The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1896-07-29

about two feet high, and it thinks a
huekleberry picker is making too much
fuss over its head 1t admonishes him
not to become too familiar and to move
on. This it does by giving its tail a
number of violent twists, whence results
a rafting noise inimitable by any
mechanism yet devised and readily rec
ognized by the picker, if to the manor
born, who loses no time in looping over
the adjoining bushes. 1t is not we'll to
pay return visit to the snake immedi-
ately after, for having given the warning
rattle, it coils itself into small heap,
ready to spring upon any foe that may
appear. Not only is snake dangerous
then, but also it cannot be killed with
out likelihood of its biting itself. Thus
it is let alone, with the knowledge that
its fury will soon subside, and it will not
leave the place. An hour or two late r
the same snake may be found lying at
full length under the same huckleberry
bush, and apparently as cool as though
no recent unpleasantness had occurred.
Then it is killed by the bushwhakers as
the one that strolled down into the clio
yer field in search of mice and birds.
Now comes the dissection of rattle
snake, which is trick in itself, and but
few engaging in a hunt are willing to I'M
dertake it. There is as much prepare
ton for it as for modern antiseptic
surgical operation. The preliminary
part consists in fastening the snake upon
a board, which is done by driving a nail
through the serpent's head and another
through the tail. During the last of
the task the operator proceeds with the
utmost care, for should the snake have
bitten itself, and ne cut his fingers, blood
poisoning and death would result.
The fat of the rattleSnake has vel
lowish color, not unlike that of young
beef. 1t is surprising what an amount
of fat can be cut out of rattlesnake ID
prime condition. The fat is rendered
just like that of hog or steer. The oil
produced, from two to three ounces to a
snake, is almost white in color, and has
the consistency of tortoise oil, which it
Ic.osely resembles. The method of test
ing the oil, to ascertain whether it is
poisonous or not, is unique. A teacup
is half filed with sweet milk. On the
surface of this milk is allowed to fall q
drop of oil. If the oil is broken up by
the force of the fall into small gl9bules,
which float around the surface of the
milk, then the oil is poisonous, the
snake, during the process of killing,
having bitten itself; on the other hand
if the drop of oil withstands the jar OF
the fall, and does not break into glob-
ules, but swims about the surface OF the
milk, the whole adhering as one mass,
then the snake did not bite itself, and
the oil may be used with safety. A
scientist might not place much credence
in test like this, but the Pennsylvania
rattlesnake hunters rely on its implicitly,
and many dish of oil they have taken
out into the garden and buried in conse-
quence.
The uses to which rattlesnake oil is
put are varied. The oil is looked upon
as panacea for every i'll that defes
either diagnosis or ordinary treatment.
1t is called into requistion when other
remedies show no potency. Whatever
ailing or failing does not yield to medi-
cines or ordinary applications is believed
susceptible to the efficacy of rattlesnake
oil. Thus wart that refuses to sue
sumb to powwowing, or holds it's own
after being rubbed with live toad,
is bathed with rattlesnake oil as a last
resort, after which a piece of fat pork
is tied upon it to remain over night.
The pork in the morning is buried along
side the house, where the water, drip
ping from the house, may fall upon it.
In such case, however, the rattlesnake
oil does not do its work if the person
burying the piece of meat looks back up
on the place of lnterment.
RingwOrmS are not supposed to hold
| out long after rattleSnake oil has been
rubbed into them with a piece of quartz.
A razor honed with rattlesnake oil may
cut, but it will never draw blood. 4
door hinge thus oiled will henceforth
move too smoothly to squeak. Sore
eyes of all kinds, including pinkeye and
cataract, are treated with it. A colt
that is stunted and scrubby has the oil
rubbed under it's tongue. A sick sheep
that can't chew it's cud is dosed
with small ball made OF sour bread
and the green inner bark of the elder
bush, shaved off downward, and rubbed
with rattlesnake oil. When a cow suf-
fers from some occult distemper, shown
in the loss of flesh or the gradual falling
off in the yield milk, her tail is slit open
longitudinally, about the middle, for
four or five inches down to the bone. In
the opening is sprinkled pepper and salt,
after which rattlesnake oil is dropped in.
The wound is then tied shut by winding
piece of cloth around the
tail like bandage. The poor COW, SEN
sitive to the wound of the knife and the
burning of the pepper and salt, switches
her tail in distressing fashion, but the
farmer condoles himself with the assur-
ance that she will come out winner,
and as a compensation be restored to
health. Rattlesnake oil is regarded also
as a cure for the bite of mad dog,