Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1934-10-19
Depression Puts
Man In Business
'Broel Is Now Nations
Biggest Producer Of
Frog Legs

mother persistently ding-donged
him into learning how to raise
frogs and now. he is the nation
largest individual producer of frog
legs and now he has a profitable
business in place of the job depres-
sion took away from him.
Yes, says the frog magnate, it
was mother who brought me to
this. A sweep of the hand indi-
|cates a vista of newly erected
buildings and areas of rapidly ex-
panding, fenced, foliated ponds
from which resounds the bassoon
strumming of giant bullfrogs. He
explains.
when my mother who is now
80 years of age, became i'll, her
physician struck meat from her
diet. However, experimentally,
she was permitted to IA a little
frog meat to test its reaction. 1t
proved beneficial, becoming a part
of a diet which aided her to re-
stored health and strength.
Frog meat, as you know has
been eaten in Europe for centuries
and was introduced here as a table
delicacy by the early French set
tiers.
with frogs on the daily menu,
the matter of supply became Of
acute interest, with the result of
causing the family to learn how
to keep them in the yard. AS the
supply was not necessarily con-
slant, attempts were made-which
proved successful-to raise frogs
to supplant outside supply.
That was the start.
Five years ago-in hat year,
1929, in which many a glowing
picture of investments faded
Broel had cause to consider the
future. The incessant advice of
his mother stressing the high quail
ty of frog meat as a food and the
comparatively ease of raising the
jumpers finally sank in. The mar
ket he found had never ever had
an adequate supply much less an
over-stock. Many first class dining
places did not place them on menu
because a supply to serve all corners
on one day could not be obtained
and walters, instead, whispered to
favored customers that delicious
frog legs could be ordered.
Broel was then near Toledo, o.
He launched into a first hand study
of breeding and growing of bull
frogs which over a fve-year period
has made him a fountain of know
ledge on the subject, a first in hand
producer and the source of supply
of breeder frogs to others, notably
another large bullfrog farm near
Tampa, Fla. During the five years
he experimental with canning me-
thods and developed his process for
packing frog meat.
Broel revealed some information
on bullfrog temperament for Cen
trail Press. He said:
"Bullfrogs are SO good, that
everything wants to eat them,
otherwise the sNJamps would be
.overrun with them. All manner
of fish like to eat tadpoles (the
first stage of bullfrogs) and even
the ~bullfrogs themselves will de-
YOUR tadpoles. We have to main
tain a separate pond for tadpoles.
"SrAakes are the greatest con-
sumers of the frogs and birds will
stand around for hours waiting to
take a crack at the jumpers.
1.-THE breeders produce 10000
to 10000 eggs annually a pair
which hatch into tadpoles in five
days. The percentage hat hatch
out runs from 50 to 70.
1.-THE eggs are taken from the
breeding pond and placed in a
separate Enclosure to hatch out and
tadpole around until they change
to jumpers.
"There are a lot of tricks about
frogs, They are fond of fish and
fish are fond of them. We have
to provide fish for the jumpers to
1T, but must prevent the tables
from being turned.
Fish eggs are Matched in separ-
ate ponds and the young swimmers
transferred tn the froo ponde A