The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25
the hospitality OF other houses for such a
prolonged period.
AROUT TERRAPIN.
Their Price Varies According to
Time of Day.

Their Price Varies According to tAs
Time of Day. ~
The diamond backed terrapin is an arisS
tocratic denizen of Chesapeake Bay, and
worth almost its weight in gold to the cpl
cure of the fashionable cafe,
The diamond backed terrapin is only an
other name for small species of turtle,
and time was when the colored people of
Maryland ate them after roasting them in
their shells. and never dreamed of their
value as food for a royal menu. Now, a
terrapin farm is q mine of wealth to its
possessor.
A true story is told of a poor negro
fisherman who chanced upon a nest of
diamond backs near Tangier Island in
1893. In four hours he took out $1,000
worth, and stopped only when too ex.
hausted to work.
Terrapins 'in pound" present an inter-
esting but by no means an appetlzinp
appearance. The pound Is place where
the fishermen keep the TUT ties until thew
are shipped to some city to the markets
The farms where they are cultivated are
flooded with sea water, so that the little
object preserves its delicatessen qualities
unlmpalred.
There are certain rules understood by
those who purchase terrapin. They are
careful to observe that the extreme tip or
uluZZle is HOG luJureu, sudL tuO OOlLOm OF
feet is not worn off, that the head is pref
tily shaped-small, thin and pointed, and
the eyes brilliant. The feet should be
small and slender.
Cooking terrapin properly is such an art
that only chef or a Marylander should
be permitted to give instructions. To
begin with, the first rule is q challenge to
the humane society: plunge the terrapin
alive into boiling water Theni "boil
until the skin and toenails come off"
When the rudimentaries and vitals are
disposed OF, the rich, sweet meat, which is
better than chicken or canvasback duck,
or frogs legs, is stewed and prepared wlAh
an affinitive sauce, and "dash of EGsc
deira,'' or a ''little good sherry" and En
one recipe "a pint Of pale brandy, to which
match shall be set when it is turned over
the terrapin," are added to make the deli
cacy complete.
The only people who can cook the terra
pin as it demands are the Maryland cooks,
who learned from the colored people, and
their secret of success is to handle it as
little as possible and to serve it from the
dish in which it was cooked, thus preserv-
ing it's native juices and aromas The
dash of wine is an innovation of art.
On the terrapin farms of the Chesa-
peake a peculiar sport is INDUCED in by
| the men, called "terrapin racing The
| turtles are let loose in large room, where
at one end hot fire is blazing, protected
by guard. They all begin scramble
| for the light and warmth, the men bet
| ting on particular ones. They have no
| continuity of purpose, and are likely to
branch off in a dozen devious routes, but
the terrapin that first puts its nose against
the fire wins the race.
Terrapin are rated according to their
value with family pedigree tag, which
simply gives t g name of the State whence
they come. First on the list for its terra
pin is Chesapeake Bay. Next comes Long
Island. Then Virginia, Charleston and
Savannah, Florida, Mobile and the Gulf
follow. Mississippi and North Carolina
other points South furnish excellent ter
rapin.
Now for prices. Eighty dollars dozen
is not considered high for choice terra pin
at certain seasons and on special occa-
sions. A modest housekeeper saw one
crawling over some Holsters in fish,
market and out of curiosity inquired the
"What time is it?" asked the market
man, looking at his watch. ''You may
have it for $3, but if it was o'clock to-
night and l only had that one should
have to charge you more. expect some
in at any moment"
The season is just beginning and 1t does
not reach its height until Novemb Der and
the days of festivity. 1t lasts until May
Detroit Free Press.