New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-02-28
RAISING ALICIA TORS as PETS.
MR. MATHEWS WORK WITH AN INCUBATOR

MR.. MATHEWS WORK WITH AN INCUBATOR
HOW HE SUCCEEDED IN REARING PRAIRIE CHICK
EMS.
There are about two dozen little alligators squrning
about III the show window of No. 90 Broadst. Beside
them il a three story incubator with number OF huhy
little chickens looking out OF the second story
windows The inference is natural that the youthinl
ag also hatched out by artificial means ana
the other day a TRIBUNE reporter went in TO ask MT
Maher about it. Mr.. Mather is great broad should
cred Intelligent Scotohman who is the stopmOther of
tens of thousands of little chickens, ducklincs ana
roslinps. who were " born they know rot Why" but
who could read the answer in a scientific arrangement
of kerosene lamps and sawdust, if they were htte
better posted us TO causes aud effects IN the ho OF
clokcndOn.
Mr. Msther smiled and said that the flock or trno or
hrrd or whatever the " commercial settlement Of
ag ators may be called all Matched out in his IN
cubators and he had done the same thing many times
before Out of this batch OF fifty eggs he had In
cubsted" thirty-fye bouncing young algatOrs. 1t
required from thir;y-wo to thirty five days to COM
pete the OPERATION but this was al improvement oil
three days on nature. When on her native heath.
Mrs Alligator leaves hor eggs carefully buried on IA
convenient sard bar aud then goes OF TO gossip with
her lady alligator friends, leaving her embryonic Oh
spring to the tender mercies OF the sand and the sun
and turtle horny aud has Of the car Donate OF
lime that forms mI part OF the ordinary egg
shell II is not chip el or cracked by the ambitious
inmate but b softened by moisture and then worn
away or burst open In the natural state there Is often
a lack of moisture AMI ii Is by supplying ms need
that Mr. Mather is enabled TO compete successfully
with nat, TO in the manufacture OF alhgaiois
The intane alligator ia about six inches long una
black the heart OF stage villain for lhe ntt lev
DAYS be nOurishes himself with the absorption OF ms
shell lining When thin means OF support exhausted
he is fed on oatmeal milk and meat Inc 0atme" Is
spripklcd in the water N which be paddles about.
once in three DAYS be ia taken mp and choked until he
| cpens hi. mouth. Then little pieces Of iresh meat.
each about tue size ot pepper corn are dropp'u mo
secretive entails of a cast-iIou First National Funk
VII, the milk is Ia be fed 10 him he Il hanged up ~
the tail with his rose Just submerged III the mix.
This leaves him the choice between ruho StihE Anh
drinking milk and lie isn't bad little alligator at
heart he generally yields to persuasion. The members
Of Mr. Mathers happy alligator family are I'VE or -iN
| weeks old and extremely vIyacOus tor aGaiots of
! thai are They are about "A foot long. lh"r teeth
orp, opcd and one vicious little bull near
! taking a piece out Of Mr. Mahcr'- thumb the other
day lie had his alligator hip III bis pocket aud when
be put his hand 10 pull him out. the y"nng reptile
! caught hold OF his thumb. ANY attempt TO rLakc or
pull him OF would have taken piece out Of the thumb.
! The only way was 10 choke him I'LL hc ga'ped.
| Mr Mather says that he has raised many alligator
ard sold them pets. They can be taught to como
! hen wbislcd for and when locked ont in The back
kitchen over nj, BIT will bark Ike lonely dog.
Vigorous and repeated applications Of the suck Val
cure him OF this trick OF singing when he's -aldcei. ana
although a wcl-tI.iueI ali gator hd- trouble about
putting his tail between hIs legs, lie j make the al
| tempt aud crawl under the table when the si'ch j.
shaken at him The all gator IL said 10 1--we ~ tC 2" d
old age Of one hundred wears If not troubled With d'
pepsia and Mr. Ma her IL able 10 stand mp bt"rc hl,
fellow men and tell story about one that he kept tii
| lie vas five feet long and ten inches broad, ana -
strong that he could tnI his owner 10 ID ca'c a.
catch can wrestling match lhl' highY 'daca'H mn
gator would claw ms beloved master. and thrash Inn
with his tail in fun bat could never bite nm OF any o
his Children though not aycrse to an occasional mourn
81 80 if. NALL hoy Of
"Ive hatched out snakes tur' lc- and all kinde oi
fowls and reptiles" SAYS Mr. Matter but the wor'l
thing | ever tackled was a pinlrie chicken IO-'
brood after brood matter what fed them fihhi\
gavo two men 80 each 10 60 Out and find me nest o.
Young birds il 1T halcl ed. They brought ne tHIce
| When opened their crops found. hetile rted i'no
| thy seed ard one or two other light seeds in thtm
That gave me tho kcy After that could raise all tb'
| prairie chickens that were wanted