Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1897-11-17
A FORTUNE IN SNAKES.
MlNNESoTAN WHO CONDUCTS A
SUCCESSFUL REPTILE FARM.

Circuses His Mainstey-Hand!cs Rattlv.
snakes With Impunity-Hc is n Natural
Snake Charmer and His Little Dauah-
ter Has Equal Power - Snakes Food.
Along the warm and honeycombed
limestone bluffs that line the quiet
Zumbro River in Minnesota are the
homes of snakes by the million, and in
the early days of the settlement OF the
Northwest there were myriads Of all
sorts of the deadly reptiles known to
North America to be found in this
neighborhood. To-day there arc moro
snakes caught for circus companies
and other buyers here than anywhere
else in the country except in some OF
the lower counties of Florida. All
along the Mississippi and tributary
streams where snakes are to be found
they are caught for the Rochester farm
and sold to o. W. Estes, the bright,
keen-eyed young man who runs the
snake farm, and who for several years
has been making success of the ven
ture.
Mr.. Estes also carries on snake
hatchery, something after the manner
of hennery, but considerably more
exciting. The eggs produced by his
stock are gathered and laid in the sun
on the sand, where, in the course of
time they hatch, and there are
youngsters fully as lively and venom
Gus as their parents. So far this year
several hundred have been hatched,
and all have thrived on the treatment
given them by Mr.. Estes and his as
sistants. Many of these young snakes
are rails ed for sale and others are used
for feed for the king snake and others
that eat only their own kind.
A chief part OF the business Of this
Minnesota farm is in rattlesnakes, as
they are more plentiful than any
other variety of the valuable reptiles.
All this region used to be overrun
with them. A single days receipts of
diamond backed and other rattIers
often runs up to several scores, espe-
cially when some one or more of the
outside catchers for the farm brings in
his sacks full and sells them to Mr..
Estes. These snakes vary from three
to six feet in length. Among The
other varieties received and grown are
the spotted adders, blow snakes, the
beautiful turtle heads, the sullen bull
snakes, the gentle blue racers, the
spreading adder, and many kinds of
water, grass and water snakes, They
ore sold to the leading circus aggrega-
tions, such as Barnum's, Ringliug's
Forepaugh's, Sells's and many others,
while the lesser concerns take the less
expensive, because less harmful va
rieties Alligators from Florida and
crocodiles from abroad, as we'll as
some foreign snakes, are constantly
kept in stock for customers.
Estes is @ natural snake charmer,
and never, unless requested by his
customer, takes out the fangs of the
reptiles in which he deals, and TO this
fact he attributes considerable of the
success he has had in raising them.
He will, without fear, fondle q rattler,
bull or an adder, force open its
mouth, and with his finger nail deftly
expose the poison sacs aud fangs. In
all his long experience in this sort of
thing he has never been bitten.
His favorite method Of capture is to
grab the rattler by the tail and dex-
terously swing him into a sack, but
when one is found lying at full length
Estes grasps it tightly back Of the
head. Though he has many assistants
among the farmers of his vicinity,
there is no other man, in that part of
the United States at any rate, who
dares to open their jaws with bare
hands, as he does fearlessly. His lit
tie daughter, Hazel, who is only three
years old, seems to have the same
power over the reptiles, and can often
be seen handling the most deadly
snakes and allowing them to twine
over her arms and about her neck.
So far this year about 600 snakes Of
the more valuable varieties have been
from this farm Not alone
ere circuses and menageries customers
Of Mr.. Estes, but many cigar stores
and saloons where the reptiles are,dis
played as an incentive to custom or
horrible example purchase from the
Rochester farm. A few days ago
rattler, six feet long, eight inches in
girth and with twenty-six rattles, was
sent to Minneapolis saloon keeper
for exhibit in his window. They are
things to have about the
house, for healthy reptile taken in
The spring will need no food for ayear.
The rattlers become blind when they
she'd their skins, which-tlley do every
appearing in about ten days
With new, bright, diamond backs. The
'ood given these pets consists chiefly
of gophers, while frogs, rats, squirrels,
birds and rabbits ere added occasion
Ally. The small boys in the vicinity
lerive quite revenue catching and
selling snake food to the farm. A
stranger scene con scarcely be wit
aessed than cage full Of snakes max
ng meal of fifty or one hundred
:rogs. In their greediness they often
swallow each other, and it is no un-
usual thing for q snake to back out Of
y companions stomach, where it has
oursn ed TEN pting frog OF gopher.
The trade c. this farm has not been
influenced by hard times, but has in
creased materially the past year
Chicago Chronicle.