The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1895-01-22
A FROG STICKER.
THE AGILE BATRACHIANS ARE
DIFFICULT TO CATCH.
Talk With One Who Makes a Bust
ness OF Supplying Brokers and
Bankers With Their Favorite
Tid-Dit-A Frogs Paradise.

r. centres IN the Neck, that
region so fertile in truck
g farms and piggeries. The
low, marshy ground and the shallow
bitches which drain the surplus water
into the two rivers make it veritable
frogs paradise. These meadows. most
OF them the property of the Girard
and other large estates, are open to
any one who may desire to hunt or
fish on them. Professional frog
catchers, therefore, ply their trade
without fear of molestation.
These men maze a regular business
OF catching frogs. Many of them
have made as careful study OF it as a
carpenter or other mechanic would of
his trade.
The local leader of this queer in
dustry is one George w. White. He
has been catching frogs for twenty
nine years. During that time, Sun
days excepted, lie has not missed a
day from his work. Every morning,
summer and winter, rain or shine, he
may be seen tramping over the mead
ows with his bag slung across his
shoulder and his frog-catching outfit
in his hand. He has no other bust
ness. That is his trade. He supplies
one of the leading game dealers in the
city with frogs.
"Do | know anything about frogs?"
said White the other day.
"Well, ought 20. I've been catch
ing them long enough. Yes, there
are lots of them hereabouts. They
are to be found in the Neck princi-
pally. 1 work along the river from
Glrard Point to Broad street Frogs
are thicker there than anywhere else.
l find more in the bitches and marshes
bordering the river than on the banks
OF the river proper. They are not
hard to discover in warm weather, but
in the winter time they bury them
seves between the mud and trash in
the bottom of the ponds and bitches
and L have to rake around until 1
strike them.
''There are four varieties OF frogs
in the country about Philadelphia
the bull-frog, which is the largest,
measuring full-grown, eight or ten
inches in length; the grass-frog,
which is not quite so large; the yell
low-throater and the yellow-legger.
The bull-frog and yellowt hroater are
found all the year round, but the
grass-frog is caught only in the
spring, and the yellow logger prin-
cipally in the fall of the year. The
eating. The old fellows are not so
tender and sweet as the younger ones.
''Some frogs live to be ten or
twelve years old. L have caught bull
frogs which I judged to be at least
ten years old. They were big ones,
too. a frog four or five years of age
makes the best eating. Under that
they are most too small. Few people
know that frog is year and half
"A tadpolo before his tail drops off,
and he gets in its stead n set of legs
which enable him to Jump about ON
land as we'll as swim in the water.
There is n general idea that frogs
are not clean. That is not so. They
live on bugs and insects which they
catch in the water, and do not touch
filth of any sort. Sometimes they
catch bird in the marshes and make
short work of it.
al have seen a big bull-frcg get
away with n young duck. He swal-
lowed 1t feathers, legs and all Frogs
are very strong for their size and
have powerful jaws with sharp teeth.
Some of the larger ones live on craw-
fish. During the winter they do not
eat, lying in a torpid state. One
crawiish will last frog all winter.
Many OF them have already eaten n
good, hearty meal and gone to the
bottom for their winters sleep. They
will lie there until May. The first
thunderstorm in May always brings
them up again, good and hungry,
roudy to eat tho first bug or insect
they get their blinking eye upon.
although the frogs are ont of
sight in winter, I do not stop nv
work. Early in October / go ell over
the ground and make note OF where
they are settling. Then / have com
parativoly little trouble in getting
them. I use 'herdy-gerdy,' or
combination rake and net on the end
OF long pole. The rake is to clear
away the rubbish in the bottom of the
ditch and at the same sweep the net
picks up the frogs, if there are any
there. get more in the winter time
than I do in warm weather, because
they are in torpid state and can't get
away so fast.
'Ghe catch varies. Some DAYS I
get five dozen, others fifteen dozen.
I guess / catch ON average ten dozen
day. II IS no trouble to sell them.
One game dealer takes nearly all I
catch. sell good many live frogs
10 students FOR experimental pur-
poses. ] also supply several private
families.
''Aiter my mornings catch I sit
down IN the meadows and clean my
frogs. The only implement ! use IL u
pair Of big shears. / cut the frog
down lhs breast-boue, beginning mt
the m ,utn, and peel his skin OF back
toward his head IL comes of easily
in one piece Then I string them up
in dozens and take them TO my Gus
toners"
The number Of frogs consumed in
PhIladel hia is enormous One game
dealer alone sei,s on an average 10, 600
dozen q year. His trade is among the