Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-08-27

ONLY ONE OF KIND IN WORLD
Veteran Hunter lnausurates New In
dustry-Aow the Big saurians are
captured-Hibcrnate in Boxes Dur.
ing the Winter Months.

ne present is period of varied
and original industries, but Hot
Springs, Ark, boasts OF one OF the
most unique enterprises in the uniic'!
States. IL Is an alligator farm. the
only establishment OF it's kind in the
world.
mountain stream tumbling down
into the valley forms chain of small
shallow lakes, the home of the rep
tiles. Three years ago. II. |. Campbell,
n veteran alligator hunter from Flori-
ia, conceived the idea of inclosing
these lakes and raising hig gators for
the zoos and circuscs. Tho cnnrmity
of his task will he realized when IL
is known that the reptiles reach ma
turity when about 20 years old and Of
ten live 400 years. Nothing danntcd.
however, Mr.. Campbell equipped i'm
expedition and penetrated the Flord.
swamps to trap the huge water COWS
The method employed in the capture
OF these creatures is an original one
The alligator is regular in his habits
and has certain favoritc feeding
grounds. In the daytime he will liz
mOtionlcss In the shade of tree for
hours at time, resembling nothing so
much as Il floating log. At night he
leaves the water in quest of food \
point in favor of tho hunter is that
the gator, unless disturbed, enters
and leaves the water at the same
place. a stout rope net is Suspended
over one of these places and n chunk
of raw pork Is hung III the path so that
the least disturbance will cause the
net to fall. Then the hunter patiently
settles To an allnight vigil.
The Southern moon hangs like Il
crescent in the sky. and the night bird
calls softly To its mate. a splash-a
hoarsc below, and Il large bull who
has scented the halt Elides across the
bayou and crnwls slowly mp the bank
He smells the bait with savage
grunt of suspicion. Then. apparently
satisfied, the huge jaws open and snan
shut upon the tempting morscl. Like
shadow the net falls over him. En-
ragged, surprised, the bull Kisses fierce
ly and laShes out with his powerful
tail. But il is Il useless fight, for tho
more tho gator struggles and SquirmS
The tighter the hcmpcn mcShcS cnfod
him. Then the hunter springs out Ia
complete his work, but let him ,lSc
care. for one snap of those visc-likc
jaws. one sweep of that tcn-foot tail,
and he may never hunt again. The
bull is bound with ropes from muzzlc
to tail, turned on his back and drar, led
nway to the pens. a catch of rs ALI
gators is considered good weeks
work for n party Of Is hunters.
MIR. Campbell has about 400 big alli-
gators on his farm. They range In
length from six TO seventeen feet, anil
sometimes weigh rs much as 500
pounds. The age of All alligator may
he told by the number of horns on It's
4 ~
perhaps the largest sauran in cap
tivity. He is II feet long and weighs
| over 500 pounds. lie occupies Il pond
ia himself. and is only allowed to run
with The herd in the breeding season.
He is valued by his owner nj $500 and
his age is estimated at 200 years
King, another large bull, heads herd
of youngsters from 40 To 100 years
old.
The reptiles are fed once In three
weeks. They consume 500 pounds of
beef which is furnished by a Kansas
City packing company. During the
winters. which arc usually mild. the
alliEators hibernate. AS soon rs they
become stiff with cold they arc placed
in wooden boxes. which fit as closely
as collins. These boxes are placed in
tiers in largo stcam-heatcd shed.
mere me Sa1Of Hes without lOOu or
water, in Il dormant condition for about
three months. In the spring each
one must be fed before it is released.
Otherwise. rendered ferncious by hun
ger. the big gators will kill the small
Ter ones for food
While he seems to thrive in captiv-
ity, the alligator very rarely Incomes
tame. He will SNAP the hand of
stranger. lie lies for lays sluggish
and docilc, bnt tho fishy eyes arc ever
on the alert for an opportunity to at
tack the keeper when his back is
turned.
The cows arc all kept in one large
Enclosure. Early in June they scrape
together nest Of damp rubbish and
| each female lays from Is to 30 eggs
The cggs are deposited at intervals of
five days through June, July and Aug
Iust and hatch in from IS to 10 days
The eggs arc usually collected AMI
placed in an incubator. No artificial
heat is needed unless the temperature
drops below so dogrccs.-Kansas City
Star.