St. Tammany farmer., 1905-09-16
REPTILES HARMLESS,
MAN WHO CATCHES THEA DOES
NOT FEAR THEM.
uses Simple Apparatus for Captnr
ing Poisonous Snakes-Some
Particulars Of His
Business.

catcher. This man, reports JIG
Globe. is @. w. Mason, who does not
think his living is in any way strange
for he considers snakes far less narn-
less than dogs or any other pets
A Globe reporter accompanied W.
Mason on a snake hunt to the blue
hills the other day and was SHOWN con-
clusiyely that there need be no rear
Of anybody getting killed from tne Di'e
of a snake in this vicinity. MT. mason
donned leather gloves, leather gaiters
and unfolded his snake-catcn1ng appa-
ratus, long stick, from Whlcn nuns
a stout string tied to sort OF a dreos-
ing machine. This machine was az
tached to the part Of the stick nearest
the ground. and is worked with the
string attachment. When a snake =
seen Mr.. Mason, with the stick IN the
right hand, string in the left, follows
it. places it over the snakes body, and
the snake is no longer at liberty.
"Well,'' said Mr.. Mason, after the
first snake was caught, did he run
after me or did I have to run after
him?"
.sYou see" he said, without waiting
for a reply, ..if had gone about my
own business, as it were, that snake
would now be enjoying the pleasure OF
basking in the hot sun. No." continued
he. "a vicious dog would have turned
on me without proyocation, but no
matter how vicious a snake is, he Will
avoid conflict.
sI have gone into den. of nearly
100 snakes, and not one or them
turned on me until cornered, and then
the fun began Time and again nave
been bitten, but have not yet met any
thing snake shaped that fear. II !
were to show the white featner things
might be different, but know what to
do when there is danger around.
Near Randolph, about two miles
away from the nearest electric road,
I catch at least 20 Tattlers to one cop
perhead. There are to be found the
Indian roads, unknown to any but pro-
fessors from the different colleges that
accompany me when there Is an IN
yestigation of the different snake poi
sons under way. The copperheads are
most plentiful at or near the crags at
Milton, very far away from places Wis
tied on Sunday by picnicking parties.
'They run as high as two pounds in
weight and five feet long. Bull snakes,
of which there are none in the vicinity.
weigh as much as eight pounds, and
are at least ten feet long. have fought
them. and am ready to do SO again.
aOnce / fought IA rattlers. 1t took
me two hours to get the last one, and
though they were as mad as hornets
/ got the last cne without harm, all
alive.
Strange as it may SEEM" said Mr..
Mason, as he stroked the head of one
of the snakes which had ventured to
the top of the bag in which it had been
put. women are not as much afraid
Of snakes as are the sterner sex. A
woman will naturally shrink from a
snake, but this is due to fear. When,
however, she is told that no harm will
result from patting it's head this way
she will forget her fear and will do as
/ am doing now ten times quicker than
I could get a man to do It. It is the
same with women and dogs. Men like
dogs, but would not give them the
same attention as women do.
Though the best time of the year for
catching purposes is the first two;
weeks in May, an idea may be given of
the number caught when it is told that
On April II Mr.. Mason caught 26 snakes
all told. Some of them we're four feet
long.
When brought to Boston the snakes
are put into large packing case COW
cred with wire netting. Here they are
fed. great care being taken to give
them plenty of water.
Oh dark days Prof. Mason kills those
best sas..ssed to his taste-that is, the
o1fes that will bring him the most
profit.
The poison taken from them is bot
lied up and later sold to colleges at a
good profit. Then the bodies are bot
lieu G4AO A0OCASA, W OO aOoCu ldlcI
for tho edification of students.
When the proper kind are caught
they are fattened and killed for Oil.
The latter is used for mary things,
mostly for identifying purposes, after
It is made into cream for the skin.
Large bull snakes, those weighing
eight pounds, will give four ounces of
pil. II caught in the fall fair-sized
snake will have enough fat to keep 1t
alive for nine months, and this fat
IAN be turned into money through the
,il process. The bull snake oil is the
pest kind.
It's skin is worth one dollar, the oil
Is worth one dollar and the states
where they are caught give bounty
II one dollar for each one killed. The
eastern market secures them for the
price that the oil and skin would bring
The Correct Writers.