The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-14

From the New I ofk sun.
 N TOWNSVILLE, Tex.-Snake farm H1 ing is not so bad a business as S one might suppose. F. B. Arm strong of this place has been at it for twenty-five years and has made big money by 1t.
 He handles and raises the most ven- omous reptiles known to the southwest and Mexico. Rattlesnakes are his spe- cialty He handles thousands of them in the course of year.
 Snake farming Is in a class by itself. Mir. Armstrong has no competition in the business. Practically all the rattle snakes and other reptiles peculiar to this region which are found in the mu- seums, circuses, side shows and public parks of the United States and Europe are furnished by him.
 He also does a good business with snake chamers. He sells the snakes by the pound receiving all the way from 90 cents to sl a pound, according to quality and variety.
 The snake farm is situated just out side of rBownsville. It embraces about twenty acres of ground and is surrounded by strong, tight fence.
 Upon slight elevation within the main enclosure are the pens or corrals where the dangerous varieties are kept. Although this is the dull season at the farm, there are more than 800 rattlesnakes in one pen. The pen is formed by building a tight board fence about fifteen feet high. The fence has no opening and the pen is entered by a ladder.
 Twelve species of poisonous snakes are known in Texas and Mexico. These are the harlequin, the cottonmouth the cop perhead, the Gulf coast massasauga, Ed wards massasauga, the ground rattle snake. the diamond rattlesnake, the Texas rattlesnake, the banded rattlesnake, the dog faced rattlesnake, the praire rattle snake and the green rattlesnake. These snakes, with the exception of the harle- quin. are all known by a peculiar mark in the form of pit in the skin of the upper jaw, between the eye and the nos tril. and forming a triangle with the nostril, the eye and the pit for the three i corners.
 Mr. Armstrong has had specimens of nearly all kinds of poisonous snakes in the pens upon his farm. He keeps the snakes in the pens to fatten them. They bring better prices when fat as he sells them by the pound.
 Rats and mice are their principal food. The rodents are brought to MT. Armstrong by Mexican boys. and are placed in the pens and the snakes do the rest. Having gorged themselves with the squealing,
 
 to the holes which they have made for themselves under the brush and lie there until the meal is digested.
 The small inclosure keeps the snakes inactive and they fatten very rapidly. When in prime condition they are re- moved from the pen by means of a wire lasso htched in tight moose around their necks, just below their heads. They are placed in box and removed to the oper- ating shed.
 It is in the operating shed that the poison and fangs are removed from the snakes. MT. Armstrong takes from each rattlesnake from one to two tablespoon fuls of green, liquid poison.
 In extracting the poison the snake is made to bite on a glass tumbler The fangs dart forth and the poison is ejected into the glass. Then the fangs are removed.
 There are from six to eight fangs in each snake. They are from one-fourth to one-half inch long and are curved and as sharply pointed as a needle. In the end of each fang is small hole through which the poison is elected
 There are fotIr fauoc raadx- fa, ,,., at all times The remainder are in an un- developed state and serve tc take the place of the mature fangs should the latter be lost. Lastly the poison sack and glands are cut out. The whole process does not occupy more than five minutes. The rep tile is then as harmless as a rabbit. While the operation is being carried on the snakes body is writhing continuously and its rattles keep up a constant buzzing.
 When the process is finished the snake is ready for commercial use. It is said that there Is not a snake in captivity which has not been made harmless in this manner.
 What do you do with the poison which you extract from the snake?" Mir. Arm strong was asked. What price do you get for it?' q am paid almost any pricd that I ask It is such rare product fthat<its. has no fixed value. It is used entifs --fo-ssx- perimental purposes, such as ps}is;as anti-
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