CULTIVATION OF MARINE ANIMALS IN JAPAN 703 



Length in Breadth Weight in 



Age. centime- in centi- grams, 



ters. meters. 



Just hatched 2.7 2.5 



First year 4.5 4.2 23 



Second year 10.5 8.8 169 



Third year 12.5 10.5 300 



Fourth year 16.0 13.5 563 



Fifth year 17.5 15.1 750 



One of the most important questions in turtle-farming is that of 

 food-supply. The profit depends largely on whether a constant 

 supply of healthful food can be obtained cheaply and abundantly. 

 In the Hattori farm chief dependence in this respect is laid on the 

 "shiofuki" shell (Mactra veneriformis, Deshayes) which occurs in 

 enormous quantities in the Bay of Tokyo. These shells are crushed 

 under a heavy millstone rolled in a long groove in which they are 

 placed. Other kinds of food given are any dried fish-scraps, silkworm 

 pupae, boiled wheat-grains, etc. 



A curious part of the ecological relations of a turtle-pond is this: 

 It would be supposed that putting other animals in the same pond 

 with the snapping-turtles would be detrimental to the welfare of 

 the latter, but experience has proved just the contrary. It is now found 

 best to put such fishes as carp and eels in the same ponds with the 

 turtles. The reason, I am told, is that these fishes stir up mud and 

 keep the water of the pond always turbid, and this is essential to 

 the well-being of the turtles, as is proved when the messmates are 

 taken out of the pond. Dirt and mud then settling down, and the 

 water becoming clear and transparent, the turtles, which are ex- 

 tremely timid, will not go about searching for food, and thus very 

 undesirable results are brought about. 



The business of turtle-raising has thrived well. When I first be- 

 came acquainted with the turtle-farm, now over twenty years ago, 

 it was a small affair with only a few small ponds, and the eggs 

 hatched out in one year were, all told, not much over 1000. Now 

 the enterprise embraces three establishments: (1) The original farm 

 at Fukagawa, Tokyo, now enlarged to seven acres; (2) the large 

 farm at Maisaka, near Hamamatsu, province of Totomi, over 25 

 acres, whither the main part of the business has been transferred; 

 and (3) the second farm in Fukagawa, about two acres in extent. 

 These three establishments together will yield this year (1904) 

 about 4100 egg-deposits, which means 82,000 egg?, counting 20 eggs 

 to a deposit on an average. Probably 70,000 young will be hatched 

 from these, and, deducting 10 per cent loss before the third year, 

 there will be about 60,000 "suppon" ready for the market in three 

 years. The turtles sold in a year in Osaka, Tokyo, Nagoya, and a 

 few other towns weigh about 2000 kwan ( = 16,500 pounds), and are 

 worth about 6.50 to 7.50 yen (1 yen =$0.50) per kwan. 



