84 



article for wliicli tliere is an unlimited demand in China to which this 

 produce already goes. 



The cultivation of barnacles for manure has been mentioned 

 supra, somewhat out of place. 



178. The snapping turtle. — (Trionyx japonicus) a small turtle, 

 seldom above a foot in length and at marketable age only 7 or 8 inches 

 long and weighing little over 1^ lb. This is a very interesting class 

 of culture, and its inception and development owe nothing to the 

 efforts of Government but to private enterprise aided by science ; a 

 Mr. Hattori is the originator of the culture being of a family who 

 lived in a suburb of Tokyo full of ponds near the river, and who were 

 long engaged both in ordinary farming and in collecting and selling 

 fish, and in raising gold fish ; science was represented again by 

 Prof. Mitsukuri who suggested methods which were of practical 

 service. 



As usual the industry began in the smallest of ways, viz., with one 

 female turtle in 1866 ; even by 1874 there were only 50 and these 

 were kept in a pond of 144 square yards in area. The farm which I 

 inspected is now of considerable size containing a number of rectan- 

 gular ponds ; these are surrounded by a sloping bank at the top of 

 which is a low fence of wooden planking surmounted by a horizontal 

 plank projecting inwards in order to prevent the turtle from escaping; 

 the bottom of the ponds is muddy as this is necessary for turtle life. 

 The eggs are laid in the sloping bank, hatch out after two months 

 and the young ones then proceed to the water, but as they would 

 promptly be devoured by their parents, they are cut off from the pond 

 by a special plank fence, put up after laying is finished, with trap 

 baskets at intervals into which the young find their way and are 

 thence removed to separate ponds. 



The best age for marketing is from 3 to 5 years when the weight 

 will be from f to 1^ lb., and the value about Ks. 1-4-0 per pound. 

 The animals are fed throughout their life, chiefly on shell-fish which 

 are roughly crushed by a stone roller and thrown into the ponds. It 

 is found advisable to keep carp and eels in the same ponds as they 

 stir up the mud which turtles love. 



The matter has no special interest at present for Madras except 

 as a lesson in starting wholly new industries in which science and 

 practice combine to a successful result. 



179. Carp, eels, and grey mullet. — This culture, which is not of 

 modern origin, is of the greatest interest to this and other parts of 

 India, especially since it has been stated that about 60 per cent, of all 

 the inland fish in this Presidency is of the carp species, and that it is 

 not only easily fed and of very rapid growth but is one of the fish 

 which most successfully survive removal from the water and trans- 

 portation even as fry. The above three fish are mentioned together 



