The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-05-25
FROG FARMING EXPERIMENTS.
The Profits and Losses Attending the
Peculiar Industry.


The Profits and Losses Attending the
Peculiar Industry.
New York Mail and ExpreSs.l
"What do l think of the establishment
of frog farms in the United States to sup
ply the demand in Europe? 1t is fine
idea in theory only, remarked state
fish commissioner.
why do you say in theory only2"
Because it has already been tried. Elk
periments in frog farming have proved
futile, and the man who attempts 1t gets
some experience and no recompense for
his trouble Several frog farms have
been started, always with the same result
The reason they do not succeed is simply
this it is very difficult to provide proper
and sufficient food for them during their
infantile period. The birds eat the tad
poles and the adult frogs live upon insects,
leaving their watery, swampy habitatlon
and skirmishing around on the land for
them. In farm they cannot well forage
for insects there are so many. confined
to a limited area 1t is utterly impos-
sible to catch enough insects to satisfy
and gormandize the farm. They prey upon
each other. The baby frog is greedlly
devoured by the large bull-frog, who
floats along in stagnant pool with his
mouth open, swapping them up with
avidity. 1t is a survival of the fittest
The tittest in this case are not enough to
pay for those that persisted. The embryo
ELY that floats along covered over with
green ooze from weeds, from whose pores
900 frogs may terminate in the war OF
the hungry and strong over the weak does
not escape. A farm started several seasons
ago near Caledonia, in Livingston county,
this state. proved an gorgeous failure
and dead expense for the reasons l have
mentioned. If it could be done success
fully there would be millions in it 1t is
a Utopian dream, the fulillment of which
| think, will be many years from the
present
"Are many frogs consumed daily in
New York;"
Yes. During the summer months
from 900 to 900 pounds are eaten daily.
They are shipped fresh to this market
from Canada, principally in large half
barrels. The love for frog meat is on the
increase. Epicures and men of extreme
wealth give exorbitant prices for them.
The large green bullfrogs is the chief kind
sold in this market. In Chicago they are
called water chickens, because their flesh
is white as that of chicken when dressed
properly"
The import and export partner of a
large wholesale grocery establishment said
that no canned frogs were exported to
Europe. "The fact is, there are no canned
frogs for sale worth mentioning. In me
eastern part of the British provinces and
anada few were put up in cans. 1t did
not pay and they stopped. Then a little
while ago the industry was started on
Prince Edwards island but the facility for
shipping live frogs killed it, aid to, day
canned frogs are a rarity. Thou
sands upon thousands of frogs are
shipped to Europe each summer
and fall. alive. They are placed in
large baskets, between layers of damp
moss and leaves When they arrive at
their destination they are healthy and
sound and free from fever. The stock OF
frogs in Europe is limited. lived in
France twenty seven years, and never
tasted one during that period. Although
the Erench are called nation of frog
eaters, yet they do not consume one, tenth
as many as the people of the Cnitec
tates. The frogs there are few and OF
very Inferior size, the largest not being
two and half inches long. They are
stunted in growth and do not seem Il
multiply as fast as here.