The Dickinson press., 1889-09-14
ABOUT FROGS FOR FOOD.
THEY CANNOT BE RAISED FAST
ENOUGH FOR THE DEMAND.

Insects Their Only Natural Food-A
Frcncl, Dclicacy That Is Now Very Much
in Demand-A Fish Commissioner Talks.
1t is fair to assume that the frog, with all
tie force of whatever intellect he may pos
sc>S, rcvolts at the public intention that is
from time to time directed toward him.
RN'k-ek-kek-koaX is naturally Of n shy and
retiring disposition, actively seeking s~cclu>ion
oil all occasions where men desire to crafty
their fondncss for him, and it is safe to say
that he loves men far less than men love him.
This is natural, for the fondncss men have
for the queer little amphibian is solely due to
the promltinys of the palate and stomach,
and mans love is death to the frogs" Nat
urrailv, h. ,hjevts and shrinks modcstly from
observation when the hunter pursucs him.
Nevertheless the pursuit is kept up, and from
Year to year almost countless numbers of the
batracliiuns are slain.
MIR. Frog begins life as n tadpolr, and tad
poles are easily Matched and reared. Tho
fertile American commercial instinct from
time To time s"izcs on the notion that moth
ing is much easier than TO procure Il suitable
marsh, stock it with talpolcs, furnish cheap
food, which is all that is assumed to be neccs-
Saly. and wait for the talpoles to become
frogs and multiply. Then, argue many san
gEinc persons, it will be easy to supply the
market with frogs legs ut thirty or forty or
fifty cents Il pound. One proposition which
goes to support the theory of this scheme is
ii.disputallc. There is Il constant demand in
all the great markets of this country for more
frogs les than are ever supplied, and the
price seldom fails very low.
FROG CULTURE STILL YOUNG
1t was with II view to lcarnin. the facts
about these frog farms, how they are con
Quoted, where they are, and what the meas.
IRE of their success has been, that n writer
applied To Fish Commissioner Eugene G.
blackboard.
"Frog %culture,' said the commissioner, lis
still in its t;uipole state. The facts are very
few and simple. Frogs breed just like fish.
Ii is easy To get the spawn and to hatch it
out. AS YOU are probably aware, the hatch
iugs are tmli"lc>, Il minute, globular mass,
with Il vibrating tail. These little fellows ut
tils, are half transparent, but rapidly darkan
in color and increase in size. After n few
weeks the tail slirivrlS, the legs make an APP
pearancr. III" head separates from the body,
aili the a,ll~le has become II frog. He is Il
i"Fy active AMI rivacipua young person at
TN, time, and eats all kinds of animal food.
IIpt, tilItullStS III llllS stage letHl nm WIN
raw meat, liver, heart and waste that have
brea chopped very 'ine. He grow, rapidly
n:t;l h. is six months old, and then invavi-
ai,!, fall, sick. and i'll II majority If eases
dies. The reason appears to lie in the diet.
=, far us we know, II frog lives on insects.
He prefers them alive, but when hungry eats
them When they arc dead. In these cases,
. WHEN frogs have been fed Oil flies, they have
always prosi"rcl.
".As it j., Il practical ilmpos>ibili,y to get
enough iiic, and uti!cr insects to feed Il rrgi-
Iment of these lntraclYians the frog farmer
Is c"ilirllrl To lis. illcat instead. The result
is The sirkits, and mortality | have d"scrib-
I'll. 1t is $, great us to make all frog culture
II financial failure. Out of II hunlrclfiogs,
anywhere from sixty To ninaty-iivc die when
they arrs!X months old.
"l.vcn as it stands, II great deal ol work is
being dom, Frogs are, if not raised. at least
fed and fattcncd for the market in New
York, New Jersey, and especially in Ontario
Canada. tennessee and many of tho western
states. There is Il wonderful variety in tho
sizes attained. Those around this part of the
country an" seldom large.
~ dozen pair of hind legs from New York
and New Jersey weigh Il pound on an aver
aSc; the same number from Ontario will. run
three or four pounds, while from Tennessee
and Missouri they go as high rs five and even
SIX pounds. The consumer naturally prefers
II large To II small les. This is well illus
tratcd 10y the price list. When tho New
York and New Jersey frogs have Il monopoly
OF the market-coll weather keeping Cana
dian and high freights western articles out
of the city, because they cannot be caught in
cold wcatlcr-tley bring from so to 50 cents
IL pound. When, later on in the year, tho
Ohiario les are received, tho domestic
article falls To 20 cents and the Ontario and
westerns bring from ~ to GO cents Il pound.
''ln Ontario the frog business is conducted
on Il large scale. Tho French Canadians in
lrrit their talent i'll this field from their an
crst"rs and are moro skillful than any of
llicii. competitors.
''Thedemand for frogs legs increases much
more rapidly than tho supply. In 1850
scarcely twenty pounds n day were sold in
Fulton market, while now it is no uncom-
mon thing t" dispose of 1000 and even 5000
pounds ill Il morning. At first the demand
was confined to French and Italians. Amer
leans shared that curious British prejudice,
cnscndered no doubt by the long wars be-
tween England and France, which regarded
beef as the only food for Il man, frogs, the
tavorite dclicacy of Paris, as n pitiful sub
slitutc for meat, and i'll consequence called
every Frcnchman II frog cater BY degrees
the Germans and then tho Americans began
to call for frogs until finally every first class
ho;cl and restaurant i'll the land had them
upon their bill of fare. The difference be-
tween tho demand and supply is well illus
trated by the price. Twenty years ago it
was only about one-half Of what it is now,
and 1t has increased steadily during that
period. 1t is evident to any ono who gives
the matter thought that unless frogs arc
raisel in captivity for the great city mar
kets, before many years have gone by the
price will be SO high as to make the delicacy
aluxury as costly as the finest terrarin.
In catching frogs there has been little or
no change in my recollection. The favorito
method Is Il hook and line, with Il small piece
of red flannel as n bait. This is employed
more than all other methods combined. III
Ontario they have Il practice which has been
used i'll France and Belgium for centuries;
they shoot their prey with Il cross bow or
arblast. The bolt transtixcs the little rep
tile and makes so little noise us not to fright
en- its friends and ncisllbors. Some sports
men use Il rifle or II Flobcrt air gun. The
latter is preferable, as the discharge makes
almost 10 sound. Spearins frogs i'll the night
time isa custom derived from the Indians.
a flat boat, Il powerful lantern, q spear ana
two men are all that is required. The frogs
arc attracted by the light aud always face
toward it. The light is reflected by their
eye and so betrays them to the catcher. If
the boat is moved noisclcs,ly by tile man in
the stern, the spearman, who occupies the
bow either beneath or behind the lantern,
can approach the frog to within a few inches
ard then inpale him without ditficulty."-
New York Mail and Express.