The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1882-11-22
A Terrapln Farm.

CTcets the great san ma ," -, ~.
sey coast, which stretch back uhtlL inc
level plain Of coarse sedgy sraSs meet .S
,bo bGrilon's edge. Dank and dark inc
Inn morass. home Of the craving
rcn,ile. and succeeding billions OF mos
o,,itocs which have remained uhdls-
,nrLnd tbroyoh countless ages OF tline,
uutl To-, hu,hl Some widea-a"aEs Jer-
'eyr,rn have laid the hand Of industry
mon tho muddy water, ana so,caileu
',,rr,,,in f,rm', is the result, While 1t
Ia. been proved by actual EXPERIMENT.
tina, lcrrapr can be raiseu Oh si,iu,'
.c.,e. IL rem ains for the future % dl'cioso
,rS.,brr tbe Jersey farms will be ahlet 10
t,r,ri. IA our great cities with ms most
J.I.crgblc dish. as pronounced ny lhe
Ii.,bo.t order Of epicurean talent. FOR !
,,,-.ny ye,ra terrapin have been found IN
49,. lance in this locality, but the IN
,.....ro demand Of the New York and
i..l .dIl,h.a markets has drained the
A.. .,yrres of the whole Jersey coast, ana
r,i. ouly question Of time near ~ hanH
when iarlnin in ils native wlid' WIN
la..maurarv, II not quite, cNHbct' 10
....r.m. ,li, ariul famine = limited
rnna,roi J.r,cymen have made TINS
delicious reptile Il study, and the kno"i-
,',n secured resulted in the iarm,w when
. r.7. a..Io rank among Atlantic Ciiy's
,.rr.t attractions. So far not mucn
lean.v ht, bgen evolved, but Cape May
bl, beer beaten, and this alone Is sun
elem, " bring 8 profitable return Tor inc
uu' a.. 49,.
III. .,.rclia- exploration. into terrapln
i,ra. lac found that scientists had sadly
NEGLECTED 90 inform them elves about
The tonne DC l.ie Of the Jersey diamond
hack u Prof. Baird, OF tho Smithsonian
..,nr,rrr a' Washington, was APP
rr,trhod on the subject, bat he proud
. /. pointed 20 his fossil remains OF the
adilnuud backs" II the saurIan age,
and proved that the turtles Of that day
wrr, abr.daltly able 70 get along with
ont .hcad OTIS pryug Jerseyman. In
order ., overcome the lack OF scientific
Information a small family Of lcrrapn'
war, collected tew years ago, ana II
has proved % most interesting study u
lalrg the taste, incinations, length Ci
life. MS well a. the time it takes TO reac1
Is grcitcst perfection. The "diamonc
back" tar1piu never leaves its home by
} fle sea, while nearly every moment o
IT, life Is srrnt burrowiug in the sal
water mud. where ii lies torpid for NOR
b than six month. Ut the year, losing moth
o igv. however, but apparently drawinl
l .u .onauce from The mud where 1t
bgri,d. A. thousands of dollars hav
o been already invested IN this new II
du..ry, the Importance OF the subject
a readily brought 70 mind. After nv
l. Years If existence 4 well behaved terri
u bin leaves tho bottom OF the muddy 50
=, p,nG, crawI5 to me cage OF the adIol
~ mo warm aand IN the balmy month
N June, and deposits from fourteen
., twenty eggs, which she carefully co
y. ccal, I'm lhr warm sand. After this pc
w, formapce Nine. Tcrrapin goes back
., her buUdlr OF mud with all the cal
=, inliirrr,Icr Of modern motherh0o
.a. B.ia .oe pi he most relentless kind
= n hand u the shape Of bird called
crow. wpicu speedily unearths the t.
10, rapin cgg-, and they IRE Dispatched
r. one solitary banquet Senator Gard'n
-. bpieycs shat the crow has more to
with tho ey;iuction If the terrapin tn
- fuc hunter who makes ii his business
,, furnish the markets. 1t is known Il
'9 the Young tcrrapn sleeps during
u. first ycar rf existence, never leaving
syot where the err ia deposited, FIRE
inc and fbaving within the bosom
.~, mother earth and growing like the ro
~ that surround them. it is believed
", some IF the investigating Jerscyn
~: that two wears Of terrapin life are SIP
'' in fhi- torpid state, without movem
ar carce any chpnges. From the
''-' oud To its fifth year the terrapin leaC
kind pi yaglaat lie, and is let alone
= c,l.p of mo- market value. 1t II
w. safety from vorucious crabs and I
I brciusc il continually burrows in
, soft mud, never vcnturing any dista
w., ont tn sea. Hence its name "lerr
which means earth, and spin, beca
II ..cFs 20 close 30 it. Sometimes
W. E.lc lcDtilc burrows three feet dow
,hr .uft mud. Daring this perlo
y.tbgul Growth it leeds on the reiu'
cI M. oyster. aud other little she'll
creations with which salt water
".. aauud 4nlly abounds; but when peri
ted ., choose It's own food, as it is
"'' lowed D. do when undergoing edu
.'' ton no the hands of n Jerseynan, /
known TO pass by all its old sea food
N'; feast ON dried becf--in other wo
.i,' when Senator Gardiner placed BIZ
w.. rare before hil tcrrapln, oyster, CT
.I ard other doliCaCes were examined
i.i. rejected, while died beef was foun
f, a., be- exactly what was wanted. The
,.,. pertinent was tried so often there
mas. be no doubt about a terrapin's ia
..l When the reptile is five years oil
tii measures nearly six inches across
h.. diamond armor. 1t is now ready
,rsc the market, though it has not reac
loss perfect maturity. When it has a,tai
,oy its seventh year its romantic flavor
.5j' sumes its highest perfection, an,
-, r,r morsel has been found fit for the pa
vi the gods.
the Senator Gardeners terrapin farm
ersl gins within a few feet of his garden
tho only u little way from tho rear cot
riGh door. Let the reader imagine str
IL 90 narrow, dry earth Joining to the s
ohtN sAtm9rsh which stretches to the ain
e inc covering acres in extent. To the
VINO q largo shallow pond has been {
com vn'ol, which il filed afresh twice 0
e'''l by the salt water pushed in by the
'' o4t Winding here and there through
ntion scdgy plain are the narrow canals "
- of, lend to the pond and terminate al
!. Ln. inlet. aud only the wind mills are n
. i''' sary to complete Holland landst
, At intervals rude construction OF
'en'ly Der il noticed, which is placed to &c
> our the iuilowing waters as well as to
lor'u, oil the doloterious consequences OF
ana and leo. A fence surrounds tho !
70 see which has been sunk three feet i
ne ls mud, rs this depth has been
'mpe' necessary to keep the terrapin
II Us, crawling away. A brilliant pano
ur la appears before the vision OF At