Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-10-06
SNAKES AS SURGEONS.
Farmer Ansley's Rattlers Load tc
Important Revelations.
A Crop That Never Fails and Can DO It's
own Doctoring- blacksmith Ham
ley's Stories Of Gifted Reptiles
Two Dollars Ahead.


Two Dollars Ahead.
a. A. Ansley owns and lives on n big
farm in Pike township, this county.
Pine creek and the turnpike road from
Condersport TO Galeton run through
the property, and the high pine bar
rem known as Huckleberry hill rises on
one side OF It. Farmer Ansley is one
of the solid citizens OF Potter county.
Some farmers would not think that
they had reason TO be proud Of the fact
that they had three big rattlcsnalSe
dens on their farms; much less would
they regard such appurtenances there
unto belonging MS something to add TO
the value Of their holdings. But Farm.
err Ansley does both. lie points with
pride TO the rocky face of llucllcberry
hill and indicates three different places
within the space of few acres where
rattlesnakes den and have denncd from
time out of mind. The Anslcy farm is
no better for hay, grain, potatoes and
buckwheat than any of the neighbor-
ing farms OF that part Of the Pine
creek country are, but the owner values
1t at not less than five dollars an acre
more than the average price of sur.
rounding soil.
why" he says, there isn't another
cultivated farm in the county, nor in
the state, | guess, that has three fertile
and prosperous dcns of rattlesualScs on
It, have never attempted TO gather n
full crop Of rattlesnabcs on my farm,
because | haven't had TO, but ! believe |
tai L =
snakes most any season. At the rate
rattlcsnalSe products are ruling nova
days-slsins, oil and rattles-thesc use.
full snakes ought to net about three dol.
lars apiece. Now. s'posc drought should
make failure of my hay crop, and rot
knock my potatoes into n cooked hat,
and the weevil chew my wheat all up,
and early frost nip my buclSwheat, I'd
be In Just as bad shape as any other
farmer in these parts. IL IL wasn't that
| would have the rattlcsnalse crop 10
fall back ON in such an emergency.
Dry weather doesn't shrivel up the rat
tlesnakes, nor rot doesn't get into EN-,
nor weevil bore EN-, nor frost cut them
down TO tho roots. They are sure and
handy by, and all would have 10 do
would be to harvest them and get them
ready for market Why, with n never
failing reserve crop like that waiting
for me, I'd be actually sacrificing this
farm II / sold II, even with the five dol
lars an acre added to the price of fsrms
that haven't got this great advantage,
The three snake dens on the Ansley
farm are visible from the road, up
among the rocky openings Of Hucisle,
berry hill Farmer Ansley Is Obliged
to kill several dozen rattlesnakes every
year, az they come down into his
fields and interfere now and then with
the gardening Of his crops lie had to
stop reaping one day because a big
rattlesnahe objected 70 the passing OF
the machine at the same time he him
self was going across the field, and
pitched into it. The result was that
the snake got tangled up in the
cutting bar and clogged up the
knives SO that they could not
work, and the reaper and tho
team had TO stand idle for an hour or
more while the shattered remains Of
tho snake were picked and dug out of
the machine. One day recently
Farmer Ansley had hanging in his
orchard nine handsome specimens Of
what his rattlesnake crop would be II
1t should be gathered. These nine
were killed because their presence In
certain localities on the farm delayed
the work Of the hired men.
Farmer Ansley has decided opinions
about tho ability of rattlesnalSes-at
least those that grow on his farm-to
do extraordinary things, and one of
these Is an operation In ophidian sur
gerry, in the successful performance OF
which, as wonderful ne IL is, Farmer
Ansley is not only willing but appar-
emily anxious to back up any Of his
snakes with money. -., %! ma
There's one OF my snakes now"
said the farmer the other day, speaking
about his dens TO number Of curious
callers, as big, bright-hued, fiery
eyed rattlesnake crawled indolently
under a rail fence and out TO the road
side, where he paused TO bask in the
sun. "Now, I'll bet any Of you an
even ten dollars that can cut that
snake lin two with an az, place tho
two parts ten feet from each other.
leave them there, and in ten hours
time the part with the head on will
have come back to the other half,
showed its cut end against tho cut end
OF the piece with the tail on, and by an
operation Of Its own will have cemented
or grow itself together again SO that
1t can travel away Just as good 4 snake
as II ever was"
There either was not ten dollars
among the visitors, or any one OF them
who had the amount was afraid 10 take
the bet, for II was not taken.
"rll bet you two dollars" said one Of
the party.
mo, STRIP said Farmer Ansley. 81
don't put any Of my snakes to the
strain OF that operation for less than
ten dollarsI'