The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1898-02-27
TO RAISE TERRAPIN.
COMMISSIONER T4WEs' PLANsFoR M
cRGAslNe THE SUPPLY

He Proposes to Tnciose Number Of Fe-
male Terrarins In state Pounds The
Young to lie Matched out From tbs Eegs,
Two Private Terrapln Pounds.
Crisfeld, Md, built Oh oy-ter shells,
Is the seat Of the terrapiu trade Of the
Chesapeake ard iho home u State Fish
Commissioner James q fages who is
preparing to put in operation a plan for
restoring the SUPPLY ct the toothsome
diamond back. Bis confident that the
ferrapin can he propaaatod with case
and surprising cheapncss, and that with
tho aid Of the state tie supply may
easily lie maintained The cause Of the
rapid decline in the quantity Of terrapin
il considered by the natives to be due
to the destruction Of the tenrapin eggs
These are laid III high, sandy places
and scores Of people patrol the sandy
beaches daily il tic season In search Of
them. They carry them Off to be eaton
as table Injuries. inst as hens eggs are
They are very rich and delicious. Com
missioner Tawos proposes, il he receives
a sufficient appropriation to justify it, to
incloEe number Of females in state
pound or pounds ana to hatch out young
ones from the eggs Terrapin begin lay
ing about the middle Of May, aud the
eggs hatch in about 30 days. The fe-
male terrapin scratches a hole in the
sand, deposits her eggs, from 10 to 10,
in IL, and then covers them up and al
lows the beat Of tho sun on the sand to
hatch them.
They are not much bigger when
Matched than man thumb nail and are
az soft asdough. They crawl around in
a lively way aud begin to bunt for their
food, which consists Of small fish, crabs,
eto. III tho first summer thoy are quite
small, and about Nov / they 90 into
their winter quarters These consist Of
soft mud holes IN the marsh, or on the
bottom Of some stream. Here they sleep
until about tn middle Of April or later,
and when they cotpe cut they are about
four inches in breadth Tho next year
they have Increased to six inches, and
the third to seven inches Commission
or Tawes thinks that there are several
varieties on tho coast, but that in some
Of tie southern states they have prdAiso-
~ tbs Same variety ns ia Maryland, fre
only difference being that in this state
the period Of alternating is longer than
i Is further south.
Commissioner Tawes Is Of the opin
lon hat no could make decided i'm.
piession upon tho terrapin supply III d
short time. lie would do this, not be-
cause the terrapin Is luxury, but be-
cause it used to be and can again become
q source Of great profit to those who
catch 1t upon tho great marshes Of the
Chesapeake bay and its tributaries. -
A. Z. Lavailofte Of Crisiold has an
immense terrapin pound which Is SO
cnrely fenced in SO az to prevent tho es-
cape Of the high priced inmates Ho has
at present about 10, 600 terrapin, most
OF which. however, arc now in the win
ter's sleep. not in tho pound, hut in
big cellar. This is kept dark and above
the freezing point, but not too warm.
The dealers here have an immense trade
in terrapin in Washington, Baltimore,
Philadelphia and New York. They re.
ceived ono order for S3, 900 worth Of ter
rapin on the occasion 0f the visit Of Ii
Hung Chang TO New York, and they
supplied the terrapin for the Bradley
Martin ball. They also make largo ship
ments to the west
The terrapin shippers are opposed TO
the bill now pending in the legislature.
BY its provisions the catching of dia-
mond back torrapin between April
and Nov. / is prohibited, under a pen.
atty Of $40 for every terrapin caught,
trapped or killed AT no time shall the
terrapin caught measure less than five
inches on the undershell No person
shall have in his possession. expose for
sale or buy any Of the aforesaid fish
during the closed season.
George Riggin, another large dealer,
who has n pound containing between
5000 and 10 600 terrapin. says
THE bill will have the tendency to
destroy our business and throw the
trade Of Maryland dcnlers into the
""tN" VI y t&EihtthlNf Nhtlt NU tiS hthte
time it will retard instead OF proiuot.
ing the propagation Of terrapin. The
terrapins will be caught just the same,
and instead Of being sold 10 legitimate
dealers who would place them in pounds
where thoy might grow and faiten they
will be kept in barrels and boxes until
the season opens, when they will be
placed upon the market in bad condi.
tion.
There IS great misapprohension
among the majority OF people as to the
actual age OF n terrapin which measures
eight inches on the under she'll. Our
firm was greatly mistaken in the same
fact when wo started to raise teTrapins
from eggs. We have reached the cou.
clusion from actual experience that an
eight inch terrapin must be about so
years old. II tenapin would grow about
an inch every year, there would be a
fortune IN raising them. Their growth
for the FIRST three or four years is rapid,
but after that il isalmost imperceptible
from year 60 year We have been at