The sea coast echo., 1895-09-14
TEXAS SNAKE BARS.

keceszaFy Frseautions In Homes Along
tins Ixio 0rauds.
J. p Mason, well-inown travel,
zsng man, who has just returned from
business trip through southwest
Texas gives the following interest
bog account Of peculiar phase OF life
ia that part Of the world:
81 There Is a little strip Of country in
ETexas down by the Rio Grandc where
<suakes are literally too numerous TO
They are really MS thick as
<she provcrbial dead leaves OF vallom.
Ebrosa, and the rost nbs.en.ious MAJ.
In existence sees enough snakes in q
minute TO knock him silly. ! have
friend, Jim Hughes by name, living
down in that region, who owns cat
lie ranch, consisting OF one thousand
Eve hundred acres OF land, and really
and truly the trial of the serpent was
over them all. Jim has a wife who IA
the pretticst little woman west of the
Mississippi, and two Of the dearest lit
lie girls in the whole world. reckon,
and for long time Jim was put to
Il 10 know how to protect his fnini.
ly from the snakes. lie said that IL
used to be so that during the first warm
days OF early spring, when the snakes
we're just awakening from their torpor,
he and his ranchmen, cowboys, etc.
would just have to leave the cattle TO
their fate and form Gordon about the
house TO keep theareptiles out. Now
adays. though, such constant precau-
ton is not necessary, as he has hit
upon q device to circumvent the snakes
10 certain extent He manages TO dc
this by fencing in the house yard with
closely-woven wire netting.
10 begin with, however, he had TO
dig ditch all around the place TO the
depth OF about four feet and plant
cedar posts, letting them stand about
six feet above tile level of the ground.
Then on these posts lie stretched ten.
foot wire netting and threw the dirt
back In the ditch. by this means, YOU
see, be had four feet of netting under
ground, which prevented the snakes
burrowing beneath and coming into
the yard, and a six-foot fence above.
which only the more adventurous re u.
tiles try TO surmount. Now aud then
. little snake will manage TO wriggle
through the meshes of the wire
and get into the yard, bnt the
big fellows are practically circum.
vented. Every morning, though, man
goes all over the yard on a tour OF in.
spection, killing all the small snakes
that may have crept IN before Mrs.
Hughes or the little girls venture out
OF the house. 1t is not a very pleasant
prospect, either, although you arc
seated in the house in comparative Sc.
curity, TO look over the fence and see
reptiles writhing and squirming in the
sun, now and then butting against th I,
fence or clingipg to the wire In hide
Gus coiling festoon.
About two miles away from tho
place Is little bog or marsh, whence
little stream makes into the river.
and here the reptiles breed. Hughes
inyeigled me into going over one
night to the neighborhood OF the bog,
and never shall forget the horribl,
noises that emanated therefrom. Tbs
snakes were evidently fighting among
themselves, and the bog seemed TO be
alive with them. Deliver me from an
other experience like the one that
night, and from home In Texas down
by the Rio Grande. Hughes thinks it
Is the garden spot OF the universe.
however, and says when he succeeds
ingettng that marsh properly drained
the snakes will disappear Philadel-
phia Times.