Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-07-05
TERRAPfN IN PLENTY.
WHERE THE PRECIOUS LITTLE ANIMALS
HAVE BEEN DOxHsrlCArEp.
A Successful Farm in Alabama-The
stock Supplied by Hunters with Dogs
Trained to the Trail--The Prices.
From the Pitisburr DISPATCH.

| Efoui tue IittsoutE DisIatch.
1t Is a remarkable fact that nearly all
restaurants any pretensions, everywhere
In the United States regularly announce
terrapiu soup on their bills of fare, where
ss, In point OF fact, there are very rev
. places, even In the largest cities, where the
genuine article Is served.
There are several cognate animals, but
only one terrapin, properly so caIleun
! sometimes designated 'diam0nd backs
and sometimes merely terrapin; the Two
terms being used interchangeable. Gophers
are OF the general form on terrnPm; uu'
and they are caught on elevated land.
| They construct their habitation by digging
holes In the ground, sometimes To the
depth of 50 feet, They subsist on grass
and plants found in the woods. In weight
they run from 25 to 80 pounds. Mobilian
tnrtles-sometimes called striped heads
live in fresh water, and they likewise grow
so large rs to weigh 80 pounds. Then
there Is soft shell turtle, caught also in
fresh water, which is regarded as very fine
an its flavor, when properly served. They
often weigh from so to 60 pounds. Beside
there is the sea turtle, or loggerhead, which
abou nds in the Gulf of Mexico and attains
the enormous weight of 700 or 500 pounds
Tnis sre lies is exceedingly prolific. 1t is
not unusual to find from 400 to 600 eggs
deposited in one place by q single turtle.
THE TERRAPIN THE SMALLEST OF ALL.
The terrapin is the smallest of all various
kinds of turtle, but 1t Is so high priced as
only to find its way to the most fashionable
restaurants. In common with other kinds
| of the turtle family, terrapin propagate by
making hole in the sand with their feet
| and depositing their eggs therein; then
filling up the hole and leaving the eggs to
| be Matched by the sun. There are three
or -four terrapin farms in the United States.
BY far the largest of these is located at
Cedar Point, Ala. Cedar Point is in the
extreme south end of Mobile county, bor-
dering on the Mississippi Sound, 80 miles
| from the city of Mobile, and two miles
north of the Gulf of Mexico, within a stones
throw of the famous oyster reefs of Mobile
Ray, where oysters are caught during the
winter and shipped to all parts of the
United States.
The owner of this farm is Mr.. NJ. Dorlon.
He has now on the farm 10000 diamond
backs, running in size from four ounces up
| to four pounds. The farm consists of a plot
| of ground containing several acres, and
surrounded on all sides by a board fence,
Throughout the space there are bitches or
canals cut and embankments thrown up.
These enbank ments are covered with fine
shells or sand, or both iutermingled, upon
| which the terrapin sun themselves. The
canals are filled at intervals with fresh
water from the sound, let in and out by
means of underground channels or sewers
leading to the bay, allowing the tide water
to rise and fall at WILL thus keeping the
water in the canals fresh and pure at all
| times
HUNTING THE LITTLE ANIMALS.
The farm is stocked by ex perienced hunt
ers. They have q fine and ample range,
| for terrapin are caught along the shores of
| Dauphin Island. Cat Island, Marsh Island,
Grand Bay and the Louisiana coast and as
| far as the Galveston beach, but it requires
expert hunting to come up with the animals
sought And in order to succeed the hunt
ers must have dogs which have been
trained not merely to track terrapin, but
to disregard every other sort of trail And
the hunting has to be seasonable. During
the months of May and June, and during
a part Of July, terrapin crawl out to deposit
their eggs, and to that end go some distance
into the grass. The dog strikes the trail,
and if it is fresh, he soon finds the game.
He gives notice of his success by yelping,
and the hunter hastens to the spot in con-
| fident expectation of prize.
He carries with him a large sack. Into
this he thrusts the terrapin, one by ono as
they are found, until the sack is filled or
the hunter has as many as he is able to
carry--sometimes as many as 25 or 80.
These are taken to the store of Mr.. Dorlon,
where they command $3.50 per dozen.
| From 2 to p months are thus occupied.
and each hunter can easily make from %
to So per day during that time.
EDUCATED IN CAPTIVITY.
Inc ierrapiD, mus caught ana piaceu on
the farm, are fed with crabs and fish which
are caught along the shores of Cedar Point,
and being cut into small pieces are dis
tributed in the canals and ravenously de-
voured. They seem to possess the power
of mental associations, for they become SO
accustomed to the sound made by the cut
ting up of the fish aud crabs that If one
makes similar noise by striking on the
fence, he will see probably 1000 or 5000
heads above the water making for the
locality of the noise.
The market season lasts from the lst OF
October until the 10th of May. During the
remaining portion of the year there is no
market for the products of the farm. They
are packed in boxes holding about 30.
These boxes are strapped with iron ties,
and are shipped TO New York, Washington,
| Philadelphia and Norfolk, Va. The prices
range from Sl2 to SIS per dozen, the aver
age weight being about four pounds each /;
making the flesh. including the shell, come
at the rate of from 25 to 371 cents per pound
thus taking its place in the foremost
rank of luXures.
The terrapin hibernate themselves in
winter, eating nothing, but barrowing and
| hiding themselves in the mud. They do
not go deep, however, and many are some-
times taken out of the same "hole.' The
terrapin, being long perhaps attain
| ing the age of hundred years-tbeir
| growth is corresponding slow. The writer
| understands that the marketable age, when
| they have taken on weight OF about four
pounds, Is about five or six years.