AND TIME CONSUMING; /THEN TOO, THE BIG RESORTS AND FELLOWS WHO LOVE TO FISH /WOULD RATHER PAY ONE CENT A PIECE FOR THEIR WORMS THAN /STOP AND DIG THEM. / PETE DOESN"T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SUBSIDIES, OVERPRO- /DUCTION, OR EMBARGOES. HE QUOTES HIS OWN PRICES, AND SO /FAR THERE HASN"T BEEN ANY CEILING PLACED ON WORMS OR /WORM EGGS. FISHWORM FARMING IS PRETTY BIG BUSINESS. IT /CAN BE HANDLED ON A SMALL ACREAGE, AND A MILLION WORMS A /YEAR AT APPROXIMATELY ONE CENT EACH ADDS UP TO A FIVE- /FIGURE INCOME.