Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1906-09-14
SNAKES THAT
help THE FARMER

bulletin is to give the farmers of Penn
sylvania accurate information with re
gard to the food of snakes. 1t is gem
orally supposed that all snakes are
harmful and that they should be kill
ell on sight As a matter of fact many
of them are valuable allies of the farm
or, killing slugs and destructive
worms. This bulletin gives practical
facts on the subject, and as their data
has never been brought together be-
fore in this manner, the preliminary
demand for the bulletin is large.
BULLETINS FOR SPECIMENS.
Professor Surface states that those
people wishing bulletins can secure
them by sending to him some live
specimen of snake, worm or bug These
specimens are studied, drawings are
made of them, and in some cases col
ored plates are prepared. Many pub
| lie schools all over Pennsylvania have
| written to Professor Surface asking
for geological specimens. If these
schools will send live specimens to the
State department. of agriculture they
| will receive in return these same
specimens mounted and labeled very
possibly, too, they may receive addi-
| tional ones. 1t is no difficult matter
for school boys OF school girls to col
| lect large number of bugs or insects.
| After the State department has studied
these and made drawings of them it is
quite ready to return the specimens in
such shape that they will last fol
years; they will be labeled so that the
pupils can study them intelligently.
MUSEUM IN NEW CAPITOL.
The department of agriculture has
quite large museum on the fifth flool
of the new capitol. Any person wish
ing excitement can find plenty of il
there. At least dozen large snake:
arrive daily; there are live rattlesnake'
and copperheads, as well as live adder!
and others less venomOus. Two small
boxes contain rattlesnakes five feet
long; in one are yellow rattlers; il
the other. black rattlcrs. Their rattles
sound "A vigorous alarm whenever the
box is touched roughly.
Professor Surface states that the rat
tlesnakes and the copperhcads are tin
only really venomous snakes in the
State. Many other snakes are really
harmless, and in many cases they act
ually do beneficial work
MATCHING SNAKES
Even dozen snakes day is not /
large enough supply to suit the de
partment, so it has started IA snake in
cubator. Scores of snake eggs are
hatching out. Saturday morning ;
black snake was partially hatched; it,
head projected only an inch from the
shell, but it showed signs of vigorous
life, darting its tongue out and biting
the fingers of Professor Surface. Thi
snake even at maturity is not venom
Gus. The small ones now Matching ar,
spotted; as they grow Older they be
come perfectly black. A black snak'
Matched week ago is now foo
long; the attendants pick up hand
full of small black snakes as readily a
if they were handling so many cher
ries
A number of house snakes were il
rats and mice and keep farm house
free from vermin. They are quit
harmless.
SNAKES PLAYED 'POSSUM.
Some very vicious looking snake
called spreading adders, were pro
nounced harmless They are usual.
regarded rs most dangerous. The at
tendauts handled several likely speci
mems without gloves ;the tongues dart
cd out Stimulating the action of tn
really deadly serpents; but although
the reptiles were tossed up in the air
and were handled after the manner o
footballs, no one was injured i'll tn
least One of the snakes finally grew
tired of being maltreated and stimuli
l
lying motionless. 1t lay with it
mouth open and its head fattened a
if crushed; no amount of rough treat
ment sufliced to make it move unles
onto its back instantly-evidently rea
soning that n snake could not be deaf
| eXCeDt in that position.
HICKORY HORN DEVIL SECUREI
In another portion of the museum
are 800 larvae cages. Probably NOR
repulsive set of worms was never col
lected. The department studies all o
, these, learning particularly on wha
they feed and what parasites feed up
on them. Some of the most repellan
ones are really not injurious. Saturda
, morning a large green larva arrived a
, the department sent by j. r. Gilmore
of Ohambersburg. The specimen i
known rs the hickory horn devil. Th
larva is an enormous green worn sever
{ inches long and covered with horns
All stages of development from the eg!
to the full image may be seen ut TIN
museum. In many cases the pupa i
, forming inside of the glass case so tha
, the process is perfectly visible
The work of the department aloni
this line of investigation is much NOR
enormous than is generally realized
The main object is to benefit the farm
} er; to teach him who his friends are
Almost daily the department receive
) specimens of the "thessala, " wing
: ed insect with three-forked tai
which is at least four inches long. Th
} writer's say that this insect is doin,
harm to their trees and that they xii
it whenever possible. AS n matter o
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