The Washington herald., 1913-07-27

small and the demand great. and he sold
the consignment wholesale at $ii dozen,
or about 1886 for each terrapin. He sold
TO a jobber. who sold to retailer. who
in turn sold to a hotel, each man, most
likely, realizing profit. Just what the
guests at the hotel had to pay for those
particular terrapin is a problem in arith-
metic and the high cost Of living. or.
rather as has been said the cost Of high
living.
This commission man mentioned above
was asked what he thought Of Uncle
Sans opinion that''the breeding OF dia-
mondback terrapins will be profitable.
His reply was speedy, decisive, and en-
couraging. He said:
IF didn't have a good business that
was paying me fair dividends. I'd start
breeding terrapins tomorrow. but I don't
want to give up a sure thing even to go
into something that ! am confident is
sure. II / bred terrapins, I'd sell direct
to hotels, eliminating commission men S
10 per cent commission. the jobber's mar
gin. and the retailers profit, and then
could beat the retailers on prices and
have a neat little margin for myself
There's money in the business and all
sorts of future for 1t. for terrapins are
growing scarcer every year and the price
is going up every year"
Nearly AL of the terrapins shipped
today are caught by fishermen, and, of
course, fishermen's luck is not a sure
thing. Therefore. the catchers canrCt
count on steady supply and Trey
can't guarantee a steady supply to ho-
tells So the catchers have to ship to
commission merchants and lose the hest
part of the profits. A breeder Of terra
r!ns, however. could guarantee to de-
tas, ~ 1,
animals each week and. therefore, could
get the nign prices the hotels pay. You
know. the hotel buyers demand that they
be guaranteed a regular supply frrm
those from whom they purchase A h.
tel ca mot have terrapin on the menu
card one day and of the next. There
the secret of the selling and the Bureau
Of Fisheries has learned the secrets Of
breeding. 1 predict that within the next
few years we'll see terrapin farms spread
all along the Atlantic coast"
Terrapin Farm Discussed.
Terrapin farms. the government rePert
says, should be situated on the shore
line of tidal sal, water. where a supply
Of fresh water also is available, low.
swampy land, where fish and crabs are
plentiful being preferable. Best results
are obtained by breeding the terrapin in
pens specially built. but not expensive in
construction.
At Beaufort the government expert
menters fed the terrapin fish cut into
small pieces, with an occasional desert
Of blue crabs The crabs were crushed
before being thrown into the terrapin
pen. Each adult terrapin got about two
ounces Of food a day between April
and December l. About December 1 the
terrapins buVrow into the mud and hide
until warm Xeather comes again.
Corn meaImade into a stin masn and
placed into shallow wooden boxes and
also fed to the terrapins, while caooages
and turnips, cut into small pieces, fur
nished an occasional departure from the
regular food. The experts say, in favor-
able localities the cost Of feeding Is so
small as almost to be negligible The
average female terrapin will lay nine
eggs and as the percentage Of eggs
Matched is high 1t Is easy to understand
the rapid increase Of the animals.
Eggs are Matched In eight or nine weeks
and then the young terrapins are separ-
ated from the adults, being placed in a
specially constructed pen. After the eggs
are laid and covered over with mud or
sand, the mother terrapin wanders away
and apparently forgets all about the nsuai
duties of motherhood. At least, she never
gives the eggs further attention and when
the eggs are Matched she even fails to
give the slightest sign Of reconition to the
little terrapins.
Unlike the chicken breeders and the
breeders of other food animals, the
terrapin breeder need not worry about
disease in his stock. The government
experts say: so far as Is known, dia-
mond-back terrapins are not subject
to epidemic disease, and after reaching
the age Of two or three years have no
important enemy except man. There
are few animals SO resistent to abuse
or possessed Of as great recuperative
powers, but they may be, and fire.
auently are, killed by careless shipping
or by privations suffered In pens poorly
adapted to their needs"
The Bureau Of Fisheries Is continu-
ing its experiments at Beaufort, and
reports of progress made will be issued
from time to time. with the probable
result Of eventually arousing interest
among men with capital in the dia-
ferrapin