Charlevoix county herald., 1918-11-15
SAD FATE AWAITS
BULL FROG FARMER
UNCLE SAM, OFTEN ASKED FOR
DATA, CALLS IT MOST DIFF
FlCULT BUSINESS
THREE KINDS IN THE U. S. EDIBLE
Raising PoIIiwogs to Maturity
Just One Trouble After
Another.

Washington.-Do you realize that
frog legs command fancy prices. and
That the American people are the
greatest frog eaters in the world?
Also that frogs will and do live in al
most any pond. marsh, creek or
IuGdle?
Ii you ever had this large idea.
you probably thought it was sin
gularly brilliant and original one.
But it wasn't. The records of the
bureau Of fisheries show that some
body has it literally every day. For
1t is seldom a day passes that the
experts of that busy government or
ganiZation do not receive at least
one letter asking whether frogs may
be raised in captivity. and if SO how,
and if not, why not.
The bureau of fisheries is now COM
PEELED to keep on hand a large sup
ply of mimeographed letters tell
ms all that the government scien-
lists know about the raising of frogs
in captivity. and this form is sent
&c all inquirers.
1t does not give a great deal of
encouragement, so far as the prac-
ticability of frog farming is con-
cerned. 1t says that about all you
can do is to buy or make suitable
puddle, gather a lot OF frogs-not
too maryland leave the rest TO
Dro
The demand for information about
frogs is growing so fast that one of
the government experts declared it
to be "a run OIL frogs" And what the
American public wants, it always
gets.
Easy as IL seems to raise frogs,
the undertaking is really one OF the
most difficult imaginable. OF course,
the only object in demonstrating any
wild thing used for food is to pro-
duce it in greater numbers relative
10 the area used.
Unless you can raise more frogs
to the acre than that acre would sup
port naturally, you might as well
in the first place.
Now the frog is predatory an
imal. 1t will touch nothing that is
dead. It's FOOD consists of insects,
fishes, mollusks and other small crea-
lures that dwell in shallow water or
hover about it.
Therefore, before you can increase
the per acre production Of frogs, you
must find some way of producing
their natural food in quantities. Vari-
Gus methods have been tried, such as
setting brilliant electric lights about
the ponds to attract insects, but none
Of them have been successful.
If you can devise some way OF
catching insects alive in wholesale
quantities, your fortune is made.
Not only is the feeding problem
difficult, but when it is not rightly
provided for, the frogs take the mat
ter into their own mouths and gayly
devour each other. One man who
tried to raise frogs for twenty-five
years without ever putting the prop
Csition on a paying basis summarized
his experience in these words: 1.-THE
big frogs ate the little frogs, the lit
lie frogs ate the polliwJgs, the big
poIiwogs ate the little polliwogs, and
The birds ate them ALL"
There are three kinds of frogs in
the United States that are edible.
The bull frog is the most valuable
of these, and also the hardest to
raise because he is naturally soli-
tary creature, and does not get
along in crowds. The green frog is
also good to eat, but not much better
TO raise. The little leopard frog Is
easier to raise because he is a nat
urally gregarious little chap, with a
fcndness for singing in chorus.
He is so small, however, that he
is not good for much except bass
bait. In some regions lot of money
can be made raising him and selling
him to sportsmen for just that pur-
pose.