68 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[July 27, 1901. 
took the little fellow home, where they cared for it, 
nursing it on a bottle till it became very tame, and strong 
and hearty. Game Warden Phillips learned that they 
had the little deer, and came and took it away, much to 
the displeasure of the boys.' He attempted to ship it to 
Commissioner Carleton. The journey of the deer was 
uneventful as far as Strong, where it was turned over 
to the American Express Company. But that company 
refused to take it, since there is a law that transportation 
companies shall not ship deer, either dead or alive, during 
close season. The deer was sent back to the game war- 
den, and it will, have to await a special order from the 
Commissioners for its disposal. 
There are even more than the usual big stories of big 
game in Maine this year. A guide at Norcross writes: 
"A. M. Houston and myself started from my camp at 
Pamadumcook Lake and went around Rainbow Lake, 
out bv Roach River, and on to Katahdin Iron Works. 
We saw nine moose and twenty-one deer on the trip, 
and -found where bears had killed two deer." In the 
Rangeley region deer do not seem to be as plenty as a 
year ago. Still they are very frequently seen. The hot 
weather has driven them into the lakes and ponds a good 
deal. A big cow moose has been seen very frequently 
in the neighhorhood of the Thayers' fish pond, by the 
keeper there. At Metallic Pond there are several moose. 
The deer continue to come out into the opening to feed 
at Upper iDam, where they may be seen almost any 
pleasant evening by the guests who will take the trouble. 
In the Megantic Preserve deer are reported unusually 
plenty, with a good report of partridges. 
Special. 
More About Frog Farming. 
Beardstown, 111. — Editor Forest and Stream: In the 
last issue of Forest and Stream, the article on frog 
farming by E. Hough particularly attracted my notice, for 
the reason that I am now conducting an experimental 
frog pond near Beardstown, III. 
I am familiar with several natural frog ponds in this 
vicinity that yearly produce a number of the bullfrogs. 
But the general or whole supply in this region is not 
sufficient in a commercial sense to pay the individual wish- 
ing to embark in such an enterprise. 
The large marketable bullfrogs are scarce, and this is 
not strange when one studies the creature's struggle for 
existence, apparent from the spawn stage to adult size. 
The favorite spawning grounds are usually small and 
shallow pools near a larger marsh oi- lake. Here the 
spawn is deposited early in the spring and is hatched 
in a few weeks. The resulting tadpole has a hard time 
of it. First the summer droughts dry up nearly all the 
small pools, and the tadpoles perish. Again, they are 
the prey of a number of aquatic birds, fish, snakes, craw- 
fish, turtles, and lastly, but chiefly, the frog himself. 
It is not strange that the adult frog is such a scarce 
commodity. The bullfrog and spring tadpole remain such 
the first season, and it is not until the following spring 
or midsummer that the transformation to the frog state 
takes place. Of those that surviA'e to go into winter quar- 
ters, the great majority are killed by extreme cold. 
Now I wish to tell your readers of my experience in 
frog raising up to date of this writing. In spite of the 
knowledge that I had acquired regarding the many difii- 
culties besetting one who will attempt such a foolhardy 
venture, I resolved to test the matter from a personal 
observation. Fred Mather said that he had traveled from 
Maine to California looking for reported successful frog 
farms, but had failed to find one. He claimed that they 
were a m}d;h, that it could not be done, and the person 
who told you so he denounced as an Ananias. The last 
Government report contains an exhaustive article by F. M. 
Chamberlin. This authority gave me a little encourage- 
ment in so far as he thought that possibly if sufficient 
attention to the details be observed in the raising of 
frogs, as that employed in fishculture, it might succeed. 
- I too am after more information regarding the habits 
of the Rana, and suggestions from your readers on this 
subject I will highly prize. 
My frog farm comprises an area of three acres, of which 
two-thirds is water and one-third shore land. The water 
at its deepest has a depth of three feet; it has an abun- 
dance of water plants, as the water lily, the lotus, many 
grasses and mosses. It is an ideal spot for frogs, and for 
many years they have made it their home. It abounds in 
Crustacea, crawfish and myriads of insects conducive to 
frog growth. I first diked this pond, and upon this dike I 
built a seven-foot board fence. On the shores I excavated 
two tadpole^ ponds 25 by 100 feet, and inclosed these with 
one-fourth inch mesh wire fences three feet high. 
