Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1889-11-21
$ FROG FOOD. "a
THE DEMAND MUCIIGREAT.
FIR THAN THE SUPPLY.
Raising Frags for the Market.


FIR THAN THE SUPPLY.
Raising Frags for the Market.
There is IL constant demand in all the
great markets Of the country for more
frogs legs than are supplied, and the
price seldom falls very low. Frog cuf
tup,' SAID Fish commissioner Eugene
G. B!ackford to New York Nail and
Express writer, is still IN its tadpole
state. Frogs breed just like fish. 1t is
easy to get the spawn and to hatch it
out. As you are probably aware, the
hatchlngs are tadpoles, minute, glob.
ular mass with vibrating tail. These
little fellows at first are half transpar-'
ent, but rapidly darken color and in
crease in size. After q few weeks the
tail shrivels, the legs make an appear
ance, the head separates from the body
and the tadpole has become frog. He
is very active and vivacious Young
person at this time, and eats all sorts of
animal food.
Frog culturists at this stage feed him
with raw meat, liver, heart and waste
that have been chopped very fine. He
grows rapidly until he is six months
old, and then invariably falls sick, and
in majority of eases dies. The reason
appears to lie in the diet. So far as we
know, a frog lives on insects. lie pre-.
fers them alive, bat when hungry eats
them. When they are dead. In these
cases, when frogs have been fed on flies
tley have always rrospered.
AS it is a practical imposSibility to
get enough flies and other insects to
feed regiment of these batrachl MS the
frog farmer is compelled to use meat
stead. The result is the ichness and
mortality l have described.
1t is so great as to make all frog cul-
ture financial failure. Out Of hun
dred frogs, anywhere from sixty to nine.
ty-five die when they are six months
old. Seth Green, the authority on such
matters, tried It on large scale at Ca.
nandaigua, think. He had no troub-
lie in Matching hundreds Of thousands,
if not millions, of tldpoles, and even
less trouble ia raising them until they
were five months old Then they be-
gan to sicken and die. The mortality
increased, until at the end of the year
the number which were left was as In
considerable rs to he not worth NEIL
tlonlng.
Even as it, stands, a great deal of
work is being done. Frogs are, if not
raised, at least fed and fattencd, for the
market in New York, New Jersey, and
especially in Ontario, Canada; Tennes-
see and many CT the Western States
There is wonderful variety in the sizes
attained. Those around this part of
tie country are seldom large.
A dozen pair of hind legs from New
York and New Jersey weigh a pound
on an average 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 a
large to a small leg This is we'll Illus
tratcd by the price list. When the N.
York and N. Jersey frogs have mon.
opoly of the market-cold weather
keeping Canadian and high freights
Western articles out of he city, because
they cannot be caught IN cold weather
they bring from thirty to fifty cents
pound. When later on In the year.
the Ontario legs are received, the do
nestle article falls to twenty cents and
the Ontario and Westerns bring from
forty to sixty cents pound. In Onta,
rio the frog business is conducted on
large scale.
The demand for frogs increases
much more rapidly than the supply,
and it is no uncommon thing to dispose
of two and even three thousand pounds
in one morning. At first this demand
was confined to French and Italians,
but by degrees, the Germans and then
the Americans began 10 call for frogs,
until finally every frst-class hotel ana
restaurant in the land had them upon
their bill of fair, anu unless frogs are
raised in captivity the price will be so
high in few years as to make the del.
jcacy a>luxury as costly as the finest
terrapin.
A mon IN Ono ho took q n; II m ada of