The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-02
THE VANISHING TERRAPIN.
ONCE DEsPISED CREATURES NOW
WORTH 500 A DOZEN
A Terrapin Farm on tho Eastern Shore OF
Maryland with $4,000 Worth of Stock
Habits of the Rcptiles-Grent Decrease
IN.


IN stock. and worth at n conservative esti-
| mnte $40 900 il one OF the show places OF Cris-
field, the very heart Of the famous Eastern
| Shore OF Maryland. When Washington and
| Lafayette were forced to eat torrapin at York.
| town because the army supplies we're loWi
when counties 10 Maryland passed laws pro-
hblting the feeding Of slaves oftener than
twice a week on terrapln m eat In order to save
pork. and when the succnlent reptile was
, cooked as food for fowls and swine. and could
be bought FOR 81 an OK cart load. no one
dreamed that tho day would ever como when
terrapin would become almost extinct and
worth as much,as $3.50 dozen. But euch IL
/ the situation to- day. and In this region. the
most productive OF the luscious diamond back
| OF the Chesapenke. they are cared for and
guarded with greater anxiety for their safety
than were the slaves who protested against
being gorged on terraoh meat.
Believing that good money could be made In
cuitiyuting terrapin. A. 7. La Valette. grand
con Of Rear Admiral f. A. F. La valette. de-
cided to embark In the business. Selecting q
! pretty site for a home on the shore near Girls
ield. he built his terrapn farm. covering about
seven acres The farm is divided D into pens.
/ with high hoard fences and wire screens across
| tho sluiceways. In these pens.are water, grass
and wet and dry sand. Plank walks high
above the water and march are constructed
! over the farm. and when Mr. La Valette wishes
to feed his valuable reptiles ne Simply goes out
! on one OF these.clevated walks and clans his
/ hands together. making a loud noise. In an
/ instant the terrapin come hel'er-skelter from
! the sand. marsh and water and hu1dle under
the walk where he stands. while those In tho
| other Tens crawl against the wire screens and
fences In an effort to get through. They sone-
times crawl on top OF enc another until they
are piled up two feet thick and occasionally
| there are fights though a terrapin is not gem
nrnIly apI, cd ha
fish and meats OF any kind. but are small eat
ers. and 1t is seldom that a pin will at
! tack any live thing larger than fly. bug or
very small fish. Mr.. La Valette has terranin
Of all sizes. from tho largest to the tinv little
| fellows not yet quite one year old and not
larger than silver half dollar. Their growth
is slow and it is estimated that at least thirty
or forty years is required for a terrapin to at
tain its full growth. The diamond back sell
dom grows to he over nine inches in length.
! measured by the stomach or under shell.
Notwithstanding the fact that every pen
appeared to be full Of terrapin OF all sizes. Mr..
La Naette said that he did not think he had
more than $1,000 in stock. Orders were
| heavy last winter and the eevere weather lass
February Killed a large number The terra
pin is by nature cold blooded reutile. and
with the coming OF the first frosts he begins
| to settle himself for the winter. 1t IA neces-
sary on this farm TO keep q close eve on the
weather and artificial means for keeping
the terrapin from freezing. Tho favorite
place for the Information Of the largest is a
| few inches below the soft DOW mud in the bed
Of creek. No matter how long they remain
| alternating they never lose an ounce In
weight. and come out as gay as crickets In the
| warm spring. The Information usually lasts
about six months beginning with the.approach
OF frosty weather In the fall and continuing
! until warm spring weather. They bury them
selves u few inches in the mud and leave at
the spot where they disappear a mound. In the
is the mound and the hole which first attract
the attention of the fisherman. During this
stats. At least 81 per cent Of those TAKEN
from the beds OF deep creeks will measure
cent: Of those bed!ed in The marshes have an
males invara1 bed " in the The msrss.. ana
venturing in cold water:durinG.the. summer
and warmest srring and fall months, in which
food. consisting principally OF small shefsh
and soft shell crabs.
q them are found in the mar. hes and sand.
icing. so high the shores are always dotted
MIN VII hunter. and it, is mainly from these that
sSnrs ago Peqr, every resident II &c Eastern
ieet On TIE teIrapin back and holds him
terrapin rack when had been made sew
e era days; but t, q dog knows at once bv tbs
locate the tests of terraIins and hunters take
the eggs. Both male, and female are very:sh
ana active. swim well and run with consider
able Speed but are very awkward Terrapin
manage 10 eNnde dredges and nets unless Tho
has perhaps FASTENED the scarcity Of terrupin
more mo , than the hab, Of some hunters who rrs
! causing the terrarln TO come from their places
%i a, mTsenai9n h HGsr the imnreSson thu.
| them to venture out. Thousands are burned
While the people OF the Eastern Shore are
n l, Tor Their honesty terrapin are 80 valu.
built in the centre o. his tSrrabin farm. twenty
let above ihS marsh on piles and here watch
give him roube than thieves ' they Fa ae
SasionGIIy gsi in tie pens and kin and eat The
eggs The eggs sem be no a' o the
n eha,ing no shell tut thin tough Inland
partridge. though not as. we'll shaped. Its
from three TO- tve DAYS after the little fellows
GENTLY strong to 90 ,waLdling about. and il 10
always necessary To keep u close watch to pre-
Ssh. The Young receive but little attention
fr f, It the mother an! almost from The rst are
o AOG s" Sd my ysPrs aS9 Cast JGhn EtherdEe
Tor s4Op, and little later he shipped to Bnti-
more more about the same number. recelyin ing some
+ more nan SppD, ms. IL is said. was tho
/ beginning OF tho onslaught on .errauin. and
from Cane Fcarto Bal imore men have engaged
Mr.. La Nalette the annual enipnents from
thls region Will not exceed 10000. 1t was not
we're familiar with the facts began to realize
mat there was danger Of terrApin famine
that the REPTILES would soon be almost eX-
terminated. The prices then ranged from Sl9
10 so dozen, whtle trn:Vcars nrevioms they
We're worth only half hat amount. The de-
mand was rauid!y.becomlng greater than the
tsnnpty. Naturally. with tho increase in price,
thcre were thousands engaged in the work OF
hunting them. and Il was found expcdient for
"a" States Of MARYLAND and Virginia to enact
laws governing the taking OF terranin. These
| laws have been added 20 and enforced as riRidly
us noss lb,e. but ihe scarcity II the Chesa-
rea he diamond. back grows greater each year,
and even now il requires manv dnys OF work
and many miles OF waking over soft Doggy