The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-05-02
SNAKES AS SURGEONS.
Farmer Ansley's Rattlers I.ead tc
Important Revelations.


A. A. Ansley owns and lives on big
farm in Pike township. this county.
Pine creek and the turnpike road from
Condcrsport TO Galcton run through
the property, and the high Pine bar
rem known as Hnckleberry hill rises on
ono side Of II. Farmer Ansley Is ono
Of the solid citizens Of Potter county
Some farmers would not think TINT
they had reason ID Dc proud Of the fact
that they had three big rnttlcsnalro
dcns on their farms; much less would
they regard such nppurtcnances there
unto belonging as something to add 70
the value OF their holdings. but Farm
or Ansley does both. He points with
pride to the rocky face of Huclkleberry
hill and indicates three different places
within the space Of few acres where
rattlesnalSes den and have denned from
time ont Of mind. The Ansley farm Is
no better for hay. grain. potatoes and
bnclxwheat than any Of the neighbour
Ing farms Of that part Of tho Pine
creek country are. bnt the owner yaluca
II al not less than Ave dollars IN aero
more than tho average price 81 SUR
rounding soil.
Why he says, '.thcre isn't another
cultivated farm IN tho county. nor In
tins state, r guess, tflnt mas rnree fertile
and prosperous taens Of rattlesnakes on
II have mover attempted TO gather o
full crop Of rattlesnakes on my farm.
because haven't had TO, but believe
could pick five hundred marketable
snakes most any season At the rate
rattlcsnake products are ruling nova
days skins, oil and rattles-thcsc usc-
full snakes ought 10 net about three dol
lars apiece Now. s'pose drought should
make failure Of my hny crop. and rot
knock my potatoes into o cooked hat,
and the weevil chew my wheat all up.
and early frost nip my bucxwheat, I'D
be In Just as bad shape as any other
farmer Ia these parts. II 1t wasn't that
| would have the rattlesnaise crop 70
fall back on In such an emergency.
Dry weather doesn't shrivei mp the rat
tlesnalins, nor rot doesn't get Into EN-,
nor wccvil bore 'cm, nor frost cut them
down TO the roots They are sure and
handy BY, ard all | would have to do
would be to harvest thcm and get them
ready for market Why, with never
failing reserve crop like that waiting
for me, I'd be actually sacrificing this
farm II sold II, even with tho five dol
lars an acre added To the price Of farms
that haven't got this great advantage"
The three snake dcns on the Ansley
farm IRE visible from the road. up
among the rocky openings Of Huclkle-
berry hill Farmer Anslcy Is Obliged
to kill several dozen rattlcsnakes every
year, as they come down into his
fields and interfere now and then with
the gardening Of his crops. He had to
stop reaping one day because d big
rattlesnake objected to the passing Of
the machine at the same time he him
self was going across the field. and
pitched into IL The result was that
the snake got tangled mp Ii the
|Scutting bar and clogged mp the
knives SO that they could not
work, and the reaper and the
team had 10 stand Idle for IN hour or
more while the shattered remains Of
the 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 rattlesnalxe crop would be II
1t should be gathered. These nine
were killed because their presence Iii
certain localities on the farm delayed
the work Of tho hired men
Farmer Ansley has decided opinions
about the ability Of rattlesnalxes--at
least those that grow on his farm--to
do extraordinary things, and one Of
these is an operation in ophidian sur
gerry, lii the successful performance Of
which, as wonderful as it Is. Farmer
Ansley Is not only willing but nppar-
emily anxious to back up any of his
snakes with money.
There's one Of my snakes now,
said the farmer the other day, speaking
about HIS dcns to a number Of curious
callers, as q big, bright-hued, fiery
eyed rattlcsnalxc crawled indolently
under rail fence and out ID the road
side. where he paused 70 bask In the
sun. Now, III bet any Of you an
even ter dollars that can cut that
snake linE two with an az. place the
two parts ten feet krom each other.
leave them there, and In ten hours
time the part with the head on win
have come back to the other half,
showed its cut end against the cut end
Of the piece with the tail on. and by an
operation Of itsown VIII have ccmented
tropn csErISvHpl