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FARMERS' REGISTER— SNAKES. 



its use, and are so pleased with the results that they 

 intend continuing it. Few acts of my life afTord 

 me more pleasure than the belief of my instru- 

 mentality in setting thenrx about if. Could it be- 

 come with them common, incalculable advantages 

 would result. One of themselves will have more 

 influence than whole neighborhoods of a different 

 class. We should labor to induce them to adopt it. 



A second year's trial of the Guinea Grass has re- 

 sulted in a firm conviction of its happy adaptation 

 to our wants. Should you want any seed 1 can 

 furnish you, but still I do not rely upon their vege- 

 tating, having with me come up badly : how to ac- 

 count for it I know not, unless tlie plant from fre- 

 quent propagation by slips has lost the power of 

 fully maturing its seed. Certain it is the climate is 

 not the cause, as it will bear seed after being cut, 

 I believe twice. This difficulty is much lessened 

 from the circumstance of one small root being able 

 under proper management to furnish a large sup- 

 ply in two seasons. 



A PLEA FOR SNAKES. 



To the Editor or the Farmers' Register. 



It has long been my opinion that the increase 

 of insects and other vermin which injure the crops 

 of the farmer, or cause detriment to his labors and 

 comforts, has been greatly aided by the endless 

 and destructive war which is carried on against 

 animals which make prey of such devouring 

 plagues. It seems that the disposition to destroy 

 life in every animal whose existence is not mani- 

 festly a source of profit, is natural to man ; and 

 shows itself with more or less force in most persons, 

 notwithstanding the checks imposed by education, 

 and acquired sentiments of mercy. In early child- 

 hood we mutilate and kill flies for sport, then pro- 

 ceed to the destruction of such nobler game as 

 toads and frogs, and continue through life to kill 

 birds, beasts, and reptiles, if not for the pleasure, 

 at least whenever there is the slightest suspicion 

 or appearance of their being hurtful to our inte- 

 rests : and we are so ready to act upon such a sus- 

 picion or belief, that some of the most serviceable 

 of untamed animals are never spared because they 

 consume a little of our grain, in payment for the 

 preservation of ten times as much. I have been 

 pleased to see, Mr. Editor, that you have selected 

 and published (though I fear to but little purpose) 

 several good articles which shew that benefit, as 

 well as injury to the farmer, are produced by 

 crows, hawks, and owls — and that the great 

 amount of good which many kinds of birds effect 

 by destroying insects, is a clear gain, being ac- 

 companied by no other habits injurious to man. 

 These, our little benefactors, are seldom spared 

 from any consideration of their usefulness in de- 

 stroying caterpillars and bugs — and no mercy is 

 shown to a crow or owl, though the farmer eats 

 more cut-worms and bugs, than grains of corn, 

 and the latter (especially of the smaller kinds) will 

 kill one hundred rats and mice in the fields, for 

 every chicken they may seize as their hire. But 

 I leave all these to the care of former and better 

 advocates, and will confine my observations to 

 another race of animals which is the most perse- 

 cuted of all, and whose numerous and valuable 

 services to farmers are accompanied by scarcely 

 any acts of an opposite character— I mean snakes. 



Very few of the snakes in Lower Virginia are 

 poisonous, and those few are rare, or confined to 

 such localities, and have such habits, as render 

 them almost harmless. But all that arc known to 

 be poisonous, I willingly give up to the vengeance 

 of the snake killers. The dreadful rattle-snake is 

 now scarcely known below the mountains, and the 

 two kinds of moccasins, both confined to water, 

 or wet ground, are almost the only snakes which 

 are dangerous, and may be often found. The adder 

 truly has a most ugly and venemous look, when 

 he spreads broad his head and neck in anger, or 

 from fear; but if he possesses poison, I never 

 have heard of its being used in this country. I 

 have read of a man in England who made his 

 living by killing adders and selling their fat, 

 which was used for its supposed medicinal virtues. 

 His dog that had been taught to find the sluggish 

 adders, was sometimes bitten by them, but the 

 poisonous effect was always quickly removed by 

 rubbing the wound with adder's fat. This is the 

 only evidence that has reached me of the adder 

 being poisonous, and it serves as well, to prove that 

 their poison is followed by very little pain or dan- 

 ger. 



But the most numerous and useful snakes are cer- 

 tainly not poisonous, and the fear and horror with 

 which they are regarded, are founded altogether 

 upon vulgar error and prejudice — and perhaps have 

 grown out of what was originally a mistaken re- 

 ligious duty. But whether it is to " fulfil the com- 

 mand of the scriptures," or from hatred and fear, 

 almost every person who does not run away from 

 a snake, kills it if it can be done. To spare a 

 black-snake, or a ringed or king snake, that can 

 be killed, is seldom done — and some carry this ge- 

 neral antipathy so far, as to kill the little green 

 snake which winds among the branches of trees, 

 and is one of the most beautiful as well as the most 

 harmless of animals. 



Rats and mice, both in the field and in the house, 

 are great destroyers of the farmers grain, and 

 they have no enemy so flital to them as the black 

 snake. One of these sometimes take up its resi- 

 dence in a barn, until discovered and killed by 

 some one of the greatest of all the snake's ene- 

 mies — negroes, and fools, whether white or black. 

 I have several times had the benefit of such an in- 

 mate in my grain houses — but was never able long 

 to prevent its being killed. If they were not dis- 

 turbed, there would be few barns or corn cribs 

 without a snake, and no rat or mouse could long 

 keep possession. It is not that they can eat many, 

 and probably do not kill more than they require 

 for food. But they are able to pass into every hole 

 and hiding place of the vermin they pursue, and 

 thus drive them away. I knew a granary which 

 for several years together was never clear of grain, 

 and generally had a large quantity of corn, m the 

 shuck. The house in other respects was well fit- 

 ted to conceal rats and mice from all the attacks of 

 cats and of man — and as might be expected, they in- 

 creased greatly, and destroyed and injured much 

 of the corn. The rats were so often outside of the 

 house, as to furnish good sport to gunners, and 

 many were shot, with the hope of thinning their 

 numbers, though to no purpose apparently. Af- 

 terwards, when the evil was supposed to be still 

 increasing, and there appeared to be no remedy 

 but emptying the house, (which could not then be 

 done,) the rats and mice disappeared without any 



