Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-04-26
Trying to Farm Tsrrapin.

Senator Gardner. Of Atlantic City
New Jsrssv. an ardent and industriou
sportsman has Just developed a rev
hobby. He is now diving deep int
the subject Of terrapin- Matching an
has prepared farm in the meadow
not far from the Inlet, where he j
going to Try to raise them. 1t is simpl,
canal dug down to low-water mark
about twenty feet wide, and extending
straight from small pond into Absecol
Inlet, by which means it is kept sup
piled with ocean water when the It'd,
rises. The farm or pond comprise
an area Of about two acres of water
His experiment is original in that til,
farming is done right in the native mut
of the diamond-back, instead Of uncon
genial soil, where artificial means mus
be employed to make it adaptable Il
the terrapin. The Senator says tina
he has never yet seen farm where the
terrapins were Matched. the so-callsc
farms being merely places to keep ant
fatten them for market. He purpose.
to try to raise the Native Egg Harbol
terrapin, or diamond-back, directly
from the egg. He says he and DR..
Reed, who is partner in the nnder.
taking, have Experimental great deal
with them, and they feel quite familiar
with their needs and modes of life.
The Terrapin feeds ON bay cabbage,
small mussels or minnows, but his great
delicacy is seft-shel crabs. Next to the
soft-shell, he will call for dead hard
shell crab, little dried beef, clans ol
oysters. The Senator says he used to
!et them get very hungry and lean and
then experiment upon them with vari.
Gus kinds of food, with the above-msn-
toned results. But they are terribly
afraid Of live hard-shell crab and il
one is placed in the water near them
they will toddle away as fast as their
feet can carry them. In about October
they go into the mud at high water
mark, and it is said by some weather
prophets that according to the depth
they gointo the ground the severity OF
the winter may be presaged. The usu-
al depth is about two feet. They re-
main in torpid state until May, when
they emerge from their holes and begin
to make preparations for summer res
idence.
About the LIST of June they lay their
eggs. which are little larger than an
ordinary marble, and are usually III
strings of from fifteen to forty to each
string, the older cows laying the most.
The eggs are buried in the sand by the
cows, and Senator Gardner asserts that
he believes he has made the discovery
that the principal carlse for the small
percentage of eggs that are hatched is
due to the depredations made upon
them by the crows. He says he has
watched the crows, and he Is convinc-
ed that they can Instantly detect
where the eggs are concealed. He pur-
poses Matching the eggs of the farm in
sand-boxes placed indoors. He states
that the hatohlng process requires no
particular attention. He recites an in
stance where he once placed some eggs
in the pocket of an old coat, and forget
ting to remove them on his return
home, the coat hung unused from June
until September. when small terrapins
were discovered in the pocket.
But the most dIscouraging is the
slow growth of the terrapin. They are
of no use for market until they have at
tanned length Of six inches on their
under shell, and 1t takes them from
eight to ten years to acquire this size.
But the Senator wants to see Just how
much of that time may be shortened by
careful treatment and his fattening pro-
cesses. He says the undertaking is
purely a scientific labor, as it will cost
more to raise the terrapin for the first
eight years than they will sell for, but
he is ambitious to see the attempt sue
cessful. 1t is well known that the scar
city of Diamond backs has led to much
adulteratiCn in terrapin dishes, and it is
said that fully three-iourths of the ter
rapins served as diamond-backs are
fresh water terrapins caught in the
mountains and known as yellow bel
lies" The farm is now well stocked
and everything is In readiness for the
terrapins to wake up.