The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-03-14
A TERRAPIN FARM.
RAISING A TOOTHSOME REP
TILE FOR THE MARKET.

Terrapin Found in Greatest Number
Along Chesapeake Bay-Habits
and Methods Of Catching Them
Good ard Bad Terrapin.
It would scarcely be accurate to say
that the terrapin has leaped into inter-
national popularity, but no one who
knows the history of the much praised
reptile can deny that it has crawled there
with great deal Of success. Forty years
ago, two or three thousand dollars would
have been a very liberal estimlte of the
sales made from the Chesapeake Bay.
To-day the value of the annual catch
from this body of water and its tribu-.
taries will exceed million and half of
dollars. The Chesapeake, the largest
and most interesting of the indcntatlons
on the Atlantic coast, furnishes three
great delicacie, to the world-terrapin,
canvas-back duck and oysters. All of
these are shipped to points in every sec
tion of this country and to Europe. A
canvas-back duck never acquires the per-
lection of flavor which epicures so fer
vently admire until it has several weeks
of feeding in the Chesapeake. The same
is true Of terrapin. Both facts come
from the same cause, and that is the
abundance of water-celery or water-cress.
which grows in submerged fields on the
muddy flats, shallow bays, and estuaries
on the Chesapeake. Wherever this celery
grows, terrapin are found. They have been
in the bay from time immemorial, but
it has been only within the past half-cens
tury that they have been appreciated.
Old Maryland records show that the
slaves on one or two estates used to re-
bel because they were given terrapin in
stead of pork. Gradually, however, the
dish has secured the recogn tion that it
deserves, and to-day 1t is known and ap-
preciated in both hemispheres. Presi.
dent Cleveland gets terrapin from Bslti.
more, and so do all the rich entertainers
of this country and Europe. Many New
Workers get prepared terrapin by the
barrel from the chef of the leading club
in Baltimore. -.
The demand for this delicacy has en-
boldcned several gentlemen to start ter.
rapin farms. As money-making enter.
prise farm of this sort is not a sucaGs,
but in the matter of accommodationAnd
interest it is very valuable feature OF
any estate. Perhaps the most successful
one in Maryland consists of saltwater
lake large enough to contain thousand
or more terrapin Boxes partly filled
with sand, and arranged SO that when.
the females enter they cannot get out
until taken out are the hatcheries.
Young terrapin are kept in the nursery
ten months or year. One of the ter
rapin's greatest traits is his curiosity,
and this enables the owner of the farm,
to train them so that they will readily
respond to his call. The food generally
consists of crabs ground to apowder and
kneaded into pellets.
The terrapin season extends from
about the middle of November until the
1st of April, About five hundred men
catch over six thousand terrapin each
year. Very frequently, during the sum.
mer, people along the bay catch terrapiD
and pen them up until the legal season
opens, but these terrapin are Of very IN.
ferior quality, because, to be really good,
terrapin must always be '.fresh caught y
The ways of capturing this reptile are
many. The favorite is the old method
of pronged stick that resembles Nep.
tunes trident. The expert, who is gen.
orally colored man, prods this stick IN
the mud until he feels something move:
and then he reaches down and hauls
forth o diamond-back. Sometimes
around marshes several terrapin are
taken from one bed. Iron dredges and
loa ed seines are used with success, OF
course terrapin are in lethargic condi-
ton in cold weather months. They cat
enough in spring, SUNNI and iall to
enjoy a winter of A Baltimore
dealer securely naile( two terrapin at
the beginning of winter, and did not
open the box until the following spring.
They had had in that time no food ot
drink. When the box was opened, one
weighed exactly the same as at first, and
the other had gained two ounces. a
gentleman on the eastern shore
of Maryland buried twenty:si1
terrapin about eighteen inches
deep, on the 1st of June. In December
he resurrected them, and found them
alive, fatter, and in better condition to
eat than when they were placed under.
ground. Many rich people in Maryland
put large number OF terlapin in their
cellars at the beginning of winter, and
use them as the exigencies of the table
require. ~,
The "1Iaryland tcrrap n" that one gets
in the average restaurant is an imitation
and sham. Even in Baltimore restau-
rants the humbug is practised. Those
dishes are made from little ''no.'count"
or "bull" terrapin, under-sized speci.
mems that lack the favor of the real ar
ticle. To be good, terrapin should
measure at least six inches across the
back. A seven-inch terrapin is called
';count," and all others are sold accord
ing to size. Experience of very tne
order is required to cleanse terrapin
successfully. 1t should always be killed
by plunging it head-foremost into pot
of boiling water. The more simply the
dish is cooked the better, for the terra
pin unadorned is adorned the most. The
female is preferable to the male because
of the eggs. A favorite Christmas pres
ent from Maryland man to a Nor hern
friend every December is lot of half
dozen or dozen of these reptiles. .-Har-
per's Weekly.
Durability of Roman Buildings.