Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1899-01-21
SPEARING OF FROGS.
A MAINE INDUSTRY. PERFECT
ED BY FRENCAMEN.
Johnny CrapAud IL JudEe-H1 DsSs
Manipulation And Long EapeSss"es
Place Him Ahead of An compssasors
a Purvsyor OF Datraei,ian DsiteSciss.

ut Portage Lake. Me-, within . Tort
night. and are now at work day ana
night spearing frogs for the restaurants
In the big cities. says the New York
Commercial Advertiser. Other citizens
OF Maine know how to spear frogs ana
can take as many in day as the most
industrious Acadian. but when
comes To selecting the edible onea and
to dressing them and putting them In
barrels for shipment the def manipu-
lations and long experience OF Johnny
Crapaud place him far ahead OF all
competitors as puryeyor of bStrach-
ian delicaeies for taded palates. More
than a million great. fat, graen-oaeked
and salmon-bellied frogs were taken
from Portage lake last year. The lake
occupies the larger part OF TWO town
ships. while the vast swamps and bog
lands in which the lake Is framed ex-
tend over an area as big IA the state
OF Rhode Island. Here. among fallen
logs, swamp flags, spsarhead water
lilies and Shiny muck the voeiferous
and palatable bulltrog reaches fullest
perfection. Billions OF them reach tho
tadpole stage and millions OF them
assume legs and other functions be-
longing TO adult frogs every season.
and though last years harvsa, OF
round million will probably be doubled
before the swamps freezs up solid there
will be millions left to cling TO IN.
spears of other Frenchmen who shall
come here half century hence. untii
two seasons ago the barbsd six-pronx-
ed eelspear was an unknown impge-
msnt TO the frog hunters of northern
Maine. Those ~ho followed tho tn
dustry for profit went along the boT-
dsrs OF this lags In canoes and dipped
the frogs with long handled nets or
caugh, them with hook and line. using
red flannel for bait. Meantime the
half-naked children stood on logs and
shot their game with box and arrow.
II was a slow process at best. and
though Maine Frenehman can 5ubsis,
for year on a dozen rabbits and ak
bushels OF buekUheat. vith New
brunswick Fog for butter. be could
not compete with his Canadian brrth-
ren who fed on pea soup and muAkra,
stew. When the frog catching Indus.
try was In danger % utter cDilAgss
for want OF financial encouragement
( naturalist from 4 Massachusetts, col.
legs came to Portage iaks and told
the halt-starvsd fishermen how to cap.
( ture frogs With an ccispsar. lie said
that frogs were grcgarioua In thslr
habits Of living. In the fail. when the
water beetles had died and tho aquatic
/ worms had gammsa themselves tnto
chrysaifs cases the frogs being full tcd
and hoarss from much singing of
/ nights. buried themselves four or ave
feet deep In the mud and made rvadr
for winters sleep. The biggest and
latest hullfroEa vent down nrst
Then. a. the season greg cold. tho
small ones followed and grouped
around their predecessors. huxxtns
close up to them. with legs and arms
intsrloeked, until there was often a
bushel or two OF frogs In q colony.
AZ such times a man in a shosi boat
could pass among the flooded sxamp.
and spear out more frogs In n aay
than he could get in a week With nsts
or hook and line. The Frenehmrn did
not believe him at trst. but when hs
mad demonstrated he was right by ae-
tual trial they abandoned thu old
method and began to make monsv
spearlng frogs.
An industrious Frenehman "a, x,asy
about three bushels OF frogs in a day.
two-thirds Of which arc large enough
10 pay Tor dressing. The body ia Gu,
IN two above the hips. the skin az the
hips and legs is pulled on the WAY a
man removes hls trousers. and when
the white-msated thighs and hips h,va
oeeh washed they are packed In bar
reis with FISH salt enough To ksen
them from spelling and sent awax IN
market. The small and lean froxu ,h.,
come up on the spear are thrown h.ek
IN the water and allowed to srov =,
TnouEh most Of them arc vounas,, hv
ths spear thrusts, few die ~ ,h.tr
injuries. A healthy young frog can
DC punched full OF holes. and In : va..
ne VIII be hopping around An i,x.Iv
A. ever. fact which has led bicxcl,..,
70 remarked that they wished men
matte tires were constructed On TIC
fros plan. The offal from the slaurh,sr
the heads, trunks and skins =, -.
slain frogs-is converted into hal, To-
catching pickerel. As tho pIcker., !.
the frogs worst enemy. the rrench.
men catch all of these fsh ,hsx CO.
eat. knowing that every dead p,otsra,
means better frog fishing mex, year,
Between Nov. 10 and Dec 10 na..
than $4,000 worth OF salted fro... H..
are shipped TO New York ana r..
from the shores of Portage lake Some
down-river Frenchmen, envlou, =, ~
men at Portage lake, have hesn =,
portage lake this season ana ro..ss
soout 10000 bullfrogs, which ,h.-
nave taken to some swampy land. nes,
winn. where they propose 10 .,.r, |.
reg farm. Another nursery for .,s,,-
isd bullfross Is we'll under va -
tne town Of Alton. near Old Ton
"ompstition Ia keen and in a fev vear,