Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1893-07-27
snakes i, Jumped clean over them in

snakes j umped clean over them in
making the rounds.
Farmer Colby was too badly
frightened to attack tho reptiles,
SO he started pell=msll for the
house to summon assistance. He
was met by two Of his sons on the
way and they all started back. to
the corral. By that time the
stampeded had subside and the
COWS stood with their heads over
the top rail, painting and their eyes
glaring with fear. But there was
not a sign of a snake anywhere.
Investigation showed that the
seven COWS to which the snakes
had attached themselves had been
almost entirely relieved of their
milk.
It dawned upon Farmer Colby
for the first time that he was the
victim Of milk adders. He had
heard of these creatures being in
in collusion with COWS in pasture,
but it waa the first time he ever
saw them buekled down to busi-
ness. There were numberless
cracks in the barn foundation and
all were satisfied that the snakes
had their rendezvous beneath the
structure. Farmer Colby said he
must find out, and would do SO ii
he had to pull down the barn:
With The assistance of
the two boys the floor was pulled
up, and sure enough, the problem
was solved. If there was one milk
adder there was six dozen: they
were all sizes, from an angelworm
to an inch rope and some we're
three feet long. The first impulse
of Farmer Colby was to run when
he saw the snakes but when he
saw his sons knocking them out
with bale sticks he joined in the
slaughter. Enough hay for a
weeks feeding was found beneath
the barn floor, and in 1.-THE snakes
had made nests. When the hay
was disturbed the small snakes
would jump down their mothers
throats. and the latter, if not
slaughtered, would crawl into
holes in the ground. The seven
monsters that had attached them
selves to the COWS could easily be
d distinguishes from the Others, as,
they we're 30 fnl of milk that they
resemble q sausage coyors inflated.
Not one of the seven had a chance
to escape; they were SO heavy with
their load of pure milk that they
could hardly crawl, and when they
tried to get into the holes in the
ground, the holes proved too small
to admit thom. When thirty-nine
adders had been despatched they
were carried outside the barnyard
aud laid side by side. They
measured all the way from four
inches to three feet and resembled
a xylophone board. When the hay
was removed from beneath the
barn floor and the holes plugged
up with sticks. Farmer Colby set
about burying the snakes. His
sons were posed of more fore
thought than the older man and
were lazier, too, SO they quietly
tossed the snakes into he pigpen
for swine feed, and that saved the
effort OF burying them.
Before the snake syndicate was
disco sered eighteen COWS used to
average ZIG quarts of milk. Since
the syndicate has broken up the
average is 243 quarts. Whether
the snakes actually consumed
twenty-seven quarts of milk a day,
or whether part of the shortage
was due to the cows taking fright
can only be conjectured. But as
the shortage is known to have
existed for nine weeks. Farmer
Colby reekons that he is out just
1.701 quarts of milk, which at
four cents per quart wholesale nets
him total loss of $6S.O4.
Curious Layoutin a Cornerstone