The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-02-03
Muskrat and Terrspin,

i reckon j ought 60 say IL i'm a whis-
per, OF maybe hadn't ought 20 say il at
oil, said man claiming to be a Mary
lander but IL IL a fact that before terra
pin began TO get scarce down in Maryland
rnuskrats were more than abundant"
The reporter couldn't see anything in Il
for him except to- say: well, what OF
that?' and so he said ~.
"oh, maybe not much" replied the man
from Maryland: "only muskrats are
scarce now, too.
The reporter couldn't sec what there
was about that TO Cause Il 20 be told in a
whisper.
"Oh, can't yol?' said the man. then
perhaps yau haven't noticed that there
hasn't bean falling off in tire supply
OF terrapin stew in the restaurants here
scare as terrapin have become ] gusss
YOU don't dine al restaurants where ter
rapin Is on the menu if you haven't no.
ticed that. and So, OF course, t hasn't
struck you as queer that terr6pin stew
doesn't cost any more now ;han II did
when there were lots OF terrspin 10 make
81 out Of
The reporter seemed ia act an mixing
of what the man from Maryland was hint
ing at, and started In 90 say that 1,
couldn't be that he meant e. but the
Maryland man cut him of ana exelalm-
ed:
Il say nothing. But I can assure you.
there hasn't been any increase in the de-
inaud for nuskrat skins over what II was
ten years ago. They gathered I'm just as
many muskrats for their skins down ON
the Maryland marshes ten years ago az
they do today
There hasn't been any epidemic that
has carried OF muskrats during this time,
so fer ss I have heard. why should they
60 snd get scarce, then, after there was
no longer any way 60 disguise the fact
that terrspin was fewer than the de-
mand called for? J say nothing. but |
will suggest without any hcsitation. and
suggest Il out loud. that neither YOU nor
any other nan had better tell me that
he wouldn't eat muskrat for a SO bill tor
l will have 90 tell you cmphstically that
you don't know what you are talking
about
when handled right there isn't any
thing alive that makes more pala table
dish than this same niscalled little ant
NAL, for IL isn't rat any more than a
rabbit IL. and not half az much as
squirrel is AMI if people had called it by
its right indian name OF musquaSh, n
wouldn't have been under the ban e is.
"The cleanly habits and pure. whole
some food OF the muskrat make ID one OF
the most desirable Of all wild animals for
table use. ~ Is better yet than young
beaver, and young beaver is--but. let
that Pass. We have no beaver In Mary
land, so II has no place In this argument.
But don't make any mistake about tho
muskrat IT'S the name that gives il the
black eye. You don't want any ordinury
cook 20 fool with your muskrat. though.
'An ordinary cook is not fit 90 cook
nfuskrat. and consequently II is always
good in Maryland. whore there are no or
binary cooks but tho most expert cook
Ira all Maryland for muskrst Is an old
negro woman In Dorchester county. She
n tho best cook in every way I ever
knew. "a matter of fact. but she can
ret up a dish Of muskrat stew that will
make the man who goes 20 scoff remain
90 feast. and the man who didn't know
what he was served with 20 want TO have
The recipe for the dish OF terrapin. Of
course. it Is only during certain sea-
ron OF the year that muskrat is az the
head of all things o0table And that is
just the season. too, when then terrapln
in AZ les best. Strange, isn't IL?
Yes: it's TO bad the way terrapin are
disappearing. just like the buffalo and tho
via pigeon. And IN sympathy with ".
somehow the nuskrst ~ getting scarce.
too. But 7 say nothing.
4 know this. though There isn't any
bigger demand for muskret skins how
than there was ten wears ago TO thin the
ing on in the supply 81 terrapin stew.
scare as the tcrrapln are, and II doesn't
cost suy more now than ~ dld when ter
rapin were plentiful. But 7 say nothing"
New York Times.