The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1896-07-29
Uses OF RATTLESNAKE OIL.
pryySYLyANIA GERMANS NOW
GATHERING THEIR PANACEA.
r,,a varied Uses to Which 1t Is Put. How
the Reptiles Are Captured. An
Interesting Article.

In the mountains of eastern Pennsylva-
MIA ra.tlesnake hunting is now engaging
4ba attention of the Pennsylvania Ger
mans. The annual snake hunting of
these people is coincident with the SOW
ING of buokwheat, which usually is done
during the week preceding and that fol
lowing the Fourth of July.
The rattlesnake is hunted for it's oil
"Rosselschlange fet,' as the PennsYlva-
MIA Germans call the oil, is by them held
in high esteem because of its alleged
mower to heal and cure many of the baf-
fling and indefnable ills that af1lct man
and beast. The quantity of oil secured
in q season is so small in proportion to
the demand thai it has never become a
commodity of trade; at least in this wise
the Pennsylvania Germans explain the
ignorance of the apothecsry both of it
and its virtues.
AT no time in the year is the rattle.
snake believed to be in so good condi-
ton, physically, for the yielding of oil
in quantity and quality as the early part
of July. 1t then has grown fat on the
wealth of spring, and summers laDguld
DAYS have not had time to warp the
pretty curves of It's plump outline,
The Pennsylvania rattlesnake mas ideas
and tastes of its own. 1t prefers the
mountains, especially such parts as are
covered by short, thick underbrush, as
huckleberry bushes. 1t likes to wriggle
through these and climb over them, be.
cause of the chance of finding there
creeping and gnawing things for food.
Occasionally it ventures down the noun
tain sides into the plains, though never
far; for when it reaches the moist mead
ow it turns back to the fields of stumps
and stubble. Here it haunts stone piles
and stone fences, where it find mice and
birds to eat, and opportunity to bask in
the hot sun. 1t is because of the latter
weakness that it often comes to grief at
the hands of the haymakers, for rich
clover abounds in such fields, to be
dragged along to the farm house in the
evening, and there dissected. Worthy
of note here is the unYarying habit of
haymakers to postpone such dissection
until the sun has gone down, for not
until then does death come, to the snakes
tail.
The killing of the rattlesnake by the
lawmakers is easy and safe. The RATHER
is usually found lying on a stone fence,
stretched out at full length, like lazy
alligator in Central park. The hot bak
ing stones underneath and the broiling
sun overhead seem to render it oblivious
to what is going on around; it dislikes
to even open its eyes at an approaching
sound. All this naturally is taken ad-
vantage of by the haymakers. They
keep perfectly quiet. It is customary in
haymaking to take slight rest every
time the end IF the field has been reach
ed. Nine times out of ten there is a
stone pile in proximity. Then the time
intended for rest is given to looking for
snakes. When one of the white and
gray blotched beauties is found roasting
Itself on the hot stones, the men procure
a branch ten feet long and an inch Or
two in diameter at the point where it is
cut from the tree. The limbs are trim
med off closely, save two at the thinner
end, which are cut prong-shaped,
so as to form short fork. One of the
party then takes the branch, heavy end,
IN both hands, and stealthily approach
ing the sQake from the rear iabs the
fork over the back of the neck. The
snake, OF course, will lash the air with
Its tail and dart its tongue in and out,
expressing both pain and anger, but it
can't move its head, because it is pinned
last by the fork on its neck. Before it
has time to philosophize over its abiect
hetplessness a second man appears with
a club and does the rest.
And right here comes the most impor-
tant part of the snake killing business.
Tradition has it that ra.tlesnake. when
attacked, becomes SO angry that if it
can t bite its assailant it will bite itself.
thus rendering poisonous in most yiru.
lent degree the oil fried out of it's fat.
Hence the use in snake killing of a long
piece Of wood, with fork at one end.
70 guard against the snake doing yio-
lence to itself. W.
m IN Killing the rattlesnake among buck
'eoerry bushes the method is much the