The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-06-16
rExAs raSnAPsN.
hask as Chssapo ks Product some
urlss Metlad Of Caschlnr Them

hdsk az Chesapo ks Product Some
urass Mttlod OF Catching Them
Among the happlest and hest eu,
plUyed of the seaaring folks lust nov
arc the turtle fishers of the Teyai
coast Not only are the sands visited
every night by the great chslonians
but they have come in from the deepei
waters beyond the line OF GAYS and
make the sheltered bays their homes
They have finished their egg-laying
leaving the produce to the warmth OF
the steady semi-tropic sun. but they
come to shore and wander about after
dark, apparently hunting only a.
change of element
The terrspin fishermen at this seasor
are makinR money. Where the Sat
Antonio, Guadalupe and other Texas
rivers empty into the gulf are then
fishing stounds and they get frou
them a terrapin that cannot be told
from the genuine Chesapeake bay deli
cacy by any save the most expert OF
the experts.
Indeed. in all OF the big cities whose
people are rich enough to afford luxur
les there are 10 Gulf OF Mexico terrapiu
sold to one from the Chesapeake bay
country. This harmless deception ha
s6en in progress Tor many years. but
knowledge of il did not become public
property until canning factories were
established on the gull coast 10 yes rio
G. the crop so large that it could not bt
disposed of through ordinary channels
1errapin affect the places where "a
email, olear-waterod rivers debouch
because there they find plenty of food
and exactly the right conditions of tide
tidal growths and mud. There is gen
orally a small feet of catboats hanging
about the rivers mouth and the crews
OF them assist one another In dragging
or setting nets, dividing the result ac-
coreing to the amount of men engag.
sd.
The set net does not differ materially
from the ordinary gtll set except that
Il is deeper and is not so long. Its
bettom edge is heavily weighted to
carry il to the sand or mud beneath,
and the upper edge, which sinks lar be-
low the surface, is buoyed botn to keep
II stretched upright and to mark its
location.
The terrapin live almost wholly on
the bottom, or within six feet OF it.
When they come to the obstruction
they have way of trying to butt
through il instead of seeking way
around it and are caught thus when the
act is lifted.
There is also a trap net, set TO one
side of the debouchment of a stream
and baited with mussel meat or bread.
II they enter its narrow, circular
mouth they never find the way out.
Generally, however, terrapin are
caught in huge seine, which is drag
red through favorable water by
g0zen naked, splashing men, just as If
hey were seining a bayou. river or
pool for bass or catfish. The number
Of terrapin taken in a single haul var
les greatly; IL sometimes runs as high
ls a hundred, That is when nest is
struck.
The hsherme do not bother TO
change their grounds, often hauling
over the same territory day after day
portion OF the sea swept bare on
Monday is apt to have just as many
errapin on Tuesday. They come in
iuring the night 10 take the places of
comrades that have gone into a schoon-
ers hold to find their way thence to
the pot
The water is never cold In that coun-
try; that is, cold in the sense of north
ern coldnees. and in the spring, sum
mer and fall its temperature is de-
lightful Men stay in II for " hours
out OF the "a without experiencing evil
results. and a net crew is clean
merry laughing crowd enough.
They vii FISH for a week and then
return TO port with hundreds Of the
little creatures in the hold. and II they
get 81 dozen for them are well paid.
New York Sun.