Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-09-04
CHILDS' SNAKE FARM.
A Speculpt0r Who Buys Rattlers by tn
 Pound and Fattens Them.

A Speculpt0r Who Buys Rattlers by the Pound and Fattens Them. J. E. Childs has monopoly of snake cultivation and the production of rattle snake oil in Arkansas, in which State is located what is well known through l that country as the Childs' Snake Farm. This peculiar and unenvied enterprise is situated in the suburbs of this little village, in the northeastern part of the State, where snakes, especially rattlers, are found in abundance.
 The writer met by accident MT. Childs, who willingly gave his snake hunting experience in the swamps of Northern Arkansas.
 The manner in which the rattlesnakes | are caught and handled is enough to make cold chills run over persons who are timid. I've nty-five cents to one dol lar per pound for rattlesnakes, however makes 1t an inducement for the natives, who live near a good market, to hunt and catch rattlers for Livelihood, and here is how they do it:
 Two men in their search for profit in the snake industry go together. One of them carries long forked pole, or cane, and when snake is found this pole ;s used to hold the reptile to the ground, which is done by pressing the pole down upon the snake just back of the head. The other snake hunter carries strong cord, which is looped over the head of the poisonous prey and is then used for carrying the reptile to market (which, however, is done without injury 1 to the snake). Other hunters use the pole in the way described, but instead of bringing their captives to market by means of the string they use box which has a sliding lid, and which can be operated with ease and out of reach of the cooped-up rattler.
 When the snake catchers arrive at the residence of MT. ChiIds, the latter, in a careless-like manner, takes the matter in chand, and if box of rattlers, for instance, is brought to him, he removes the lid of the box and takes the snake (wild from the woods) out just as one would reach in for and take hold of a rabbit. The rattler, as soon as the top of his cage is taken of, sets up a con tinuous rattle and misses fearfully. Mr. Childs, however, pays no attention tG this little racket, but simply takes the snake to his farm, weighs it, pays the catcher, and is then ready for a repeti- tion of the act. A good big rattlesnake will weigh from six to ten pounds, and if fat will be worth nearly or quite as many dollars,
 The size of the snake farm is about | half an acre, with a tightly closed pen in it's center, which is the abiding place of the snakes. Here the ugly reptiles | are kept and fattened, and when they | are ready to be put under process for | the production of oil, the reptiles heads are neatly chopped off, and by means of string are tied, head upward, to the side of the pen where the sun is bright est. The heat of the sun, it appears, causes the oil of the snakes to drip out, and it is caught in a receptacle and laid asld aside to be subsequently, sold at from $1 50 to $2 an ounce or from $2O tc S32 pint
 Mir. Childs is said to be the only genuine producer of rattlesnake oil in this country. When quite young he herded in Dakota, and here it was that he formed the friendship of rattlesnakes "a friendship which, he states, has | grown, until now he will pick up a rattler wild from his den with as little fright as he gathers the innocent rabbits and toads which>h constantly feeds to | his captives.
 While the writer was viewing with a feeling of reluotance) the snakerv, Mir. Childs was asked if certain snake ! could swallow the young rabbit which was near it, whereupon the affable man. ager of the snake farm induced the snake to try the capacity of it's throat, which it did to the rabbits misfortune, the rattler putting itself on the outside of bunny with apparent ease,
 Mir. Child's favorite time for capturing snakes is in the fall of the year. He manages to find some small creek which flows out of the highlands Here he watches for and follows up the first rat. | tier that leaves the lowlands for winter quarters in the highlands. In this man
 ner the den is easily found. A box trar is then set in the den capable of holding fifty large snakes. A snake trap is about four feet square. In one end of the box is hole large enough it admit one large rattlesnake. This opening is covered with block hung on leather hinge on the outside of the box. Then the box is buried at the mouth f the den, and in due time the snakes enter and are en, trapped and ready to be handled for the production of oil.
 The skin of a good-sized rattlesnake
 will bring in the market from $2 to S5- owing, of course, to how well it has beer preserved. A den contains all the way from ten to fifty rattlers, and often more.-Harrisburg Ark Letter,