St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1911-07-29

and 20; Kankakee, ILL.,, July Fl
Champaign, ILL.,, July %; Memphis
July %; New Orleans, July %.
The car beloning to the Board 0
Health was carried free by the trans
portation companies over who's
lines it moved. An extra car wa
also supplied gratuitously by the I'LL
nois Central.
ABOUT SHRIMP.
Lake shrimp, the great delicacy
If the Gulf and one of the most ne
essary ingredients of the far-famet
Jumbo, has recently been given 9
great deal of attention. In the earl.
lays of the States history, shrimp
fisherman brought the delectable
norsel to the markets for home con.
sumption only. Later, the Chinese
and Malay fishermen caught and
dried the shrimp afterwards ship.
ping them to the countries of the
Far East, while canneries located at
various points in the State car the
I roduct and ship them to the markets
of the world.
Always the demand has been in
creasing with natural result that the
supply has been diminishing. Men
interested in the problem in various
ways, have tried to obtain protection
for these crustaceans, but generally
the efforts have been DEBATED. Those
engaged in this conservation work
always anticipate opposition from
the fishermen who seem to be unable
to understand that the secret Of
the increase of this valuable natural
resource is through protection Of the
females during the breeding season.
This opposition is one of the
strangest feature of the whole pro-
tective problem. Here Is class of
citizens who have followed this live
lihood for of generations and
all they have to show after all these
years of toll is dire poverty, distress
and deprivation of everything that
other citizens term necessities.
The last General Assembly gave a
great deal OF consideration to the
subject and finally enacted a law
Act No. 245 of 1910, which pro-
tects lake shrimp" during six weeks
OF the ten weeks of the breeding
season. Evcen this small measure of
was assailed by the fisher
men, and to cap tire climax, the Good
demeand the repeal of foolish re-
Government League in their platform
strictions on the catch and sale of
shrimp. (meaning thereby lake
shrimp, which do not breed in our
waters"
This declaration that lake shrimp
do not breed here as made in the
face of the scientific fact that every
female shrimp found in our bays and
lakes between the 18th day of May
and the 18th day of July carries in
her egg sac anywhere from 5000 to
10000 matured eggs, the large por-
ton OF which hatch out and become
young shrimp and later an a market
able edible and valuable commodity.
There are 16 species of shrimp
found in the water of the state only
4 of which are of any Importance.
The first is of course the Lake
Shrimp" scientifically known as
"Penaeus setiferus," the largest and
most important species, commercial
ly, found in our waters.
The next is the River Shrimp"
(Bithynis ohionis), smaller than the
lake shrimp, but more highly priced
or account of the delicately flavor
ed flesh. 1t is found principally in
the Mississippi River.
Grass Shrimp" (Palaemonetes
cal olinus), small species found
lurking among the weeds and grasses
bordering the bayous and smaller
streams along the coast It is salt
o.. brackist water form and seldom
becomes as large as the River
Sarimp.
The so-called king Shrimp
(chloridelia empusa). is not a
shrimp, but rather distant relative
OF them. 1t is included here for
the reason the fishermen often catch
large quantities of them and errone-
ously say that they are the male of
the lake shrimp.
The following table gives a sum-
merry of the annual catch of shrimp
in the state during the past IA years.
1S97-Pounds, 4,4O2,626; value,
$7S,792.
1s02-Pounds, 7,5ss,22o; value.
$130,560.
190s-Pounds, s,5S1,500; value,
$212,5OO.
Showing an apparent increase in
production, but in reality only show
ing more vigorous exertion by the
fishermen, leaving the waters that
much barer of shrimp.
HABITS OF THE LAKE SHRIMP
Shrimp are shy, active animals,
which are constantly moving about
from place to place, frequently found
in large schools" Lake shrimp are
found only near the coast, and sci.
dom, il ever, enters fresh water
On account of their extreme timidity
it is very difficult to make observa
tions of their habits-or even to keeI
track of their movements.
ANATOMICAL DESCRIPTION.
Although this form is very wei
coast and in the markets, 1t is neces
sarily more unfamiliar to those re
siding in the interior parishes O
the State For that reason, as wei
as to render the more technical ref
erences understandable a brief de
scription of some of the main anato
mical features will be necessary.
The body is very much compress
sed, giving an extremely slender ap
pearance. 1t is covered with q firm
tough outer skin, or shell, which
corresponds t o that of the common
market crab, although it never be
cones as hard and firm as 1t doe.
in the latter form. The body i.
composed of two main regions, th,
anterior head region and the poster