Table List No. 2

This list is only for the best Chesapeake Maryland terrapins.

How To Select Terrapin

To buy terrapin See Schedules or Tables Nos. 1 and 2. When buying terrapin be careful to observe that the extreme tip or muzzle of the head is not injured, that the bottom of the feet are not worn off, that the head is prettily shaped, small thin and pointed, the eyes brilliant and the feet small and slender. The superiority of their race is made apparent by their fine appearance. There is no doubt that the diamond-back Chesapeake bay terrapin are far better than any other kind found in the markets. Their price is very high, they being sold on an average of the five to six inch ones or over at a $1.25 a pound or $15.00 to $17.00 a dozen; the six to seven inch ones bring $1.50 a pound or $35.00 to $40.00 a dozen; the seven to eight inch ones bring $1.75 a pound or $55.00 to $60.00 a dozen; the eight to nine inches bring $1.90 a pound or $80.00 to $85.00 a dozen. They should be procured before the extreme cold weather sets into avoid freezing during the trip, for once frost bitten they die easily.

How To Keep The Terrapin

In order to keep them properly they must be left in a cold place forty to forty-five degrees Fahrenheit; it should also be clean, well aired, dark and better be too damp than too dry. They must be placed in large or small boxes according to the quantity; range the terrapin in the boxes, pressing them down one beside the other so that they cannot possibly move, and between each bed lay damp sea grass. When packed like this they may be kept for several months. Examine the terrapin now and then. Should there be any dead ones take them out. They must be handled with care, laid one next to the other, not thrown, as they are very tender and delicate and are liable to die easily, incurring a heavy loss, as a dead terrapin is a ruined one and ought to be thrown away at once. No eggs are found in terrapin of less than six inches long.