Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-09-13
SNAKES THAT
help THE FARMER

| Snake Bulletin. The object OF tins
bulletin is to give the farmers of Penn
sylvania accurate information with ro
gard to the food of snakes II is gem
orally supposed that all snakes are
harmful and that they should be- kill
ed on sight As a matter of fact many
Of them are valuable allies of tbo farm
er killing slugs and destructive
worms This bulletin gives practical
facts on the subject and as their data
has never been brought together he
fore in this manner, the preliminary
demand for the bulletin is large.
BULLETINS FOR SPECIMENS.
Professor Surface states chat 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 those
schools will send live specimens to the
State department of agriculture they
will receive i'm return these same
| spccimcns mounted and labeled very
possibly, too they may receive addi-
tional ones. II is no difficult matrnr
for school boys OF school girls to coll
! .,f
After the State department has studied
these and made drawings of them it is
quite ready to return the specimens i'll
such shape that they Will last for
years; they Will be labeled so that the
pupils can study them intelLigontly.
MUSEUM IN NEW CAPITOL.
The department of agriculture has
quite a large museum on the fifth floor
of the new capitol Any person wish
ing excitement can find plenty of it
there At least dozen large snakes
arrive daily: there are live rattlcsnakcs
and cOppcrheads, as we'll as live addcrs
and others less venomous Two small
boxes contain rattlesnakcs five feet
long; in one are yellow rattlcrs, iu
the other, black rattlers. Their rattlrs
sound a vigorous alarm Whenever the
box is touched roughly
Professor Surface states that the rat
| tlesnakes aud the coppcrhead~ are tII
only really venomous snakes i'm the
State. Many other snakes are really
harmless, and in many cases they act
uaIly do beneficial work.
HATCHlNG SNAKES
Even dozen snakes day Is not %
large enough supply to suit the de-
partmcnt, so it has started @ snake i'm
cubator Scores of snake eggs are
Matching out Saturday morning a
black snake was partially hatcucd its
head projected only an inch from the
shell, but it showed signs OF vigorous
life, dartiug Is tongue ont and biting
the fingers of Professor Surface. This
snake even at maturity is not venom
Gus. The small ones now matching are
spotted; rs they grow older they be-
come perfectly black A black snake
| hatchcd week ago is now 20 foot
long; the attendants pick up % hand
full of small black snakes as readily as
if they We're handling So many cher
rios.
A number of house snakes were i'm
rats and mice and keep farm houses
free from ycrmin. They arc quito
harmless.
SN NAMES PLAl 80 Fo99O VI.
some very vicious looking SNAKES
calio" spreading "loerS. We're pro
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