Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-04-06


frog, which is the American
edible frog, occurred in volume
IS Of the Philosophical Trans
actions, published in London
in 1894. 1t is the largest ami
NAL of it's kind inhabiting North
America and Holbrook stated that 1t
had been known to reach a length of
Fl inches. This species, however, Is
not considered nearly as good food as
the Rama esculenta, the edible frog
of France Concerning this species
Desmarest in his article on frogs in
the "Dictionaire d'Histoire Naturelle"
long ago wrote: 1.-THE flesh of frogs
is white and delicate and contains a
great deal of gelatine. Frogs taken
in August are in the best condition
for food, but they are also taken in
summer In spring the flesh is not
at all delicate. Frog soup is used in
medicine in cases Of phthisis, hypo-
chondria and all those chronic affec-
lions which are accompanied by per-
manent irritation. In ancient days
many preparations were made from
frogs, such as oil and salve, and from
the spawn, water and oil. ETC."
DESCRIBES, too, recommended frogs
cooked with salt and oil as a remedy
for the bite of venomous serpents and
would have the patient swallow a
frogs heart every morning as a "pill'
for incurable diseases. II From these re-
marks 1t will be seen that frog eating
was INDUCED in long ago, but the
establishment of frog catching as an
industry has increased enormously OF
late years, writes r. l. Geare in Ma
tional Food magazine.
In France, besides the ''rainette,' or
tree frog, two edible species, the
green frog ("Grenouille verteO and
the red frog ("Grenouille rousse") are
eagerly sought. OF these two, the
green frog (Rana esculenta) is by far
the more important. The so-called
red frog (Rana temporarily is of a
reddish brown color, notified with
green and brown spots. It's flesh, how
however, is so inferior to that of the
green frog that it is not grown or fat
tened artificially anywhere in France.
The green frog (Rana esculenta) ex-
lists abundantly throughout France
wherever there are marshes, ponds or
sedgy margins of rivers or bays that
contain fresh or slightly brackish wa
ter. It feeds on worms, the larvae OF
aquatic insects, small mOllusks, flies,
insects of various species and espe-
cially the spawn and small fry of
fish, which renders it an enemy Of pis-
ciculture and exposes 1t to the wrath
of fishermen. It is an outlaw, for
which the law provides no protection
outside of privately owned waters.
The supply Of frogs, writes United
States Consul General Mason, for the
markets of Paris comes mainly from
the marshes and stagnant waters in
the neighborhood Of MOntmorency,
Vincennes and Boulogne, but they are
brought also from the districts OF the
Vendee and the Landes in southwest
ern France and also from Lorraine.
The best outfit for frog raising is
one or more shallow ponds or reser-
voirs, filled with grasses and other
aquatic plants and so situated that
the water can be partially drawn off
so as to facilitate the labor Of catch
ing. Old disused quarries and exca-
vations along railways and other con-
structions are sometimes used for this
purpose. If, as is frequently the case,
the pond already abounds in frogs,
they are simply protected and left a
year or two to propagate. If food
does not prove abundant the owner
throws in living earthworms, for the
frog is q carnivorous animal and pre-
fers his food, whether worms, larva
or insects, fresh and in a normal, liv-
ing condition.
If no frogs exist In the water, they
are planted either living or in form
of eggs, which hatch as the water be
comes warm in April and May. The
green frog spawns during early spring,
the female depositing from 500 to
1000 eggs, surrounded with a gelati-
nous substance which holds them to
gether. With no further care from
the parent the eggs hatch at the end