The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-27
By DR.. w. H. BALLOU.

A LMOST a worldwide movement
~ is in progress to stop the
\ senseless destruction Of HARM
less snakes. One might say that the
existence of human beings is the stake.
Tho question everywhere resolves
itself into just this: Shall We be de-
prived of our cultivated food supplies
by insects. slaigs, rats, mice and other
pests; or shall we allow a reasonable
increase of snakes everywhere to keep
down dangerous volume OF verminf
Al the SAME time the question may
we'll be asked. why not protect the
poisonous species of snakes also? The
food of the rattlesnake is exclusively
field mice, moles, shrews. rats and
other small mammals. The prey Of
the copperhead snake comprises in
sects and their larve, shrews, moles,
house mice. field mice and small birds
It's ability to catch birds amounts to
only per cent. of its food supply.
The measure of the value of snakes
to humans must be determined by the
contents of their stomachs. II they
destroy our most vital enemies why
should we not protect them. since
snake swatting Is merely sport,
mostly confined to small boys? The
common grass snake lives on grass
hoppers, spiders and other insects. The
blacksnake Is a notorious field mice
and mole chaser, not disdaining all In
scots at hand. The ringneck snake
feeds almost exclusively on insects.
Garter snakes clear gard is and fields
OF slugs, a shell-less sna.., while the
adders, or milk snakes, like house mice
mostly. So It goes through the whole
List.
California First to Act.
California led in the protection OF
,lhe snake. On the Pacific coast the
gopher or ground squirrel is one OF
the most destructive agents Of crops.
As soon as California learned that the
gopher snake lived solely on the
gopher local societies were formed and
Z Statewide campaign of education
ensued. The State OF Pennsylvania
was so cocksure of the value OF all
.xuakes, harmless or poisonous. that
Is Department of Agriculture has
issued q work on them, with numer-
GUS illustrations. Australia, which be-
cause OF It's enormous accumula-
tons of stocks OF wheat, not
possible to ship during the war,
had terrible vermin plague,
has determined to protect snakes to
the limit. Even ultra fashionable
Greenwich, Conn. has learned that a
few snakes are better keepers OF lawns
than the men who push lawn mowers
for a consideration. Moles had de-
stroyed Greenwich lawns. Snakes eat
moles. The answer was easy. En-
courage snakes to be at home on your
lawn and. presto! no more holes and
burrows, always green clad sod and
no expense at all.
Once more, the departments at
Washington concerned point out that
rats are the greatest destroyers of
wheat known the world over. How
can rats be exterminated? Easy an
swer: encourage snakes TO breed fully
and leave the old ones and progeny
alone and there will be no rats to de-
stroy wheat. In addition, Washington
points out, all vermin are infected with
disease germs and are carriers OF
varied deadly Diseases, Hence encour-
age the conservation of snakes which
feed on such vermin. Several state
Legislatures intend Immediately to
enact legislation protecting all snakes
except the RATHER, the copperhead and
several other poisonous fellows. AZ
the same time II Is admitted that the
poisonous types are more destructive
10 yermiu than the harmless kinds.
RAYMOND L. Ditmars. curator OF rep
tiles of the New York Geological Park.
author of "Reptiles OF the World" and
Of varied works on serpents. is heart
and soul for the proposed conserva-
tion programme. No ono Is better
qualified TO discuss the good and bad
characteristics OF snakes than he.
Here is what he has to say on the
subject;
MANY encounter the subject with
aversion. There 10 persisten2y