Early this spring I gathered millions of last year's tad- 
poles and placed them in the small inclosure and fed 
them on ground wheat, corn and liver. Not knowing at 
the time how to distinguish the bullfrog tadpole from 
that of the spring frog or the common small frog, I placed 
them all as I found them, large and small, in these pools. 
Later as they developed I found that I had procured 
but one batch of the bullfrog variety, but of these there 
were several thousands. Later I procured about five hun- 
dred adult bullfrogs (Rana aurora) for breeding pur- 
poses. Examination showed that nearly all the females 
were charged with spawn. These I -soon found, would 
climb the wire netting surrounding the tadpole ponds, 
and they did , this in such numbers as to devour nearly 
all the tadpoles. I then nailed boards flatways on top 
of the fence, which was effective in keeping them out. 
The metamorphosis is now taking place in the tadpole 
pond, and I have several thousand young bullfrogs, and 
many more of the common spring frog. These last will 
llave no marketable value. I have now arrived at the 
critical period, in so far as supplying these young frogs 
with food. They must now have live food, and how to 
supply this in sufficient quantity will test the success or 
failure of my venture. They will not now eat the meal or 
liver they existed on in the tadpole state. When I throw 
them bread crumbs or grains of wheat, and as it rolls 
down the banks of the pond, they snap it while in motion, 
but will not eat it when it rests. 
Field rats, snakes and moles burrow under my fence 
and destroy some. Aquatic birds also do damage. But 
the critical test is to provide live food that manifests it- 
pelf by motion for the frpfs mn^ining:. I eannpt yet lef; 
them out in the large ponds to feed off of the natural 
food abounding there for fear of the large frogs de- 
stroying them. 
Th^ old adage seeing is believing has taught me many 
truths in my undertaking. I have seen the frogs climb 
up to the top of the wire fence and tumble over. I have 
seen the large frogs swallow the smaller frogs, tadpoles, 
crawfish, snakes, minnows, dragon flys and many bugs. 
R. Putman, who has charge of my carp and terrapin 
farm, has held post mortems on many aquatic birds this 
season, and in all of them found both bullfrogs and spring 
frogs. I have seen a snake swallow a dozen small frogs 
in succession. The snapping turtle destroys many frogs. 
The muskrat and crawfish tunnel through my dikes, leav- 
ing avenues of escape for the frogs. It is my opinion 
that to raise frogs commercially it will be necessary to 
fence them in entirely, sides, bottom and top. Then they 
will have to be separated according to sizes to prevent 
the large frogs eating the small ones. Of course the food 
question would have to be solved. 
The adult frogs that I placed in my pond are still 
there, but I have not yet discovered any spawn or tad- 
poles as a result. It may be that they have not yet 
spawned. Their "chant d'amour" is heard nightly, and 
it is like the bellowing of a herd of Texas steers. My 
pond is near the town, and the civic authorities have many 
complaints to hear on account of this free Wagnerian 
opera music so near by. But I intend to stay with and 
protect these songsters at least for one year more. Prob- 
ably then I will wish I had hearkened to the advice of 
Fred Mather and say with him — it can't be done. 
H. Ehrhardt, M. D, 
Fort Collins, Colo., July 20. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: I am informed that you caii tell me how and 
where to get large bullfrogs (or the spawn), and as I 
have some fine lakes here in the Rocky Mountains, and 
while frogs are plentiful, there are none, native, of the 
bullfrog species. I shall greatly appreciate all informa- 
tion as to place of getting some, the price and any other 
information you can give me on the subject. 
Nettie C. Poore. 
[You probably can buy some bullfrogs from Dr. Ehr- 
hardt. The "Manual of Fish Culture," issued by the 
United States Fish Commission, has a chapter on frog 
farming, the gist of which is that the farming as prac- 
ticed consists in collecting frogs and letting them grow 
big.] 
Squidding for Bluefish off 'Sconset. 
Twenty years ago I went to Siasconset via Nantucket. 
As these towns were then, I presume they are now. I 
know that for absolute quiet Siasconset was the ideal 
place, a sort of a rest-cure haven where doctors could 
safely send their nerve-racked patients and feel safe that 
undue noise and excitement would be only noticed by 
their absence. 
My stay was limited so much that I had taken neither 
rod, line nor reel with me. In the early morning I saw 
the fishermen come ashore in their dories and unload their 
catch of bluefish, subsequently packing them in barrels 
and sending them up to Boston.. 
