Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-01
HOPE FOR .EPIcUREs
81 bi
determination Of Diamond Back Ter
rapin May Be- Prevented.
VISIT TO An EASTERN SHO' FARM
There is Profit ID Raising These
Reptiles for Market.
ALWAYS IN BIG DEMAND
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
CR1SFIEI4D. Md, June %, 1890
"A diamond-pack terrapin farm, with more
than To- terrapin in stock and worth at
conservative estimate $4,000, Is one Of
| the interesting Industries of Crlsfield, the
very heart Of the famous eastern shore of
Maryland.
| When Washington and Lafayette were
| forced to eat terrapin at Yorktown because
| the army supplies were low, when counties
IN Maryland passed laws prohibiting the
| feeding Of slaves eftener than twice a
| week on terrapin meat in order to save
pork and when the succulent reptile was
! cooked as food for fowls and swine, and
could be bought for 81 an ox-cart load, no
one ever dreamed that the day would ever
come when the terrapin would become al
| most extinct and worth as much as $50 or s75
per dozen. But such is the exact situa ton
today, and in crisfeld tho diamond-backs
are cared fer and guarded with greater
anxiety for their safety than were the
s sa.i. in the days when they protested
against being gorged on terrapfh meat. In
those days the diaznond.baak tefrapin were
| as numerous in the Chesapeake bay and
| its tributaries as are the crnbs at the pres
ent time; but there is now a ship load of
crabs to one terrapin.
Believing that good money could be made
| in ''cultivating terrapin, Mr.. A T. La
vaette, grandson Of Rear Admiral E. A.
F. La Valette decided to embark in the
business, and, according to his own state
ment, he has no cause to regret his decision.
He knew the Chesapeake bay thoroughly.
having been actively engaged in the terra
than fourteen years, and there was no
question in his mind but that It would DO
only few years before terrapin would
site on the shore near Crisfield he erected
splendid home, adjoining which he built
his terrapin farm, covering about seven
acres. everything being arranged to suit
A Terrapin Farm.
The farm is divided into pens, with high
board fences and screens across the sluiSe-
ways. In these pens are water grass, wet
| and dry sand, and Mister Ia pin" can take
his choice as to where he spends his time
Plank walks, high above the water and
| marsh, are constructed over the farm and
when Mr.. La VaIette wishes to feed his
valuable reptiles he simply steps out on one
of these elevated walks and cIaps his hands
together, making a loud noise. In an in
slant the terrapin come helter-skelter from
the sand. marsh and water and huddle
under the walk where he stands, While
those in the other pens crawl against the
wire screens and fetce in an effort to get
tIlouS lHey sOlffetHH0S crawl on Top
of each other until they are piled up two
| feet thick, and casienally there are some
pretty lively fights, though terrapin is
not generally very pugnacious.
They are fed on crabs, fish and meats Of
any kind, but are small. eaters, and it is
seldom that a terrapfr will attack anything
larger than fly, bug or very small fish
Mr.. La Valette has terrapinjof all sizes, from
the largest to the tiny little fellows not yet
quite one year old and hot larger than a
silver half dollar. Their growth Is remark
ably slow, and 1t is estimated that at least
thirty or forty years is required for a ter
rapin to attain its fun growth The dja-
mond- back-said to be the finest known
seldom grows to be over nine inches in
length measured by the stomach or under
shell. 1t is the opinion of Mr.. La Vaiette
that no man can accurately estimate the
number of years 1t takes for Il terrapin to
get It's full gfowth, but believes 1t cannot
be less than thirty-fve or forty years,
Their Winter Habits.
Notwithstanding the fact that every pen
appeared to be full of terrapin Of all sizes
Mr. La Valette said that he did not think
he had more than 5000 in stock; that or
ders were heavy last winter and the severe
weather last February had killed a large
number The terrapin Is by nature cold
blooded reptile, and with the coming of the
first frosts he begins to locate himself for
the winter and 1t is necessary On this farm
to keep a close eye on the weather and use
artificial means for keeping the terrapin
from freezing. The faVorite place for the
Information of the very large size is a. few
inches below the soft coy mud at the head
of three or four fathom V-shaped chan
mel in the bed of a creek about the same
distance from shore to shore. Thousands
of such creeks penetrate the shor, and is
lands OF the Chesapeake, and those less fire.
quented by man are instnctively selected
by the terrapin for its haunts. No matter
how long they may remain hibernated they
f.eNer lose ounce In weight
out as gay as a cricket in the warm spring,
though for months they have not ia sted
fcod or water. The time of Information
usually lasts about six months. beginning
with approaching frosty weather in the
TALL and continuing until warm spring
weather. They bury few inches in the
mud and leave at the spot where they dis
appear a mound, in the middle OF which a
hole can be discerned. 1t is the mound and
the hole which first attract the attention of
the fisherman. The males invariably bed in
the marshes and among the rushes of very
shallow ponds, only venturing in cold water
during the summer and warmest spring and
fall months, in which time they lead a mi
gratory life in search of food, consisting
principally of small shell fish and soft shell
crabs. There being an abundance Of these
III the bay the few remaining terrapin have
no difficulty in finding all the food they
wish and have plenty of time for lazinp n,
the grass and mud.
AT Efis season of the year terrapins are
caught occasionally in dredges and drag
nets, Dul most OF them are found in the
marshes and sand. They are easily tracked
and their market value being so high the
shores are always dotted with hunters. and
IL IS mainly from these that Mr.. La Valette
buys.
Tracking Them With Dogs.
A few of the hunters employ dogs in
tracking them, but a dog trained to track
terrapip is seldom suited for any other
purpose, and the result is that but few
dogs are utilized in this way. Years ago
nearly every resident of the eastern shore
had his terrapin. dog. When a dog tracks
and finds a terrapihl he places his fore feet
on the terrapins bsek and holds him until
the hunter comes, the hunter being notified
OF the tree" by the barking of the dog
A man might follows tefrapin track which
had been made seXerall, days, but dog
knows at once by the Scent whether it is
an old or fresh track. Dogs also locate the
nests of terrapin and hunters take the eggs
worth but little as food but going far
toward fastening tie determination Of the
terrapin. Both male and female are very
shy and active, swim ELL and run with