The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-01

them by show people. WIN the constant
handling necessary in side show or
other exhibition q snake rarely lives a
year. When boxed for shipment or tenn
porary keeping snakes need little after
ton. A small amount of grass and water
occasionally is all that are required. No
food is ever provided for snakes In
transit and little care is taken to provide
air or ventilation AS a rule careful
snake farmer will keep cages and cases
used temporarily in a clean and healthful
condition, q task not difficult, as II IS
necessary to change and clean the cases
only once week.
Orson w. Estes, owner Of the Rochester
snake farm, has been connected with the
show business half a lifetime. During the
greater part Of his experience he has had
something to do with museums or side
shows, and frequently looked after or
gave the performances with snakes. 1t
would be superfiuous to say that Estes Is
not afraid of snakes. It is an old bust
ness with him. and he is the only known
professional snake farmer in the country.
Estes is a quiet, unassuming man of mid
die age. He talks of snake farming or
culture in a. great deal the same manner
as would a grain farmer or live stock
grower. The representative OF the q b e
who visited the snake farm found the
proprietor in the shipping room of his es-
tablishment. He had just received a ship
ment of snakes from Mexico and small
consignment of rattlesnakes from the rock
cliffs of the Zumbro river, near Rochester.
Mr. Estes handles snakes of all varieties
in exactly the same manner as a store
keeper handles his stock. Picking up an
ordinary grain sack that looked like IT
might contain meal, he said:
These are fine lot of yellow rattlers.
They were brought in by a farmer, and
the demand for them is always good. 1
will ship these out today"
With these words he thrust both hands
into the sack and brought up bunch of
four writing, rafting reptiles that were
entwined and knotted about each other in
an apparently inextricable tangle. Select
ing the largest one he held 1t by the head
between the thumb and forefinger. Swing
ing with its full weight in that position,
the reptile opened its mouth, exposing its
fangs and darting its venomous forked
tongue in and out. Then Estes placed it
about his neck, in the same manner q
woman would place boa about her neck.
The snake raised its head to Estes Shout
der, within three inches of his face, while
Its beady eyes glittered. But it did not
strike. It's fangs had not been removed,
and to the ordinary individual its bite
would be as dangerous as a dose of
strychnine.
''Why are you not afraid of them?'
Estes was asked.
For several good reasons. In the first
place 1 can always tell when snake is
ready to bite-at least 1 can tell. Some
snakes you cannot trust too far AS a
rule, rattlers are treacherous, but these
in the sack are all right. If you see a
snake preparing to strike and hold 1t by
the body, Immediately behind the head, or
by the tip of the tail, it could not strike If
1t tried. Compared to the great variety
or snakes We have in this country, the
number Of poisonous ones is really small
and are all included in the varieties
known as copperheads, cottonmouths, rat
TIERS water moccasins, blow snakes or
adders and the American cobra. The
breath Of the blowsnake is poison. When
near its victim it utters a Kissing or blow
ing noise and eXhales the poison at the
tlme III the poison-laden breath comes
In contact with the bare skin the effect
is exactly the same as the bite of the most
poisonous of the other varieties"
DO you ship snakes all over the coun-
try without pulling their fangs?''
snip them as they are ordered. Gen
eraIly an order including poisonous snakes
IncIuoes a request to draw the fangs But
every precautfon is taken against danger
in shipment
What intelligence has snake as vo,
estimate them?"
Snakes have a large amount of brai1
matter compared to other animals. bu
they are not capable Of training. A snaI
VIII learn to know it's keeper, but it's onlv
sentiment is fear, or self-preservation.
We're you ever bitten by a poison
Gus snake?"
Frequently. At first it was dangerous
and quick action was necessary. After
While l became invulnerable to the er
fects of snake poison, the same as doe
the regular morphine or opium eater. Nov
the effect of the bite of the most poison
Gus snake is easily counteracted, and i
not dangerous
ION what are snakes fed while in cap
tivity?"
Young chickens and chicken eggs
birds, mice. small game of almost an,
kind, and with the cannibal snakes
smaller ones of other varieties
Which are the cannibaI snakes?"
ON, most of the common varieties-th
King snake and the coach whip A re
markable fact not generally known is tina
snake will live for months on a yer,
small amount of food. On one occasion
shipped box of them to a travelling show
and In some manner the express compan,
was unable to deliver them. They Wer
returned to me at the end of three month
exactly as I shipped them All were aliv,
ard perfectly sound. They had not beef
led or watered during that time Of cours
during the alternating period snakes d,
lot eat. and the food taken into the stom
ach before that period begins is held Their
and digested slowly during the months @
Information
Orson w. Estes, the Minnesota snak
farmer, is a native of New York. He wa
born in st. Lawrence county, in the En-
pire state, in 1850. and arrived at Roches
ter, Mimi, with his parents in ISL He I
known all over the country by circus, sid
show and museum managers, and ha
! been performer or participant In amuse
ment enterprises about twenty years.