Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 228, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 September 1910 — Don’t Kill Snakes and Toads. [ARTICLE]

Don’t Kill Snakes and Toads.

The French town authorities post village bulletin boards, for public instruction. One of these reads “Hedgehog; live on mice, snailß and wireworms—do not kill a hedgehog. Toad: helps agriculture, killing twenty to thirty insects every hour—do not kill a toad. Cockchafer: deadly enemy to the farmer; lays one hundred eggs at a time —kill the cockchafer." It would be a good idea for our own government to post bulletins of this sort, instead of printing so many for circulation. In the south most of the snakes are of great value, and that is relatively true everywhere. The blue racer, a handsome fellow, is estimated to be worth ten dollars a year to destroy mice and gophers. The bull sndka and garter snake destipy Insects and rodents, without themselves hurting the garden. In my Clinton ground we have so long protected the garter snake that he suns himself on the compost piles without fearing us at all. Why not? Why carry a spite because a serpent is said to have tempted Eve? Was it not a fair match? Poisonoqs snakes are nearly as rare as those that talk.—E- D. Powell ia Outing.