The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-28
FROG FARMING WOULDPAY
NOT MUCH UORk. LITTLE TROUBLE.
mn coon RETURNS.
Cncic SIMS Fish Commission Has Teen In.
,estiEatins the Proicct-Not a Farm In the
tnitrd stntcs-froG's Legs In Great De-
mnnd-HUw to Hatch ana Rear Frogs.

tnitrd stntcs-EroE'- Legs In Great De-
mnnd- to Hatch ana Rear Frogs.
From ne Bo'ion Ercninp Transcript.
The United states Fish Commission just now
is Investigating the subject Of frog farming. It
Il believed that there ought to be money in the
business. considering tho large demand for the
hind legs at hiFh prices. Tho principal market
for them il in New York city. where they are
gathered from all parts Of The country. Fulton
Market alone Solling from 1000 to loo, 900
pounds annually. TO furnish such cnor-
nous quantities of legs must rcnuIre s--
cral millions Of frogs having an average
weight Of half u pound. Only a small out
lay Of cash and labor should be required for es-
tablishing a frog farm. and, once started. the
enterprise would run itself. the batrachians
feeding themselves and attending to their own
propagation. But. Notwithstanding frcluent
stories about successful frog farms printed in
the newspapers, the Fish Commission has NOT
been able to discover the existence OF a single
such plant In this country. though there Is one in
| operation at Bousford, Ont, owned by a man
named Wcdlock.
So here Is II promising industry as yet unborn
in the United States. The frog crop Mt present
is wholly Wild. and the bulk OF II is marketed in
New York. Missouri is the greatest frog pro-
ducing State; the town Of kennett alone ships
10000 pounds Of dressed frog legs annually, and
New Madrid is second with $4,000 pounds.
These figures are taken from tho books OF tho
railroads. The swamp lands Of Missouri and
Arkansas are tho finest frog-growing areas In
the world. the frogs found there being OF tho
real bull species. They are caught in all sorts Of
ways. some with a hook and bit of red flannel.
and others by spcaring and shooting. The frog
season begins about the middle OF March and
lasts three months. AT night men go out in
SINAI. boats which are provided with lamps and
big rehcctur,. The light 80 blinds the frogs that
the boat can be padded right up to them, and
they are readily spcared. Exceptional speci-
mons weigh rs much ~ two pounds apiece.
the plant required for n frog farm - exceedingly
! simple and cheap. shallow ponds iuay be found
| unless the planting of bushes around the edges.
Thossserve a. n protection against enemies to
some extent, and have the further advantage Of
attracting insects, Frogs feed mainly on in
scots; the reason why they bite at "a bit of red
It is a good idea to build a low toard fenec
around the pond In order to keep out snakes and
small mammals that arc fond Of frogs. The
fence should be- close to the water, 80 that birds
cannot stand on the inside Of it and pick up the
Naturally, the first thing to do is to secure
some frogs tor breeding, Any old frogs will not
and that that Is ali there Is t" lie said. But there;
nFc IN taCt u good many species OF, frogs, and the
real bpl!frog i. the Kind whose large and MUG
His scientific name is Rama CGt,sbyrn1. THO
pond once stocked. the frogs VIII take care OF
themselves and multiply rapidly II they get
enough to eat. But it should De remembered
that no insect is oi any use from their point OF
has no attraction for them. they want live bags.
Another point well worth mentioning is that
the bottom OF the pond must he Of soft mud.
because when winter comes the frogs go to sleep
until spring. They bGrrow into the mud and
there remain IN "a torpid state as long AS cold
When tho last o: the ice has gone. the frogs
come out uf The mud and again take an active
intercst in life. Sprins the season when Mr..
