The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-08-05
FROGS EATEN IN NEW YORK.

The Consum ption Is Greater than in
Paris.
Are there many frogs legs eaten in
New York 2" the reporter asked Of Com
missioner Blackford.
'There Is not a city In the world"
said Commissioner Blackford, "that
consumes so many frogs legs as New
York"
"More than in PARISH"
Eyes, indeed" replied the commits
sioner. "While years ago the French
were commonly known as frog eaters
the NEWCOMERS to-day should more
properly be called frog eating people,
rather than the Parisians. / seldom
found the dish on the menus tn the res
taurants of Paris, while in New York
you can get them at nearly every first
class hotel and restaurant. This dish
is not common In London, and only a
few Of the high-grade restaurants there
prepare It,"
ford's figures, fully 70 per cent. Of the
frogs for the New York market are
shipped from the Ontario district in
Canada The remaining 25 per cent.
come from the Adirondacks and the
State Of Maine. Frogs are very plenti-
full in all Of these districts, and they
multiply so rapidly that there Is no
danger Of decrease in the supply for
years to come. About six Of the saddles
Of these frogs weigh pound, and retail
at Is cents.
The largest frogs IN the world come
from the State Of Missouri, but they
are scarce and do not figure largely in
New York's market Three Of these
saddles will make q pound. Great
quantities Of frogs are to be found in
the New Jersey meadows, but they are
so small that pound Of dressed legs
cannot be obtained from less than two
Or three dozen frogs. Occasionally q
farmers boy will bring forty or fifty
Of these frogs to market, but the pay Is
so small compared with the amount of
work required in the hunt that no one
makes a regular business Of searching
the adjacent meadows.
The frog-taking season begins about
June ] and continues steadily until
Sept. l., Throughout Canada there are
many men who make q regular busi-
ness Of frog-catching, while in the Ad-
lrondacks the work Is done by the
guides during their spare hours. The
animals are caught with hook baited
with red flannel and suspended from
a rod about ten feet in length There Is
strange fascination about red flannel
that the ordinary croaker cannot resist.
The moment 1t is dangled within few
inches Of bis nose he makes wild leap
at it, with jaws wide open, and is
promptly hooked. He Is released and
placed in big basket carried on the
back of the frog hunter.
Sometimes the frog is found to be
sleeping. Then the hook is placed un-
der him, and quick Jerk lands him.
When the basket Is filled the frogs are
carried to pen tn one corner Of the
pond near the huts Of the hunters, and
are kept there until there Is a demand
for them from New York. They are
then scooped out Of the pen with a net
and killed and dressed.
This operation is very simple. The
frog Is stunned with blow on the
head and Immediately the head is sever
ed Then the skin Is 1oosened at the
top and IN Jiffy 1t comes off like a
glove. The saddle Is separated from the
body with one blow, ana the legs are
folded together as one would fold his
arms. They are packed in boxes of
chopped ice and are ready for ship
ment.
During the summer months the New
York market receives from 5000 to
10000 pounds of dressed saddles daily.
The retail price then reaches the lowest
notch of 25 cents pound AS It is I'm
possible to take the frog during the
winter, immense quantities of the sad
dies are frozen during the early autumn
and stored in Ice boxes. The meat re-
tains IT'S full favor, and is as good as If
1t had been killed the day previous.
A great many attempts have been
made toward the artificial propagation
Of frogs from the eggs, but none has
ever succeeded. Seth Green, one Of the
most successful fish culturists in the
country, made many tests several years
ago, but met with failure. During the
past summer Commissioner Blackford
received several orders from France
for live bullfrogs which were to be
used in stocking the ponds In that
country, as the supply was found to be
falling below the demand.-New York
Herald.