The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-08-21
APROFEssIONAL FROG CATCHER.
New York Consumes Ton of Frog Saddles
aDay.
New York Sun. J

Last week professional frog catcher
for the New York market was down at
Mattituck creek and the way he raked
in the frogs was a caution. He was a
Frenehman, owned his own little bateau,
cat rugged. and spent most of his time
claiming, making he said, about $50
week, winter and summer, until the
weather was too bad. Now for a month
or So he was after frogs His apparatus
was practically crossbow of the type
used before the introduction of gunpow-
der. The stock part was about seven feet
long, but instead of shooting bolt Of
iron, it had spear or arrow about ten
feet long, very light and very strong, so
arranged that it shot forward only its
own length from the stock. Thus the act
of pulling the trigger converted the cross
bow into spear about 16 or II feet loEg.
He had basket strapped on his back
with an opening at the top like an eel
pot, so that what was in could not well
get out, and with this ne waded into the
water, sneaking around the banks and
clumps of grass and sedge until he saw a
frog. Then getting within range he took
aim as with gun and pulled the trigger
and out shot the arrow, piercing the frog
with the point The crossbow was then
raised, when the weight brought the
spear back into position, and the frog
was taken off and dropped into the bas-
ket. There was no noise, no smoke, no
cost, and not frog escaped. He told the
reporter that in Gascony, France, frog
hunting in this fashion was sport OF the
we'll -to-do, like golf or tennis here and
| that some of the a1quebuses, as he called
his crossbow, were of inlaid fancy wood
and frequently jeweled until they were
worth $1,000 Enough to keep poor man
for life he added. The prodigality of
these aristocrats!
catching frogs is with the grains, or light
five tined spear. Each tine is made of
TO- 0 fish hook heated red hot, and then
Strengthened out and set in a piece OF hard
wood the handle is three jointed and
about 2 foot long. One end of the spear
can be used to pole the boat. This is the
best fun for anyone going alone:
A soft, warm day is best for frog hunt
ing and whether for fun or cash, there is
a lot of fun in it. The hunters way of
cooking frogs is to build a good fire and
let it burn to ashes, and then just let
the legs brown by holding them over the
glow, spitted on twig. To hungry
man they are most appetizing. If a fry.
ing pan is available try out piece of
they have been we'll skinned and fry very
lightly.
The great frog depot in New York is
Ganseyoort market. c. II. Dawson has
often advocated the more extensive Gull
ture of domestic frogs in the East to COM
pete with the imported Canadian product,
which, now practically, supplies the mar
have any number of frog farms in the
rough, which only want little care to
develop them. The Canucks have i'm
mense ponds at ST. GATHERINGS, and pay
great attention to the culture, SO that the
frogs are large, we'll fed, and without any
marshy taste. A few years ago a French
man from ST. GATHERINGS started frog
imported stock from st. GATHERINGS. The
very first season the drOuth dried up a
great portion of his swamp, he was un-
able to feed his young ones, and what
was worse still, the natives came down
every night when it was dark and
scooped up his frogs in pals, so his in
dustry went to pieces. He did not go back
to Canada, however, but is just now at..an
up town restaurant, which makes a
speciality of snails and frogs legs when in
season, and his frogs legs are dream.
He is saving money, and will have that
frog farm yet. He says 10000 legs are
received every week in the season at
Buffalo, from Canada frozen, and dis
tributed all over the country. The first
legs from Maryland sell at from 80 to rs
cents pound early in the season; then,
late in June, the Canadian saddle come
in at As cents, and when in July the i'm
ported have to compete with native frogs,
they sell at 25 cents. 1t is estimated that
the city of New York alone uses ton of
frog saddles a day, more than the guam
tity stated officially to be consumed by
the whole Of France, the home of frog
eating That American frogs are much
better than the French is shown by the
large exports from the United States and
Canada to France, where they are at last
trying to propagate the large and luscious
American variety.
The voice Of a forg in good health can
be heard for two miles, says French
scientist, who adds that their unearthly
swamp music, as he calls it, is simply a
long distance conversation carried on be-
tween acquaintance. He gives their
articulation as Brekeke- bre- keke Krete
Krate, tooooo-o. BTekete! Brekete |!
Brekete, kwarr, brekete, too-oo! This is
similar to the famous college cry, which
the Frenchman probably never heard
and which was taken from the frog chorus
81 Apic CT