Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-18
Helping Diam0nd-Back to Survive

from May to July, the number OF eggs
| averaging about eight. Some terra
pins lay as often as four or even five
| times. Some of the best stock bred
at the station produces from 20 to 30
eggs per female. The eggs hatch in
| about 9 or 10 weeks and those grown
| in captivity reach a marketable size
and maturity at years of age. At
| the end of the laying season adults
are excluded from the beds.
| The young at Beaufort usually be-
gin emerging from their nests about
the middle of August. At this period
| their unusual climbing ability begins
| to assert itself strongly. They can
| ascend to the top of a rough board
fence with ease. In view of this fact,
and because they can climb up the
corner of a concrete wall. the top of
the Enclosure should be provided with
four to six inch boards laid hori-
zontally, one side projecting inward
from the top of the wall. 1t is like
wise important to separate the young
from the adults at this stage of their
growth.
To the novice this growth stage is
something of phenomenon. In
nature the young terrapin does not
begin feeding until the Spring follow
ing its appearance in the world. If
it leaves the nest at all. it quickly
seeks some sheltered spot for hiberna-
ton, subsisting during the Winter on
a mass of egg yolk inclosed in its
stomach. Stranger still, instead of
increasing in size it becomes weaker
and by Spring is probably slightly
smaller than when it emerged from
the shell.
In the terrapin world, as in the
world of humans, there are always
some runts. Every stock has it's slow
growing animals. However, as some
which appear to be slow growing at
first later outgrow their larger AMI
apparently more healthy brothers, it is
usually impossible as well as foolish
to try to weed out the runts too pains
takingly in the early years. But in
time the difficulty may be improved
by breeding fast-growing individuals.
Several experiments looking toward
this end are under way at Beaufort.
Another way to combat the runt
tendency is by Winter feeding of the
newly Matched diamondbacks. This
carries larger percentage through
the early. critical stages of life, and
the terrapins are brought to market
able size and maturity year later.
Inc recent Beaufort experiments
have convinced the authorities that the
industry will be rehabilitated or die in
,, proportion to the intelligence and per-
sistence of private individuals in utiliz.
ing artificial propagation on a large
scale for liberation to suitable areas.
Inquiries come to the bureau with
some frequency regarding the posi-
bilities of terrapin growing on the
West Coast. Mr.. Radcliffe sees no
reason for doubling that, provided
equipment. locality and expert help
| are available, the West Coast might
some day be used to advantage for
fruitful diamonanack farms.
In the East there is no question as
to the potential.ties of the industry as
a profit-maker. The demand is great
and the market wide, taking in vir.
tually all the large Eastern cities. sup
piled through dealers in New York.
Baltimore. Washington and Hampton,
Va. Then, again, prices have always
been extremely alluring. sometimes
ranging as high al $50 to $72 for the
sixinch terrapin.