The San Francisco call., 1906-11-04
MUCH MONEY BEING MADE
BY KILLING RATvTLESNAKES
This Is the Favorable Season, and In
creasing Demand for skins Makes
Busiuess Profitable.


From now until the snow begins to
fall most anybody can make good liv-
ing by catching rattlesnakes alive and
chopping their heads off. This is not
one of those mythical jobs like catch
ing mosquitoes and pulling their teeth.
There is really a big demand for men,
women and children who want to make
little pin money capturing rattlers.
England has taken a great fancy to
american novelties, rattlesnake bags
and belts. On this account rattlesnake
skins have increased In value SO per
cent in the past year.
A member of a Western firm which
makes a speciality of tanning snake
skins says: "England's order for snake
what has created 1T, but from the pres
ent appearances the rattlesnake crop
will be more than exhausted this year
by the export trade"
This is the time of the year the
snake catchers go to work, as the
snakes are now putting on their light
fall overcoats and taking long strolls
in the mountains. Their supply of poi
son is at it's lowest now. and they will
not strike unless forced into a cor
ner. The snake catchers, therefore. can
work with more freedom, and as the
skins in the fall are very fine and high
ly colored. they get good prices
Few people have any idea of what
an immense trade is carried on in
America in snake skins. Men In all
parts of the country follow snake
catching regularly. and some make
very large incomes.
If the catcher knows how to capture
his snake without bruising his body,
and also knows how to skin them, he
can always find a ready market for
them.
The most common method of catch
ing rattlers in the West is with hand
net or forked stick. Some men use a
sharp steel-pointed stick or spear. 9th
ers who go after the big fellows set
traps or snake snares. These are made
by tying live birds or rabbits inside of
an inclosure of wire netting. When the
snake goes after his supposed prey he
is in for good.
1t cannot be said that any one Sec
tion of the West is any more blessed
with larger rattlesnakes than another.
There are several places in Arizona
which are noted for them, particularly
Cave Spring, near the Sand Dune
plateau. There is a very fine old fam
lily of rattlers near this place, and they
are well colored
The markings on a rattler are pro-
duced by age and exposure to the sun.
There are three varieties in most de-
mand by the leather novelty manufac-
turers, the diamond back, the button
and the winged The latter has mark
ings quite similar in appearance to the
spread wings of a butterfly. The but
ton skin, which is the cheapest, is
merely a solid mass of gray and brown
buttons overlapping each other like the
scales of fish. The diamond skin ap-
pears In various forms. but the general
design is always diamond shape. The
larger and blacker. the older and finer
skin.
Great care must be exercised in tam
ming snake skins. About three months
is required to treat large skin. The
quality and durability of the leather
depend almost entirely upon the
tanner. If he rushes or uses acid the
skin will soon discolor and rot. But IL
a snake skin is properly treated the
leather should last for many years.
ST. Louis G1obe-Democrat
The best sermon is the one that goes