Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1913-06-04
PICKING up ALoAD

ton of their days work the animals
are brought to camp, Invested of their
gear, hobbled and turned out into the
jungle. Toward evening the riders
pay them another visit to make sure
that their charges have not slipped
their hobbies. as they occasionally
manage TO do, or been walked off by
gang of thieves, who till lately IL
tested some parts of Siam, and even
now are not unknown. The elephants
are inspected by the foreman in
charge of the camp, bathed and left
to browse in peace until the follow
ing morning. After five days work
they receive two days complete rest,
or three days If the spell has been an
arduous one. In January, or early
February, they are removed to ever
green forests, where they Will, even
during tbe ei.-1ing hot months, be
able to ind abunosnt food and water,
and, being called upon ~ do no work
whatever, they soon 3ecome fat and
ready for a new seasons labors.
Work is Heavy.
plants working program makes its
lot appear remarkably easy one. An
average of four or FIVE hours a day
for five days of the week. complete
rest on the other two. and during five
months of the year no work at all
at first sight the elephant seems to be
in clover. 1t must. however. be borne
in mind. first. that the work it per-
forms is the heaviest done by any AMI
NAL in the world; secondly, as already
stated. that it is nocturnal animal,
unaccustomed in it's wild state even
to travel. much less to work, in the
heat of the day. Easy as it's hours
may sound. experience shows that
they cannot be safely increased. For.
If the elephant is the most powerful
animal in the world. it is also one of
the most delicate. Not only is it terri
bly, liable to surra and anthrax, dis
eases prevalent among all the cattle
exhaustion are also common, while &C
cidents, such as snake bites. are often
fatal Owners naturally do not care
to risk unnecessary exposure to the
sun to the already lengthy list OF
causes which produce death. causes
from which. despite all their precau.
tions, the teak companies of siam
must reckon annually to lose between
FIVE and ten per cent. Of their stock
The increasing scarcity. and conse
quently increasing value, of elephants
is indeed already matter of grave
concern to all interested in the teak
business. Whereas ten or fifteen
years ago a good "tusker" might be
purchased for 1000 rupees, three
times that sum is now sometimes de
handed. while cows and "hines"-i. E.
tuskless males-vary, in price from
5000 to 5000 rupees. These priceI
speak for themselves and need nc
comment.
The majority of the elephants nov
working timber have been .ught IL
the wild state and tanned. But the AMI
mails also breed fairly well in cap
tivity, and. needless to say. great care
is taken of the calves. From the age
of four to six they are usually placed
with a native trainer, who accustoms
them to dragging small logs or carry.
ing light loads. The animal is. as a
rule, kept for transport purposes till
between its fifteenth or twentieth
year. by which time it is beginning to
attain something like its full growth
and strength. From this time onyard.
should it be dccile and tractable. II
will become a regular worker
Should it succeed in evading the nu-
merous causes OF death to which 1t is
liable, an elephant viii be able to
work up to its fiftieth or sixtieth year.
after which 1t gradually begins to de-
cline. The natural term of Its life
cannot be exactly determined.