﻿MANUAL 
  OF 
  FISH-CULTURE. 
  261 
  

  

  growth, 
  hence 
  the 
  desirability 
  of 
  selecting 
  a 
  shallow 
  pond. 
  The 
  young 
  

   should 
  be 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  adult 
  frogs 
  during 
  this 
  time, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  

   eagerly 
  eaten 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  needless 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  pond 
  must 
  be 
  free 
  

   from 
  fish, 
  turtles, 
  snakes, 
  and 
  crayfish. 
  

  

  The 
  critical 
  period 
  occurs 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  metamorphosis. 
  The 
  crea- 
  

   ture 
  is 
  now 
  abandoning 
  its 
  aquatic 
  habits 
  and 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  a 
  perfect 
  

   apparatus 
  for 
  terrestrial 
  life. 
  Any 
  slight 
  disarrangement 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  

   environment 
  is 
  liable 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  equilibrium. 
  The 
  rapid 
  resorj)tion 
  

   of 
  the 
  tail 
  furnishes 
  matter 
  for 
  growth, 
  so 
  that 
  food 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  much 
  a 
  

   necessity, 
  but 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  terrestrial 
  habit 
  is 
  fully 
  assumed 
  live 
  food 
  

   is 
  absolutely 
  requisite, 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  furnished 
  in 
  liberal 
  quantities. 
  

   There 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  reason 
  why 
  this 
  might 
  not 
  be 
  accomplished 
  by 
  

   transfer 
  of 
  the 
  tadpoles 
  to 
  waters 
  where 
  natural 
  food 
  abounds. 
  It 
  is 
  

   useless 
  to 
  attempt 
  to 
  sujjply 
  this 
  food 
  artificially 
  by 
  any 
  method 
  at 
  

   present 
  known, 
  neither 
  has 
  any 
  device 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  natural 
  abundance 
  

   of 
  insects 
  been 
  practicable 
  as 
  yet. 
  The 
  pond 
  should 
  have 
  a 
  growth 
  

   of 
  rushes 
  and 
  other 
  plants; 
  wild 
  rice 
  {Zlzania 
  aquatica) 
  has 
  been 
  recom- 
  

   mended, 
  but 
  it 
  might 
  attract 
  birds 
  that 
  would 
  prefer 
  young 
  frogs 
  and 
  

   tadpoles 
  to 
  their 
  vegetable 
  fare. 
  Shade 
  is 
  necessary. 
  Such 
  a 
  pond 
  

   will 
  furnish 
  natural 
  food 
  for 
  a 
  large 
  stock 
  of 
  frogs, 
  and 
  give 
  opportunity 
  

   for 
  successful 
  breeding. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  successful 
  " 
  frog 
  farms 
  " 
  is 
  in 
  Ontario, 
  in 
  the 
  Trent 
  

   Eiver 
  basin. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  operation 
  about 
  twenty 
  years 
  and 
  annually 
  

   yields 
  a 
  comparatively 
  large 
  product 
  of 
  frogs. 
  The 
  waters 
  were 
  stocked 
  

   by 
  means 
  of 
  mature 
  mated 
  frogs. 
  No 
  attempt 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  confine 
  the 
  

   frogs 
  until 
  near 
  the 
  time 
  for 
  shipment 
  to 
  market. 
  They 
  are 
  then 
  taken 
  

   alive 
  at 
  night, 
  with 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  a 
  torchlight, 
  and 
  confined 
  in 
  small 
  pens 
  

   that 
  can 
  be 
  drained 
  when 
  the 
  frogs 
  are 
  desired 
  for 
  market. 
  No 
  food 
  is 
  

   given, 
  as 
  this 
  is 
  naturally 
  present 
  in 
  sufficient 
  amount 
  for 
  successful 
  

   growth. 
  The 
  species 
  is 
  the 
  eastern 
  bullfrog 
  {Rana 
  catesbiana) 
  ; 
  it 
  

   begins 
  to 
  breed 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  three 
  years 
  and 
  reaches 
  a 
  marketable 
  size 
  

   in 
  four 
  years. 
  During 
  the 
  years 
  1895 
  and 
  1896 
  this 
  "farm" 
  yielded 
  

   5,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  dressed 
  frog 
  legs 
  and 
  7,000 
  living 
  frogs 
  for 
  scientific 
  

   purposes 
  and 
  for 
  stocking 
  other 
  waters. 
  

  

  While 
  at 
  present 
  it 
  would 
  perhaps 
  be 
  advisable 
  to 
  limit 
  practical 
  

   attempts 
  at 
  frog-culture 
  to 
  stocking 
  natural 
  waters 
  with 
  paired 
  breeders, 
  

   experiments 
  in 
  artificial 
  methods 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  abandoned. 
  There 
  

   seems 
  no 
  reason 
  why 
  methods 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  at 
  i)resent 
  pursued 
  in 
  

   fish-culture 
  may 
  not 
  eventually 
  be 
  successful 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  frogs. 
  

  

  