During this time, the animals at the Washington Park Zoo dined on fresh food grown on a farm, which operated as part of the city park system. In the Park Nursery, six acres of sunflowers grew to feed the birds at the Zoo.  Many acres of cabbage were planted just to feed the hippopotamus.  Each year, the farm produced 500 bushels of oats, 200 bushels of wheat, and 60 tons of timothy, clover and alfalfa hay.  The vegetable of choice for most of the Zoo animals was carrot, and it was the largest individual crop grown on the farm.