San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-11
With Her Progeny Lady"
Clears Place of Snakes and
"Varmints" So That Chick
en-raising Becomes Profit
able.

After investing his money in small
chicken farm on the banks of the
Salado. out near the Camp Travis farm,
in 1918, Norman V. Wallis had come TO
the conclusion that he had made a mis-
take. He had bought chickens, but the
"varmints" and reptiles that infested the
wooded district had preyed upon his
flock until it was almost diminished.
He had tried to raise chicks, but the
skunks, possums and snakes that lurked
along the banks Of the SaladO and in
the hollows of the many nearby trees,
made short work Of every batch. The
farmer had hoped TO pay for home IN
town with the proceeds from his chlcken
farm. The pests that preyed upon ms
chickens not only made profits an I'M
possibility, but all but destroyed his
capital as well.
Mr.. Wallis. after four years Of trying,
had all but decided TO pocket his loss
and surrender when one afternoon
while working in his small garden,
young fox terrier pup wagged her way
up to him. The pup, found a home
there, and was christeped Lady.
There is now dynasty of fox terriers
at the chicken farm, including Lady
herself, two daughters, one grandson
and one granddaughter. These dogs
saved the farm. As the dog family
grew, snakes and ''varmints" have dis
appeared around the immediate vicin-
ity of the Wallis farm, and an immense
flock of chickens now wander about
the place unmolested.
Are q Battle-SCarred Lot.
But in clearing the underbrush OF
rattlesmakes, rats, possums, skunks and
any kind of "varmints' that happened
to lurk in the vicinity, Lady and her
descendants have not come out OF the
battles unsecured. Every one of the
dogs, Lady, Patcheye, Hounddog, Misses
and Jimmie, have been bitten by rattle,
snakes more than once, yet all are still
alert and eager for the familiar buzz
that announces the beginning of another
fight.
Lady has been bitten five times about
the head. The remedy used to cure the
dogs of the bites is a simple one and
has never failed. Each time one of his
dogs was bitten, Mr.. Wallis went to the
Camp Travis incineratOr, got some
grease, heated it and poured as much as
he could down the suffering dogs
throat. The wound where the fangs oil
the snake penetrated the flesh were
lanced and permanganate of potash
crystals rubbed into the wound. The
poison is forced into the animals
stomach by the potash and is then car
ried out Of the system by reorganization
caused by the hot grease.
According to Mr.. Wallis records,
Lady has killed 65 rattlesnakes, and in
1921 she killed 300 rats. The other
dogs helped her in some of the battles,
but she was the one to make the charge
and DO the actual killing. All of the
other dogs, too, have rattlers TO their
credit.
How They Kill Snakes.
When one of the reptiles is found
coiled, one of the dogs walks around and
around him just out of his striking
range. After the RATHER is enraged to
the point where he frantically strikes,
uncoiling himself. one of the other dogs
that have been waiting for this pOunceSS
upon him, shaking him violently and
finally throwing him several feet away:
When the RATHER lands on the ground
he invariably has big hole in his body
and a broken back.
PLAYING with snakes is great sport
for Lady and her tribe. Mr.. Wallis said.
Often times when non-pOisonous
snake is found the dogs take delight IN
playing with it until the reptile is tired
down. then one of its tormentors charges
in and kills it.
Year before last the dogs Mt the Wal
lis farm brought in IS possums and 20
skunks. They have absolutely cleared
the wooded district around farm of all
forms of animal pests, and about the
only kind Of hunting they get now, MT
Wallis said. is chase with an old
stray cat that unfortunately comes
within the vision Of any one Of the five.
But at that, the stray cats are the AM
mails that give Lady and her family the
biggest fights. After an encounter with
one of the domesticated pets, the dogs
invariably come home with deep
scratches in their bodies that leave no
doubt as to what they have been doing.
BY clearing the surrounding country
of all forms of reptiles and vermin. the
five fox terriers have enabled Mr.. Wal
lis to raise chickens by the hundreds,
and they are paying for his home at
121 Weymouth street.
Traps English SparrowS.
When Mr.. Wallis first started his
chicken farm, English sparrows also
constituted one of the big pests that
tormented him. Now a sparrow is
rarely eyer seen about the place. Mr..
Wallis himself is responsible for this.
He devised a sparrow trap himself and
set it up. the trap being merely a
$1,000 49,, Nth a ling "a ,arrnw