The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-10-25
Queer Trades In Paris.

London standard.
One ant merchant whom the author know
was young woman named Blanche She 10
described as presenting terrible appearance.
Her face and hands arc tanned a. though they
had been prepared by some skillful tanner.
She is clothed in buffalo skin, and in spite Of
this armor she 10 devoured by her stock
in trade. But hor akin has become 90
hardened and insensible from long prac-
tice, that she can sleep surrounded by
sacks full Of her merchandise undistusbed by
their singing. Mademoisslls Blanche has
ncgotants in the departments whore there sro
extensive forests; she pays her employees two
francs day. Her business extends even as
far as Germany. She never receives Less than
ten sacks (miller's sacks) Of ants daily. The
ants lay eggs, and these are sold for feeding
pheasants. At the present moment Aademoi-
selle Blanche is on the road to fortune"
Another trade somewhat similar to this 10
that of the maggot merchants. These supply
the fishermen with their bait, and number
from eight to ten, doing serious business.
They are well known to the fishing corpora
ton, and three are mentioned Al being celeb
rites in their profession. One in particular
lie Pere Yer de Ferre-reckons that he sells
from thirty to forty million maggots every
summer. This gentleman can never part
with one Of his loads Of maggots, whom be
calls his children, without emotion.
lucrative business is the cooking OF ayti-
chokes There are but three or four import
ant retailers OF cooked artichokes in Paris.
The information NJ Grison gives on the sub
ject he obtained from Maiame Pauline Ct !,
Al. -. rtt<r a
In the city $40 gain anything I'm this
business" says our Informant ut rnnst
be conducted on large scale, Tor though
the cooking Of artichokes appears q
very simple affair, itnevertheless demands
of selling. Before being put into thecopper
the artichokes must be Washed 2 Women en-
ployed for this work earn 3 frames ngdAv
Others cut OF the sta,hs. This done, the arti-
chokes pass into the cooks hands, who earn
from To francs per diem. They first assert
them, and then pile them in heaps according to
their size in the coppers. The layers are sepa-
rated hy cloths This work, Of course, takes
some time but it would not do TO throw the arti-
chokes all in together, Ms some people imagine
to be the case. The largest tradcs in rii!s line
employ generally two cutters and sorters,
three cleenNs, and five or sH c. ots. The
boiling is done by night, md entirely finished
!
fruiterers and street veu.iors take their stock
for the day The price varies from penny
to throc-pence per ar,ichoke. The chief part
Of the artichokes one seas at the fruit shops
kept warm in large baskets by means Of hot
water. come from Ia Halle" Madame Pau
| line earns on an average II ,OOHa year at this
| business, and the satsoa only lasts four
months But the trades mentioned are the
three rich ones out OF the relits meters.
| Among the less rcmunerativc ones are tho
rat-catchers, egg dyers for Lent and Easter
days, soup and coffee itinerant mer-
chants, the scale-cleaner-, and lastly,
in connection with Les hallcs, the caller
whose business it is to wake mp the
porters, aud all WHO have 70 begin to work
before daylight The caiie,s form large
company, aud anyone walking in the vicinity
of the market place after midnight hears N
variety of strange cries and peculiar sounding
notes proceeding from whistles Each caller
has his peculiar note, known to his cliont VINO
opens his window in reply. One OF these
MEN, well known in the market, is Peter, sur
named the Blackbird," on account of the
remarkable manner in which he modulates
| his cries