Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-19


ber." He would mean that he detected the
peculiar cucumber odor of the "rattler."
he would then look for the reptile and
quickly dispatch it If it had not meantime
escaped.
| A Snake Bite for q Drink.
At a country tavern in the mountains, on
the headwaters Of the Susquehanna West
branch), the writer once saw an old back
woodsman with half dozen rattlesnakes in
box, Offering to be bitten on the hand any
number of times for the moderate recon-
| pense of a drink of whisky per bite. After
| q bite he would instantly suck the poison
from the wound and then take an enormous
| drink of whisky. No serious consequences
resulted, although his immunity from harm
may have been largely due to his appar-
| emily liquor-saturated body.
The minor snakes that we see in fields
| and water are as harmless as kittens. Even
the big blacksnakes, six or seven feet long,
would be no match Tor a 12-year-old boy in
hand fight, unless 1t should get a fold
around his neck, which would be very un-
likely.
The anatomy of the serpent is what chiefly
interests the naturalist, particularly the
provision by which it is enabled to move
with considerable rapidity without any ap-
parent means of locomotion. While the
vertebra of the average quadruped are from
30 to 40 in number, those of the serpent are
nearly 200. The pliancy of this structure
enables the reptile to move faster and more
gracefully than many large animals that are
well equipped with legs. Serpents are
hatched from eggs. Just here is another
queer thing about the reptile. The eggs are
sometimes Matched within the mothers
body, while at other times they come from
eggs laid and Matched in the air. In the
first case the young are born in an immature
state, something like the young of the opos-
sum. When danger appears the little
wrigglers hurry to the mother, and although
she has no pocket for their reception, like
the opossum mothers, she has an expansive
mouth into which the young hurriedly
dive.
The Problem of Daily Food.
IF baby born to-day shall have the good
fortune to reach extreme old age, he will
probably live on food in his latter years
very different from that which now graces
our tables. If he gets his triumphs of
dental art into beet, mutton or pork in his
old age. he will be lucky, and even the
only dream to him. Why? Because the
producing capacity of the country will be
totally inadequate to furnish our present
chief foods to the enormous population that
will swarm in the United States when the
baby of to-day becomes an octogenariau.
The population OF our country is now about
65,000,000. 1t is doubling nearly once in
every 80 years. Therefore, in 1921 it will
be 130 600. .000 in 1851 1t will be 260, 600, 900,
and in 1881 it will have swelled to the enor-
nous number of $40, 900, 900.
These figures are probably somewhat in
excess of what the increase will actually be,
because the ratio of immigration to native
increase will gradually diminish. But some
Of our best authorities on the subject have
estimated the population OF the United States
at minimum of SOC, ,000. 900 century hence.
How will this amazing swarm of humanity
be fed? Allowing that we shall by that time
have absorbed Canada and Mexico, the
tillable land would not supply half the popu-
lation, probably not one third. with such
food as we now chiefly use. There is very
little grazing land that is not already in use
for raising domestic animals for food, and
comparatively little of the product is ex-
ported. The majority of our population,
perhaps only 30 years hence will be obliged
to eschew flesh food because of its scarcity
and excessive cost. The same may be said
of the ground on which our cereals are raised
wheat, corn, barley, oats and the like
There is no apparent way to make an acre OF
ground more fruitful than it now is in the
products alluded to.
Will Live on Fish and Vegetables,
There will be food enough for all, no
doubt, but it will probably consist almost
wholly of fish and vegetables. Fish will
take the place of mammalian food, and very
likely fish culture will be one of the most
important industries in the country. We
know that fishes are capable of enormous
productions single FISH sometimes produc-
ing millions OF eggs, US in the case of the |
Goldfish. Of the vast number of eggs laid
only very small proportion result in full
grown fishes because of the destruction of
eggs aud minnows. Devices FOR the protec.
tlon oil eggs and young would secure the
production of almost unlimited fish supply. |
Thirty bushels of wheat per acre would be
about the utmost that farmer could expect |
for his crop. As the wheat area Is now
pushed almost to its limit, the coming man.
in the near future, will have to get along
without the products of the great mills at |
Minneapolis. Bot an acre OF ground has
been made to produce 400 bushels of pota-
toes, and hence we may assume that the |
potato will survive q long time.
So you see that the baby of to-day will not |
necessarily starve in his old age, though he |
may have to use his elbows good deal in
getting through the crowd. Fish, potatoes
and surface vegetables will make sufficient
food, and it will be more healthful than |
flesh. 1t is well to remember too, that ami |
NAL eating is only lingering habit OF mans |
ancient savagery. But think of half a |
billion people in our country, and then
imagine that number doubled only third |
of a century later. and SO on. 1t will prob !
ably be necessary to hang up the notice that |
the manager uses when the theatre is |
crowded, Standing room only"
j. H. WEBB.