The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-06
FROGS AS A CROP.
Money in the Business-The Market
Ready Made.

Money in the Business-The Market
Ready Made.
Megargee IL the Philadelphia Times.
1t is strange how the frog has leaped
into gastronomic favor. Prior to the CEN
tennial, only twenty years ago, Ameri-
cans, as rule looked upon the croaking
batrachians with horror and classified
them with snakes and snails in the list OF
repellant edibles. Up to that period. in
heritlng the prejudces Of our British an
cestors, we scornfully spoke of the French
as frog eaters" putting them in the
same gastronomic classification, in this
one respect, with the rat-eating China
man. Now, what a change has come DER
the spirit of our dream. The Philadelphia
centennial drove heap of nonsense out
of the American head. 1t made US all
more cosmopolitan. It taught us many
things; 1t taught us changes in household
decorations, and above all, changes in our
methods of eating And it brought the
frog, through Gallo influence, into popu-
lar favor. The little but swell Hotel Bel
levue was not in existence in those days,
but If Ii had been frogs would have fig
ured in a hidden way on it's bill of fare.
To-day 1t Is only one of hundreds of hos
telries that can scarcely supply the de-
mand for the succulent legs Of the devel-
oped tadpole The Bellevue alone now
batrachians scarcely sufficient to supply
the daily demands OF its patrons, and II
is not unusual for minor establishments
to be unable to serve their customers with
the nimble hind-legs Of the croakers of
the marshes
So universal and constant Is the demand
for this recent popular addition to the
food list of America that caterers have
found it necessary, in order TO be pro-
vided with a supply of frog legs from one
years end TO the other to pursue the nirr-
BILE reptilian greenback from almost tho
Atlantic to the Pacific. When cold
weather comes upon him and puts a film
of ice over the pools into which he plunks
his body on the approach of a stranger,
the frog buries himself in the mud be-
meath the marsh, and there he hibernates
until the approach of warmer weather.
Watching these conditions, the hunter
pursues him as he does the reedbird, kill
ing the latter as a bobolink in the south
during the spring; as a rice bird in the
estuaries Of the Potomac during the late
summer, and as reedbird when the frost
swels the milk in the wild grain which
flourishes in the marshes Of the Welaware.
At the present time the frogs which make
mouths water in Philadelphia come from
Norfolk, to which point their captors
bring them from the swamp lands which
are fed by the estuaries of the James ana
York rivers. When early snow fiecks the
earth in that favored region frogs dsap-
pear and then the hunters search for them
in the swamps of Georgia and even fur
Their south and west This VIII be the
source of supply until early spring anc
then the men and women of THE Neck"
that fiat and marshy strip of land which
forms the southern end of the city OF
Philadelphia-will go forth armed with
various means of capture and earn many
an honest dollar by supplying frogs TO the
restaurants of Philadelphia and New
York. With the approach of summer he
earth of frozen Canada becomes moist
and loose, and from It's crevices emerge IN
vigorous croakiness, with fat yellow bel
lies, richly-colored green backs and thick
legs, the largest frogs known in the world
and which command the highest price In
its markets. These form the chosen
source of supply until Jack Frost again
puts In an appearance, and once more the
caterer casts a longing eye toward the
Norfolk marshes.
Thus runs the story year In and year
out
Why not raise frogs now that they have
become of value? Well that is about as
easy an undertaking as the propagation
of terrapin. A well-known dealer In the
now popular batrachians was questioned
upon this subject yesterday. Said he:
Frog culture Is still in It's tadpole state
and promises 10 remain there. Frogs
breed just like FISH. II Is easy to get the
spawn and TO hatch Il. The hatchings,
OF course are tadpoles; a minute, gobular
mass with a vibrating tail. These little
fellows at first are half transparent but
rapidly darken In color and increase in
size. After a few weeks the tail shrivels.
the legs make an appearance. the head
separates from the body and the tadpole
becomes a frog. All this every school
child knows. The youngster Is very vo-
racious and eats all sorts OF animal food
Al this stage frog culturists have always
fed him with raw meat, liver, heart and