FROGS. 7 



dozen for large frogs, 10 cents a dozen for medium-sized frogs, and 5 cents a dozen for 

 small frogs, while in San Francisco the market price is $3 to ^4 a dozen. 



To the above list of States yielding a considerable su]>ply of frogs 

 in 1900 there should be added Illinois and Minnesota. Of the latter 

 C. H. Townsend writes:^ 



The most valuable product of these fisheries is the frog, the value of the catch in 

 1899 constituting nearly one-fourth of the entire fishery jield of the State. The species 

 taken is the "meadow frog," which is quite small, the average weight being between 

 1 and 2 ounces each. * * * Professional frog catchers are said to make from $5 to 

 $10 per day during the best of the season. Most of the catch is shipped direct to 

 Chicago. 



The frog industry in this State was started about 1895, and has grown in importance. 

 In 1899 over $5,000 worth were taken in the vicinity of Minneapolis alone. Litchfield 

 was the next greatest frog-producing center in the State that year. In 1900 this in- 

 dustry had shifted from the latter place to Smith Lake, where one dealer purchased 

 over $5,000 worth during the year. 



By the year 1900, then, the following 10 States contributed a large 



Proportion of the market frogs of the countr}^ : California, Missouri, 

 few York, Arkansas, Minnesota, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, 

 and Indiana. 



In 1908, 250,000 pounds of frogs' legs, with a value of $42,000, 

 were reported for the whole of the United States.'' The 13 States 

 which furnished this total were: 



states. 



Missouri 



Minnesota 



Louisiana 



Arkansas 



Illinois 



Wisconsin 



North Carolina 



States. 



Tennessee 



Ohio 



Virginia.. 



Iowa 



Delaware. 

 Maryland 



Quantity. 



Pounds. 

 5,000 

 4,000 

 3,000 

 2,500 

 1,900 

 1,000 



Value. 



SI, 000 

 (iOO 

 700 

 300 

 700 

 500 



At least 8 of these 13 States are along the Mississippi River, and 

 6 of them fall wholly within that district. The Mississippi River 

 division contributed 193,000 pounds; the GuLf of Mexico division, 

 38, 000_ pounds; the Great Lakes division, 17,000 pounds; and the 

 Atlantic coast division, 11,000 pounds. Thus it is apparent that 

 the Mississippi River States are becoming more important in com- 

 mercial frog hunting. Before 1900 Missouri and Arkansas were the 

 principal States in this region furnishing frog legs. By 1900 Minne- 

 sota and Illinois were added to the list, and by 1908 Louisiana, 

 Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Iowa began to contribute appreciable 

 quotas. 



In the previous summation New York does not appear, but in 

 1915 and 1916 in the Oneida lake region the following is noted :*= 



[One firm conducted] a gross business of about $15,000 per year in frogs alone. One 

 customer bought between June 1, 1915, and March 1, 1916, $1,687.50 worth of frogs' 

 legs. When sold per hundred, liA^e weight, large and small, the price ranges from 30 

 cents to $1.50 or averages $1.05. The legs sell per pound, large and small, from 10 to 

 50 cents, and average 35 cents per pound. An expert can dress between 1,500 and 

 1,600 frogs per hour, but an average rate is about 1,000 per hour. 



a Townsend, C. H.: Statistics of the fisheries of the Mississippi River and tributaries. Appendix to 

 Report of the Coinnussioner, U. S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries for 1901, p. 720. Washington, 1902. 



b Fisheries of the United States 1908, pp. 20, 28, 33, et seq. Washington, 1911. 



c Adams, Chas. C, and Hankinsou, T. L.: Notes on Oneida Lake flsh and fisheries. Transactions, 

 American Fisheries Society, Vol. XLV, No. 3, Jiuie, 1916, p. 163. New York. 



