A TURTLE FARM IN JAPAN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9117, 24 December 1907, Page 2

A TURTLE FARM IN JAPAN.

SNAPPING TURTLES RAISED LIKE CHICKENS. The place occupied among astronomical delicacies by the diamond-back; terrapin in America and by the green turtle in England is taken by the "suppon," or the snapping turtle, in Japan. The three are equally esteemed, and equally high-priced, but the Japanese epicure has this advantage over his brothers of other lands— he lias no longer fear of having the supply' of the luscious reptile exhausted. This desirable condition is owing to the successful efforts of a Mr Hattori, who lias spared no paine to bring He turtle farms to a high pitch of perfection, and is able to turn out tens of thousands of these reptiles every year. Hisare, so far as I am aware, the only turtle farms in tho world which are highly successful. In general appearance a turtle farm is at a first glance nothing but a mini? ber of Rectangular ponds, large and small, the largo ones having a isize of 15,000 to 20,000 squaro feet. One or more of the ponds is always reserved for large breeding individuals., or "parents," as they are called. In Hattori's farm a person goes around the " parents' pond " once a day or so and covers up with wire baskets all the now deposits made since the last visit. Each basket may bo marked with the date if necessary. This covering serves a twofold purpose — tho obvious one of marking the pkee, and in addition that of keeping other females from digging m tho same spot. "When hundreds,' or even thousands of those baskets are seen along the bank of a " parents' pond " it is «, sight to gladdon tho heart of an embryologist, to say uotliingc of that of the proprietor. The hatching of the eggs takes on an average sixty days. The time may bo considerably shortened or lengthened, according to Avhether the- summer is hot and the sun poure down its strong rays day after day, or whether there is much rain and the heat not great. * It may become, less than forty days or more than eighty days. The young just hatched are put in a pond by themselves and given finely-chopped meat or a fish like the pilchard. This is continued tliroughout September. In October the snapping turtle ceases to take food, and finally burrows into tho muddy bottom of *tbe pond to hibernate, coming out \,nly in April or May. From the third to th© fifth yenr, inclusive, the young need not be kept in ponds strictly according to age, but may be more or lees mixed if necessary. The young of these years are also the best and most delicate for eating, and "are the ones sold in the market. In the sixth year they reach maturity andi may begin to deposit eggs, although not fully vigorous till two or three yeans later. How old these snapping turtles live to be is not known. Those one foot and more in length of carapace must be many years old.