I learned on inquiry that the fish were running along 
shore a mile or so beyond the breakers in compara- 
tively shallow water and the fishermen anchoring their 
boats used the squid and bluefish line to land their fish. 
The next morning I was around early and arranged to 
go out with one of the boats. A little careful handl'ng 
and we were plowing our way through the, surf, finally 
getting into comparatively smooth waters, and soon throw- 
ing out our anchor. 
Allotted to me was perhaps 150 feet of heavy bluefish 
line on the end of which was a heavy hook running into 
a shank of bone, perhaps twice the length of the" fore- 
finger, over which was drawn an eelskin. 
It was explained that the line should either be coiled 
and loosely held in the left hand, or coiled carefully upon 
the bottom of the boat, the squid to be held by a couple 
of feet of line, whirled around the head and thrown at 
the proper moment down the tide as far as your strength 
would permit. 
' The moment the squid touched the water, to succeed, it 
was necessary by long and steady overhand reaches to 
draw in the line. The movement of the hook through 
the water crowned with the eelskin covering proved as 
alluring 'to the bluefish as a spoon to a muscallonge. 
Sometimes the lure was struck the moment it touched the 
water, and again not until it was close up to the boat. 
The fish were of good size, from 10 to 15 pounds, and 
when they struck there was no mistaking the tug' on the 
line. They, when struck, if I remember correctly, rarely 
broke water. When they did not attempt to rush ahead 
and get slack line they worked to right and left, and by 
main force attempted to tear out the hook or break the 
line. As long as the line was rapidly and steadily taken 
in they rarely got loose, but the least let up on the draft 
of the line would almost invariably result in the loss of 
the fish. 
It was monotonous work. The fish were running in 
large numbers and taking the squid as freely as offered. 
One's arms soon began to feel the strain, and the hard 
spun line soon began to cut into the hands and bring the 
blood. 
The two lines in an hour sufficed to cover the boat's 
bottom with great flopping bluefish, and we quit and pulled 
for the breakers and the shore beyond. 
Yet had one been supplied with a good casting rod the 
story might have been different, and perhaps not so many 
fish might have been landed. 
And again this would have been tame work compared 
with handling a is-pound bluefish from the stern of a 
swiftly moving yacht with rod and line. 
The natural sequence after catching would he the eat- 
ing of a bluefish. and in this connection I might admit to 
eating bluefish but once, and that on board a yacht, the 
fish being upon the broiler in less than five minutes from 
the time it was unhooked and lay flopping upon the deck. 
No $10,000 chef can put into a bluefish what is lost 
between the ocean and the ice house. Sydney Smith, I 
think, once said that to properly prepare a lettuce salad 
the lettuce should be cut from its rapt «n^er the ^a^l^ 
of an umbrella, hurried to the kitchen, washed and placed 
in the bowl upon the table. The same rule should almost 
apply to fish. 
To land your boat upon the beach at noon, to watch the 
guide slip a bass off the live string, and with a few deft 
strokes of the knife behead, bone and skin the fish, leav- 
ing two sections of boneless fish to be dusted with corn- 
meal and sprinkled with salt and pepper and then done 
to a turn in the swimming, sizzling bacon fat over the 
camp-fire, then and only then does one eat fish as it should 
be eaten. To compare such a fish dinner eaten under the 
shade of the trees, the lapping of the waters and the 
rustling of the leaves supplying the music, the balmy 
wind adding a zest to every mouthful, with one eaten in a 
gilded restaurant, accompanied with Hungarian music 
and breezes from electric fans, is to compare sixteen karat 
gold" with the pinchbeck article. 
But then this is a digression, so I will desist. 
Charles Cristadoro. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
The Fishing at Galveston, 
Chicago, 111., July 20. — Mr. George E. Mann, of Gal- 
veston, Texas, commenting on the recent letter of Mr. J. 
A. L. Waddell regarding the tarpon fishing at Aransas 
Pass, sends some interesting informatipn regarding the 
tarpon fishing in the vicinity of Galveston, Texas. Mr, 
Mann is president of the Galveston Tarpon Club, and is 
well qualified to speak of the habits of the local game 
fishes, as he does below: 
"The name tarpon warms the cockles of Mr. Waddell's 
heart, and he wrote to me some time ago, as present presi- 
dent of the Galveston Tarpon Club, to know about tarpon 
at Galveston. I had to confess that the club was named 
the Tarpon Club on the Lucus a non lucendo principle, 
as we do not fish for tarpon, and find them a great nUisancC 
in fishing for Spanish mackerel, ttoljt, redfish, etc. Oui' 
fishing is so unique that it must interest all fishermen. 
