St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-11-19
SNAKES AS SURGEONS.
Farmer Ansloy's Rattlers Lead "a
Important Revelations
A Crop That Never Fails and Can 10 Ii
Own Observation-Disclosures Has,
ley's Stories Of Gifted Reptiles-
Two Dollars Ahead.

A. A. Ansley owns and lives on q big
farm in Pike township. this county.
Pine creek and the turnpike road from
Condersport to Galcton run through
the property. and the high pine bar
rem known as Hucklcberry hill rises on
one side Of il. 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 rattlesnake
dens ON their farms: much less would
they regard such appurtenances there
unto belonging as something to add to
the value of their holdings. But Farm.
er Ansley does both. lie points with
pride to the rocky face Of Huckleberry
hill and indicate. three different places
within the space of few acres where
rattlesnakes den and have denned from
time ont Of mind. The Ansley farm is
no better for hay, grain. potatoes and
buckwhcat than any of the ncighbor-
ing farms OF that part Of the Pine
creek country are, but the ownervalucs
It n not less than Eve 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 dens Of r.ttlesuakes on
It. have never attempted to gather a
full crop of rattlesnakcs on my farm.
because ] haven't had to. but I believe
could pick Eve hundred marketable
snakes most any season. At the rate
rxttlesnakc products are ruling nova
days-skins, oil and rattles-these use
full snakes ought 70 net about three dol
lars apiece. Now. s'pose drought should
make failure of my hay crop. and rot
knock my potatoes into cooked hat,
and the weevil chew my wheat all up,
and early frost nip my buckwheat, I'D
be in just as bad shape aS any other
farmer in these parts. il it wasn't that
would have the rattlesnaxc crop to
fall back on in such an emergency.
Dry weather doesn't shrivcl up the rat
tlesnakcs, nor rot doesn't get into 'em,
nor weevil bore 'cm, nor frost cut them
down to the roots. They are sure and
handy by. and all / would have to do
would be TO harvest them and get them
ready for market Why, with q never
failing reserve crop like that waiting
for mc. I'D he actually sacrificing this
farm If l sold il. even with the five dol
lars an acre added to the price of farms
that haven't got this great advantage" +"
The three snake dens ON the Ansley
farm arc visible from the road. up
among tho rocky openings Of Huckle-
berry hill Farmer Ansley is obliged
20 kill several dozen rattlesnakcs every
year, rs they como down into his
fields and interfere now and then with
the gardenin: OF his crops. He had to
stop reaping one day because . big
rattlesnaisc objected to the passing Of
the machine ut the same time he him
self was going across the field. and
pitched into it. The result was that
the snake gos tangled mp in the
cutting bar and clogged up the
knivesssN -7hat they could not
work, .aSe @the sesper and the
team hsri % stshd idl0 for an hour or
more while the shattered remains Of
the snake were picked and dug out Of
the machine. One day recently
Farmer Anslcy haG hanging in his
orchard nine handsome specimens Of
what his, rattlesualec crop would be If
il should be gathered These nine
were killed because their presence in
certain Realities on the farm delayed
the work Of the hired men.
Farmer5Ansley has decided opinions
about the ability Of rattlesnalres--st
least those that grow on his farm-to
do extraordinary things. and ono Of
tl.ese is an operation in Ophidian sur
gerry, in the successful performance Of
which. q 0.oubeEfui - il il. Former
Ansley is rot only willing but appar-
emily onxious to back mp any Of his
snakes with money.
There's one OF my snakes now"
said the farmer the other day, speaking
about hiA dens to . number Of curious
callers, s6.e tig. fright-hued, 6ery.
eyed rs:tlesnals crawled indoiently
under ran fence and out TO the road
side, where he paused 70 bask in the
sun. Now, Ill bet any Of you IN
even ten SlaollHs thst 1 can cut that
snake lin two with an *, place the
two psrs Ten: feet fron each other.
leave them there. and in ten hours
tine the part with the head on viii
have come back TO the other hall.
Ihoved its cut end Against tho cut end
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