Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-01
DEPRESSION IN ALLIGATORs.
Reckless Hunting Has Made Them Rather
Scarce In Florida.

Reckless Hunting Has Made Them Rather
Scarce in Florida.
Alligators are high. For many years the
supply Of them has been obtained mainly from
Florida. There has been a great demand for
their skins, and as q result. they have been
hunted relentlessly. Now they are getting
scarce, and the industry Of procuring them for
market is threatened with extinction. This is
not surprising. inasmuch as il is estimated that
$500 600 of these great lizards have been killed
in Florida since 1880.
Large numbers Of alligators are DESTROYED
before they are old enough to breed. They
grow very slowly. When one year old they
measure only twelve inches in length. At If
teen years they are two feet long. When you
see one Of the largest size, 12-footer You can
take it for granted that the animal is at least
seventy-fve years of age. He grows as long as
he lives, but the process is not rapid. Nobody
knows the duration of an alligator's life under
natural conditions, but it is certainly much
longer than that Of the average human being.
DR.. Hugh N. Smith Of the United States fish
commission says that there are very few alli-
gators left in the St. Johns river. Hunters in
that region who have devoted many years to
the business are giving 1t up. 1t seems only Q
question of time when this valuable fishery,
which could by proper care be preserved for an
great loss Of a large element of the population
inhabiting the interior of the state. In the
Indian river country Cocoa. Melbourne and
Fort Pierce headquarters for alligator
hunting and trade in the hides. few years
ago one hunter at Cocoa killed 800 alligators
i'll a season and another secured forty-two in
one night.
In 1889 and 1890 twelve hunters in the vicin-
ity of Melbourne killed about 1000 alligators
At Fort Pierce large numbers Of the saurians
| were handled in former years. In 1889 twelve
men brought in 1000 skins and in 1890 q 600
skins. In S9alligator hides to the number Of
6.70O were shipped from Miami to New York,
and in 1890 the number shipped was 5,033
Kissinmee, situated on Lake Tohopekaliga in
the interior OF the state is an important center
| of the alligator trade. In 1889 three firms were
located there for the purpose of buying skins
| taken in the region between Lake Kissimmee
and Lake Okeechobee, and in that year they
handled 80, 600 hides. In 1890 only two firms
did business, purchasing $4,000 skins
This decline of over 50per cent was due chiefly
to scarcity of alligators, but also influenced
by the low prices received by the hunters The
skins mentioned represented the work of about
twenty professional and eighty semi-pr >fes-
sional sportsmen. The aggregate number Of
animals killed and the average number to q
man are very much less than the result a few
secure 600 gators in two or three weeks. The
marketable skins are from three to twelve feet in
| length and are paid for in provisions. ammu-
milton, &c. The dealers get IS cents apiece for
them from the tanners in New York.
! The income CT the alligator hunters in that
region is considerably augmented by the cap
| ture o! offers, says DIR. Smith. of which l,o00
| skins were sold in $780, at average price Of
$3.50 each. Large numbers of other skins are
also brought in, including those Of the deer,
| bear. wildcat, opossum and raccoon. few
years ago large trade was carried on in the
! skins and plumes of various aquatic and wad-
! ing birds, but the practical determination Of
these Wild fowl over large areas has put stop
| to the business.
During tho past three four years a large
part of the alligator trade of Florida has been
conferred in Jacksonville, where there are two
! firms which purchase hides and teeth from
| hunters ann dealers, mostly in the southern
| part OF tbs state. In 1889 these firms handled
about 60 600 skins and in 1890 about 90 900. They
assert that the decline in the business is due to
the fact that the hunters nave been obtaining
more remunerative employment in working the
| phosphate beds, and that much of the trade
that formerly went through Jacksonville now
| goes directly to New York
Live and stuffed alligators enter largely into
| the trade in Florida curiosities. In Jackson
Vile there are twelve dealers in alligators and
eighteen other dealers i'll shells, fish scale
jewelry, alligator teeth, &c. In 1890 about
S,4OO alligators were disposed of to tourists in
jacksonville. The taking of small alligators
| Tor sale as curloslties Is now prominent
feature OF the business. Large numbers are
annually secured and disposed Of at prices
varying with the season. supply and size,
ranging from $50 to S35 per hundred, although
as low as $40 has at times been received. The
price for stuffed alligators is about 25 cents
more than for live ones. Alligators from six to
twelve feet long bring from Sl2 to S14 each.
1t is estimated that about $50 pounds of ALI
gator teeth were sold in 1890. OF the best teeth
about 10 make a pound, but from 15U to 200 OF
the smaller ones are required. The teeth Of
alIigators have some commercial value to the
hunter, blu: in many places of late not much at
tention has been given to them Oh account OF
the difficulty of extracting them and the low
price received-Sl to 81 per pound They arr
removed by burying the head and rotting gu
the teeth. The stuffng Of allgators and the
polishing Of alligator teeth give employment te
about forty persons in addition to the regular
dealerh