Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1895-09-13
ELoRinAs ALLleAToR EARMs.
Ten Thousand Baby Gators Raised Ever
Year For Sale to Tourists.


Ten Thousand Baby Gators Raised Every
Year For Sale to Tourists.
The attention Of the United States fish
commission has been called recently to
new and remarkable industry-namely
the artificial propagation of alligators
For supplying the trade in Florida curios-
tiles there is a large demand for young
REPTILES of this kind. In Jacksonville,
which is the center Of the traffic from
s. 200 to 10, 900 alligators are sold to tour
lists annually-Eearly all Of them baby
ones. The latter are collected in consid-
cradle numbers by professional hunters,
who receive for them from $50 to SO a
hundred. Some of them are disposed OF
alive at retail, but many are stuffed. An
infant alligator stuffed is worth 20 cents
more than "a live one. Saurians TO II
feet long fetch SIP to $50.
The difficulty Of securing young ALI
gators in sufficient numbers has led to the
establishment of the strange business de-
scribed. To find the nests Of these rep
tiles is comparatively easy, and the eggs
are shipped in bulk by the hunters to Jack
sonville. In that city thore are IL dealers
in alligators. the best known of them be-
ing a man who has earned the sobriquet OF
Alligator Davis. 1t was he who originat-
cd the incubator system, which is simple
enough. The eggs about the size OF goose
eggs, are placed IN boxes Of sand and COW
cred up The boxes are exposed ON roof
to the torrid rays of a semitropical sun,
and in a few days the lizards are Matched.
They are q inches or SO in length when
they make their first appearance in the
world. Some Of them are killed and
stuffed as soon as they sec daylight.
A species Of true crocodile is found IN
southern Florida on both coasts. 1t Is
hardly distinguishable from the alligator
except by the shape Of its head, though 1t
grows bigger, attaining length OF Is ieet.
DR.. Hugh NJ. Smith of tho iish commits
sion says that young crocodiles are hatch
ed for market in the same fashion. The
mother crocodile laws her eggs in sand ike
a turtle and simply covers them over
Somewhat different is the practice of the
maternal alligator, who, in April or May
seeks a sheltered spot on bank and there
builds a small mound. The foundation
Of the mound is Of mud and grass ana on
this she lays some eggs. She covers the
eggs with another stratum OF grass ana
mud, upon which she deposits some more
eggs. Thus she proceeds until she has lald
from 100 to 200 eggs.
The eggs, in the course Of time, are
Matched by the sun, assisted by the heat
which the decomposition of the vegetable
material generates. AS soon as they have
"chipped the SHELF the bay alligators
are led to the water by the mother, who
provides them with food which she dis
gorges, showing much anxiety for their
safety At this early period Of their ex-
istence they arc exposed to many dangers
being favorite prey of fishes and turtles
Alligators' eggs, by the way, are some-
times eaten by the Florida crackers. The
robbing Of the nests for market is helping
to hasten the inevitable destruction of the
alligator fishery, which has been an inn
portant and profitable industry in Florida.
Facts recently gathered by the fish COM