The Russellville Democrat., 1888-10-11
AMATEUR FARMING.



| the Fe1<kve and RestIvs Frog.
Fl do not believe there is to-day in ex-
ister3cs 3 book on the culture OF the sue
culent frog. know that there are ref
erences in books OF engineering to rail-
way frogs, but that il 4 totally difsrent
animal. although TO the amateur they
may appear to be o. the same species
The railway frog does not COOK Well,
and even after hours of boiling remains
tough and, In manner, indigestible.
Not so. the ordinary swamp frog 1t
has become standard attraction In all
the first-class restaurants and in price
resembles the soft-shell crab and other
toothsome dainties. In fact, the high
price OF q dish of frogs at q restaurant
of the first magnitude is what induces
needless amateur farmers to 80 in for
frog culture. They think there Is money
in 1t, The great object OF these papers
Is to show that there is money in moth
ing for the amateurs. II / tan induce
one person to hesitate about going into
any thing pertaining to farming shall
be satisfied - -
Frogs to-day are selling atretail in
Detroit all dressed and ready for cook
ing for twenty-five cents dozen, and
not twenty-five cents apiece. 1t is just
little trifing errors like that that has
been the ruin OF us farmers. 1t Is 80
easy to get twenty-five cents each bn d
paper and so hard to get twenty-five
cents dozen in practice. That is the
reason that so few of us amateurs get tc
be Vanderbilts and Jay Goulds. Be-
sides this is the dear season for frogs.
In the spring when the young mans
fancy lightly turns to thoughts OF love
and brighter plumage adorns the
turtle dove and all that. the amateur
frogger's thoughts lightly turns to
thoughts of ten cents a dozen for his
frogs and even less.
But to get down to business. One
requisite of frog farm is o swamp.
That is one great advantage in frog
raising as compared with any other
kind of farming, you don have to TN
derdrain your place. acquired a
swamp cheap and put a wire netting
around it so that the frogs could not
Jump the claim. The fence always
costs more than the estate itself The
article that induced me to go into the
industry and which promised a large
fortune before three years had passed,
said that the proper way to begin was
; to stock the swamp with six fine New
Jersey frogs l got frog mans adj
dress there and ordered six of the finest
from him.
Here is the correspondence that en-
sued:
DEAR SrR-Please send me half q dozen OF
your finest frogs, together with bill of same.
Yours truly, LUKE SHARP.
srR-t send to-day by American Express
Company half dozen dressed frogs packedin
ice. Would suggest that you order in larger
Quantities as express charges on.a small pack
age will make such shipping expensive
Yours. BINGHAM & Co
SIR We hold at your risk package marked
"PerishabIe."
G. o. ID. charges .......& &c
Express charges. ........... 80
Total. ~ 90
AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY.
SR-what wanted was lice frogs. Send
them along. Yours, /. s.
SIR-Have attended to your ordcr. Very
much doubt II they will arrive In good order.
Sent at your risk C. Cd
BIsGHAM & Co. !
80 ae
SIR--very Objectionable package received
addressed to you. Has been handed over to
the health officer. PIease cali and pay charges
--S2. AM Elk Co.
Well, the result was that had to
stock my swamp with everyday De-
troit frogs Never got any thing out OF
that swamp but annoyance and d touch
of malarial fever:
After couple of years, finding that
the frog industry was a failure, | first
tried to sell the swamp and afterward
endeavored to find some one to whom ]
could give it away. At last heard Of
Frenchman who, it was thought,
would accept the place. He was in
the frog industry and, not being an
amateur, had made a reasonable sue.
cess of it
'You were foolish" he said to me,
after the bargain was made, ito give
away that swamp"
''Why% asked. .
ut is the best frogging place around
Detroit" he replied. II have iflade MY
living out of that place for the last two
years. Some fool must have been feed
ing them, i guess, and then was too
lazy to get up early enough mornings
to catch them"