Frog Roc. a.woUins. He Is homogeneous in
habit, ana no employs the allureincnt OF song 10
excite the tender emotions NJ his lady.lovc. He
has u line bass voice, by means of which he en-
sing. In lle course o. time the female frog de.
rosits in me water a small -lutinous mass OF
sptwn it Io3pN- ike 50 rlnch Jelly, with BLACK
.!ailN in ~ suitable Matching box. but this Is
hardly. worth while, inasinuch "a i; will hatch
another pond. care should be- taken TO break 1t
AZ little as possible. II will hatch in a week Or 50:
VI LuGts. The ostcO.osist. OF the National
Museum, says that the frog is Just about tho
most wonderful animal in the. world. II starts
tail, and turns into uu air-brcathing land animal,
developing teeth and becoming - cnrniyorous
he froI, because it gives BIRTH directly to little
air'hrrarhins touds, whereas the frog lays eggs
that produce hsh.likc ~tGdpoles. Mr.. Frog
has a skull! Of enormous size, with a very
SINAI. brain cavity. lie has only nine verte.
a~nimal-and POSSESSES no ribs al all. Thus he 10
obliged literally I" swallow by gulps the air he
broathc,.. Instead OF projecting his chest like a
human being ana creating a vacuum Tor the at.
mosphcrc TO pour into. He has a Joint in the
middle OF each foot. and also u Joint in the mid
die OK his ha,E. These extra hinges help hin i'm
Vel n,in frog In proportion To- His size. he Would
b. arlC to leap At least 800 yard at "A bound.
Forty species OF frogs arc knGWE in the world.
The Largest is the. gigantic believer" Of tho
Louisiana swInnps, which il said to attain a
weight of four bounds; The smallest is the tree
frog. Ordinarily only The mind legs of the bull
France and Germany the animal IS served whole
quito gTmmonly: AnyGodJ whnlas eaten froSs'
j. somewhat like that OF cry tender spring
chicken. only more delicate. Thelcgs, after bei'.s
Next they should be drained, dried, and put 10
oak lnr a while in the white OF eggs, well beaten
n'rnr aud lric,i in plenty ot Olive oil until they
49," crisp and brown. Add a lemon, some red
About twenty ccnta pound, bu, extra big legs
are worth from thir'T 10 torty,hye cents a
t,nu, lu-t, f.!orc the frogs go into the mud.
ami aiter they, have spent "A long season in fat
il mas been alleged that large quantities of
American frogs are ship3cd 10 Europe, but the
ti'h Commission experts have learned. that this
New York, told them THAI they had never heard
NJ -uch u thini; II fog farming is made 2 sue.
exported ON n considerable scale before long,
inn;lnnch AS 'nSy are 80 highly priced
lc,I the Wild :ro-s in this country may he cxter-
minated by. the wholesale slaughter that now
tlrir mos, haunt, with spear. shot gun and
scoop net. and thousands OF acres which once
afforded them a home are now "A silent waste,
!, Eui the echo OF n single nocturnal Croak break.
iug upon the Stiffness Of the air where batrach.
len choruscs rr>lwtilc expressed the tuneful
mood %; nature. This j. Il pity, for the bull
trurS OF the uitcd states are the biggest OF
iho!r Kind In the world. They are solitary ami,
mails, not Hyoking each others society except
4. during the breeding season, when frequently
hundreds "l them will be seen together, A that
/, t.gtu they utter the hoarsc note from which they
take their name.
4 notion ~ The vast quantity of the frogs con-
, shmcd IN Europe NAV be got from the fact that
They arc fetched continually TO the. city OF
Vienna from tho country in patches OF 10000
to 10000. There they are sold to dealers who
Ltv" ,unscrNnturic- for keeping them. These
! T"ms'rH H,u w., ~, ~ "s h"'rS ~ ~ y, En r"J no an
with boards and straw, In such pits the frogI
4 never become quito torpid. even during the
I hardest frusl,, They get together in heaps, and
thus Keep themselves wet by preventing evapo
: ration. no water being ever put with them. Re
/ ! comfy atfUmpts nave been made TO can frogs