Democratic messenger., 1892-12-03
CATCHING TEIsRAPINS.
The Industry a Profitable one.

The Industry n Profitable One.
The Times of New York City ot Mon
day last contained the following interest
ing article on the terrapin, especially re-
lating 10 the industry in Chesapeake bay:
Il; is very curious that while the election
has had decided effect on the tcrrapin
market and largely restricted the sales
there has been no decrease in the price,
and there is no break in rate Of 500 a
dozen said the largest terrapin dealer
in the country 10 the Times correspon-
dent to-day. Most of our stock is from
Chesapeake We get the best ones from
this bay. There seems 10 be some special
virtue in the feeding that gives them a
peculiar excellence"
"Will terrapin be higher this year ?"
That is hard TO say. Many people are
now eating the Southern ierrapin 1t
sells for just about hall the price of the
Chesapeake article, and is quite satisfac-
tory, although Of course. not as fine as
the diamond backs caught above the
Potomac"
The senior member of this firm was
the first dealer To regularly sell terrapin
in Baltimore. That was about 80 years
ago. and he received s. dozen for the
best. The difference between IS and $50
shows how much the terrapin has al
vanced in public appreciation.
In fact. the high cash value of the ter
rapin Is modern. The records show that
the Indians caught and roasted them, but
they were looked upon as very common
food. AT Yorktown, Washington and
Lafayette ate dish of terrapin because
the supplies were low at that time. In
The annals of two counties of Maryland
there are contracts in which il is stipula-
ted that slaves should not be fed ON ter
rapin more than twice week, and they
were given ierrapln instead of pork. Mr.
Clayton OF Delaware, who was Secretary
OF State during the administration oI
President Taylor, used To buy them al 81
for an oxcari load.
The best of terrapin and the most Oi
them are found in Chesapeake bay, from
which 500 men take nearly 10000 every
wear during the season. which is from
November To April inclusive. The meth.
cd by which they capture them is as in
tarastin,r as Tho tcrrap,n itSaIf Ainng
the bay, which extends nearly 200 miles,
with dozens of large rivers running into
it, are immense marches, mud flats and
shadows. on many of which grow the
water cress, which gives To the terrapn
and the canvasback duck the flavor that
makes them so attractive to cultivated
appetites.
If you should happen near some Of
these places You would probably find an
old colored man wadng around with II
stick pronged like Ncpiune's trident,
prodding into the mud and looking like
person who had lost something valua-
BILE in queer place. without exactly
knowing where to seek IT, But so ex-
perienced is he that the slightest sign OF
terrapn leads at once TO quick trans
fer to the large cotton sack which the old
man carries.
This is one way There are others,
the most successful being the dragging
Of loaded seins along the bottom Many
terrapin are also caught in the oyster
dredges. AMI AL find their way to market
In the autumn The ierrapn begin To
land man buried % of them on the lst OF
June and dug them up on the lst of De
cembcr. In six months they did not lose
an ounce Of weight, and every one oi
them was alive and we'll You can take
II terrapin and put il IN the cellar in the
autumn and without receiving food or
drink it will he all right in the spring. 1t
is in fact, about the cheapest boardcr in
the entire animal aingd0m
Several have tried To raise terrapins in
pounds. but they have not made much OF
success. for the tcrrapin do not like
captivity. An interesting thing about
them is that they have so much curiosity
that when they are confined to these
pounds they can he trained 10 come to
the surface when their food of the crab
meat and dough is ready
Boys along the Chesapeake catch terra
pin There is not much sport IN captur-
ing them, but they are very well salts fled
with the profits