The Federal Government in improving the harbor and 
giving the port of Galveston 28 feet of water where there 
was scant 13, built parallel jetties of rock, capped with 
granite^ blocks, many of them cubes of 5 feet smooth sur- 
face. These jetties extend into the Gulf, the South Jetty 
over six miles long and the North Jetty parallel to it, and 
about a mile and a quarter apart. In ordinary weather, 
the water is smooth on the lee side of the jetties, and a 
man can stand on the flat rock five miles out at sea and 
fish for Spanish mackerel, redfish, sea trout, June (or 
Jewfish), and ^occasionally in the lottery draw a pompano, 
blackfish or a kingfish, and have a thirty-minutes fight in 
between with a 20-pound jack, that has more game and 
fight to the square inch than anything that swims, tarpon 
not excepted. Sharks, stingrays, are thrown in for 
laniape, 
"It is the only place in the world that such fish can 
be caught from a rock five miles at sea. Familiarity 
breeds contempt, and when we lose from two to six hooks 
of an afternoon when fishing for mackerel from the tarpon 
loafing around the rocks, it is not surprising that we gen- 
erally put on brake and turn tip down, and say good-by 
to tackle when tarpon take the bait, and they seem to have 
a special fancy for a piece of shrimp, and we never know 
until it jumps that we have a tarpon, not a mackerel, 
hooked. Every one knows that to fish tarpon successfully 
a small boat that it can tow and a good boatman is part of 
the game. Occasionally we* get a tarpon well hooked, and 
with an O'Shaughnessy mackerel hook and new linen 
line we can land a tarpon on the rocks, but we are only' 
mackerel fishermen, and I want to see some of the silver 
king slayers try it from the rocks. 
"I was on the South Jetty a short time ago, when the 
tarpon were so thick on the lee side that those who were 
with me would not fish on that side, as they did not want > 
to be bothered with them. There were dozens of them in 
sight within an hour. I had a new small linen line of 
about 500 feet and an O'Shaughnessy hook, and I made a 
cast and hung a tarpon at once. The line was so small 
and the pole a one- joint 12- foot reel, and the reel not an 
expensive one, that it took about an hour to kill him. 
He leaped only three times, took it out in going down 
deep, and running, he turned on his back and showed the 
white flag (his belly) twice and then rested, reconsidered 
and commenced again ; finally I had him so near dead 
that when a big wave lifted him and in receding landed 
him on top of a flat rock, he was gaffed without a flap of 
the tail. On examination the hook was found under a 
rriuscle of his jaw and tongue, and where he could not 
shake it out. I do not think I had over 25 pounds pressure 
on him at any time. I was afraid of rod, line or hook — all 
small. 
"Two evenings later I went out and landed, after a fight 
of fifteen minutes, a kingfish 43 inches long by measure- 
ment. The kingfish is a quarter-horse, but while his 
strength holds out is the fastest fighter in salt water. He 
makes a straight shirt-tail for the other side of the ocean 
as if he had heard that his house was on fire, or is going 
for a doctor to extract the hook ; about 300 feet of 
lightning speed and smoking reel, and he is ready to yield 
and change his course under gentle persuasion of the reel. 
"The mackerel fishing has only been fairly good so far 
this season. A few days ago Dolph Rogers, of the Tarpon 
Club, caught forty mackerel from one rock inside of an 
hour. That is what I call fishing, and he will hold the 
record for some time to come. Any one who has fished 
Spanish mackerel will appreciate the feat; it was great 
work," 
Fishing G)UDtry. 
Mr. G. A. Probst, of Chicago, wants to know of a 
practical working paradise, good for a party of six, for a 
period of two weeks. He wants large game fish, no insect 
trouble, etc. On the whole, I would advise him to go in 
at Manitowish, Wis., or at Fifield, Wis. In either one of 
these localities he can find, by going back from the rail- 
road twenty-five or thirty miles, good fishing for bass and 
wall-eyed pike, and as good a chance at muscallunge as 
he will get anywhere. At Fifield he will need to take a 
ride of twenty miles or so, either east or west of the 
railroad station. At Manitowish he can at once get on 
the river fin4 system, which take him eastwar4 
