Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-10-10
Frog Farming
BY Frederic \. Haskin

Washington, D. c., Oct. 6.-Do yol
realize that frog legs command fame!
prices, and that the American people
ARE now the greatest frog eaters II
the world? Also that frogs will ant
do live in almost any pond. marsh
Icreek or puddle?
Now, why not construct puddle o
say nifty acres, stock il with quartet
million frogs. and take the legs t
market in an eight cylinder car.
II you ever had this large idea, yo,
probably thought 1t was q singularly
brilliant and original one. But Il
wasn't The records of the Bureau o.
Fisheries show that somebody has II
literally every day. For 1t lis seldom
day passes that the experts of thai
busy government organization do moi
receive at least one letter asking
whether frogs may be raised in cap
tivity, and II so how. and II not. why
not. 81
The Bureau Of Fisheries is now
compelled to keep on hand large
supply Of .mimeographed letters telling
all the government scientists know
about the raising OF frogs in captivity
and this form is sent to all inquirers
1t does not give great deal of en-
engagement. SO FIR as the PRACTICABLE
ity Of frog farming Is concerned. II
says that about all you can do is to
buy or make suitable puddle, gather
lot OF frog eggs not too many-and
leave the rest to Providence and the
polliwogs.
The demand for information about
frogs is growing so fast that one of
the government experts declared 1t to
be " run on frogs
This brings us to the really import
ant fact OF our story, which is that
the Bureau of Fisheries has employed
DR.. A. H. Wright of Cornell Univer-
sity, who knows more about frogs
than any other man in the United
States. to make an additional study
OF them with special reference to the
nracttcability Of frog farming. DR..
Wright will remain At Cornell and
study the frogs in the ponds there.
and the result of his investigation
will be used by the government scien.
lists as basis for experiments In
frog flaming DR.. Wright will get at
the facts ABOUT the private life and
predictions OF the frog and the fish
cry men will try to give these prac.
teal application.
Easy as 1t seems to raise frogs, the
Is really one OF the most
difficult imaginable. OF course, the
only object IN domesticating any wild
thing used for food is to produce 1t in
greater numbers relative to the area
used, Unless you can raise more
frogs to the acre than that acre would
support naturally, you might as we'll
confine yourself to hunting wild frogs
in the first place.
Now the frog is a predatory animal.
It will touch nothing that is dead. Its
food consists OF insects. fishes, mol
lusks and other small creatures that
dwell in shallow water or hover about
L. Therefore. before you can increase
The per-acre. production OF frogs, you
must md some way Of producing their
natural food In quantities. Various
have been tried. such as set
Ing brilliant electric lights about the
ponds to attract insects, but none of
hem have been successful II you can
levise some way OF catching insects
alive IN wholesale quantities, your for
.une is made.
Not only is the feeding problem dim
,ult. but when 1t is not rightly provid-
ID for. the frogs take the matter into
heir own mouths and gaily deyour
Zach other. One man who tried to
'atse frogs for TWENTY-FIVE years with
tut ever putting in the proposition on q
,aying basis summarized his expert.
.nce In these words: THE big frogs ate