The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-31


Adder Makes Good Walking Stick
Results in the Establishment of a
Unique Industry.
From the Worcester Telegram.
Hamilton, or Ham Bartlett. as he is
known among his neighbors, is probably
one of the very few men in the country
who breed and rear snakes for a liveli-
hood. This, however, is Hams occupa-
ton, and during the fall months of the
year, when he harvests his crop of hiss
ing, twisting swapping pets, he is en-
abled to lay by a goodly number Of shecl6-
els for a rainy day
Mr. Bartlett lives in Shrewsbury, on
what is known as the old turnpike road.
in the western part of the township, Here
he has a farm that was titled by his ia
Their and granfather before him. The lit
tile farm is an unpretentious affair. com
prising about twenty acres, at least one
half of which is pasturage. In the rear
of the little old farmhouse is situated a
ledge running nearly the entire length OF
the farm. It Is a sort of rotten limestone,
in some places forty feet in height. and
the rocks have for years been crumbling
| away. On the top of the knoll or ledge
is a grove. consisting mostly of low ev-
ergreen trees and mountain laurel. 1t is
here that the snakes which are so prifit-
able to Mr.. Bartlett are reared and caught.
In the summer they venture out of the
grove, which is a swanIpy sort of a place
and then the sides of the ledge can be
seen to be literally alive with snakes of
the added variety.
These snakes have made this place their
home for years, even the oldest inhabi-
tants REMEMBERING when the Bartlett
homestead was stunned by many of the
townspeople, who believed the bite of the
adder to be poisonous, and who feared to
venture near it. For years also did the
| Bartletts try every known method to rid
their farm of the pests. Armed with clubs
| and other missiles, they would day after
day visit their home on the sunny side
of the ledge, and there slaughter as many
as possible. The day was come, how
ever, when the true value of these SER
penis was to be made known.
1t was three years ago last summer
| that the Bartletts received a visit from
a city. cousin whose home is In Boston.
He had come out to spend his vacation
with his fathers brother, who is a prom
fnent shoe dealer at the Hub. Young
| Bartlett is a dashy sort of a fellow. the
! personifcation of neatneSs in his dress,
and invariably carrying cane in his
hand One day he observed a dead adder
lying by the side of the ledge where it
had fallen q victim to a club in the hands
/ of his cousin He could not help being
| attracted by the great beauty of the spot
ted coloring of the snake, and simultan-
| eously il occurred to him that 1t would
] = foY 10 he
| snake to some taxidermist and have the
| skin properly prepared. He could then
| stretch 1t upon a stick to be used as
cane. The thought was parent to the &C
ton, and the dead snake was boxed up
| and shipped off to Boston. The cane
! made. il was proudly exhibited to his
| friends by young Bartlett all of whom
| acknowledged its great beauty, and were
| DESTROYS of securing like canes. Thus
| IL was that from time to time Mr. Bartlett
| received requests Tor a dead adder, &C
| companied by liberal checks. Now, Mr..
| Bartlett harvests a regular crop each
! fan, getting exceedingly liberal prices.
/ the sum total of which exceeds what
| he would be able to make on dozen
! Shrewsbury farms. Mr.. Bartletts snake
farm was visited yesterday by a Tele-
| gram reporter, and although he saw no
| snakes on the ledge, they being in their
| winter quarters, he did listen TO any
amount OF snake talk, all of which proved
| interesting.
II guess" remarked Mr.. Bartlett, after
cordially welcoming the scribe that you
have come to the only snake farm in
the country. l have heard, however, that
/ there is chap out west somewhere
who breeds rattlesnalSes for their oil.
but l don't know as there is any such
| fellow and / even forget where 7 e lives"
Mr.. Bartlett explained his method "
capturing the adders, which is b. means
OF a long fish pole from the end II which