New Ulm weekly review., 1882-10-04
WHOLE NUMBER 365.
Queer Trades in Paris

One ant merchant whom the author
knew was young woman named
Blanche. She is described as present
ing terrible appearance. .Her face
and hands are tanned as though they
had been prepared by some skillful tan
ner. She is clothed in buffalo skin, and
in spite of this armor she is devoured by
her stock in trade. But her skin has
become so hardened and insensible from
long practice, that she can sleep sur
rounded by sacks full of her merchan-
disc undisturbed by their singing.
Mademoiselle Blanche has negotiants In
the departments where there are extern
sive 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 pheas-
ants. At the present moment Mademo-
iselle Blanche is on the road to fortune.
Another trade somewhat similar to
this is that of the maggot merchants.
These supply the fisherman with their
bait, and number from eight to ten, do
ing serious business. They are we'll
known to the fishing corporation, and
three are mentioned as being celebrities
in their profession. One in PARTICULAR
LePere Yer deFerre-reckons that he
sells from thirty to forty million magg0ts
every summer. This gentleman can
never part with one of his loads Of mag
gots, whom he calls his children, With.
out emotion.
A lucrative business is the cooking Of
artichokes. There are but three or four
important retailers of cooked artichokes
in Paris. The information NJ. Grison
gives me on the subject he obtained
from Madame Pauline G., one Of tho
extensive dealers in that article at La
Halle, the largest market place in tho
city. ITO gain anything In this busi.
ness" says our informant, 1T must bo
conducted on large scale, for though
the cooking of artichokes appears very
simple affair, it nevertheless demand
considerable outlay in proportion to thu
price of selling. Before being put into
the copper the artichokes must Be wash
ed. Women employed for this work
earn three francs day. Others cut of
the stalks. This done, tho artichokes
pass into the cooks hands, who earn
from four to five francs per diem. They
first assort them, and then pile them in
heaps according to their size in the oop-
Pers. The layers are separated by cloths
This work, Of course, takes some time;
but it would not do to throw the arti.
chokes al in together, as somo people
imagine to be the case. The largest
traders in this line employ generally
two cutters and sorters, three cleaners.
and five or six cooks. Tho boiling u
done by night, and entirely finished BY
o'clock in the morning. At q. m.
the fruiterers and street vendors take
their stock for the day. The price w.
ries from a penny to three pence per ~
tichoke. The chief part of the artichokes
one sees at the fruit shops, kept warm
in large barkets by means of hot water.
come from LaHalle." Madame Pauline
earns on an average e1,0O0 . year at
this business, and the season only lasts
four months. But the trades mentioned
are the three rich ones out of the petitis
meter. Among the less renumerative
ones are the rat-catchers, egg-dyers for
Lent and Easter days, soup and coffee
itinerant merchants, the scale cleaners,
and lastly, in connection with Les Hal
les, the caller whose business it Is 10
wake up the porters, carriers, and al
who have to begin work before daylight
The callers form large company, and
anyone walking in the vicinity Of tho
market place after midni ght hears .
variety of strange cries and peculiar
sounding notes proceeding from whis-
ties. Each caller has his particular
note, known to his client, who opens
his window in reply. One of these men
we'll known in the market is Peter, sur
named the "Blackbird'' on account of
the remarkable manner in which he
modulates his cries.-Loado,a Standard.