The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1893-09-22
NUMBER 81.
A SPIDER FARM.


The Chattanooga Times says:
Many will be inclined to discrcdit
the statement that spider raising is
an established industry in ChattanOO-
ga, and is being successfully conduct
ep by Ernest Beyber, the proprietor
of the Enterprise Bottling Works, on
Cowart street. The dcspised insect
is repugnant to the refined sense,
which associates spiders with snakes,
reptiles and all manner of creeping
things to be stunned and extermjna-
ted. One can be charitable toward
those who affect a fondness for al
most any other creation in the animal
kingdom. People take an interest i'm
fish raising, bird, fowl, horse or cattle
breeding, according to individual fan
cies. You may poke fun at dog fan.
ciers and laugh at those homely phi
| lOsophers who seek amusement and
| instruction in the society Of mice,
bugs, bees or ants, but creepy feel
ing comes over one at the thought of
working in an apartment where thOus-
ands of loathsome spiders are indus
triously weaving their webs about in
every conceivable place and direction.
Mr.. Beyber estimates that between
5000 and 5000 Of these insects make
their homes in his bottling depart
ment, which occupies large room,
probably go feet square. The ceiling
is fairly covered with thousands upon
thousands of little patches of fibery
MATERIAL within which the insects
nest and lay their eggs. At this sea-
son they spend little time in their
nests, but in daytime hide in dark,
out-of-the-way places, but in easy
commanC of their woven snares.
Spider webs are everywhere, span
ming the space between floor and cell
ing, or spread about the machinery,
in front of the windows-wherever,
in fact, the busy weayers can find a
place from which to hang their net
work. A big corner of the room is
besides given up to the insects, which
have apparently divided the space in
to many four-walled apartments.
Mr.. Beyber is pleasant and intel
lgent talkcr and IA shrewd observer.
. His fair complexion betokcns his
Tentonic descent. SAID he:
''Those creatures know more than
q great many people. | keep them
because they wage such constant war
on flies, cOckroaches and other such
), vermin which are very troublesome to
, me, and which are attracted by the
syrups, sugar, tic, used in the bot
, tling business A spider never cares
, for sweet things nor drops into my
vats or bottles. Flies and cockrOach-
+ es are natures scavengers, but these
spiders watch every one that ap-
proaches like hawks, and soon lure
, him into their meshes. | never dis.
turb them when | can help it, except
:, to feed them occasionally. They ap-
. pear to know my call and will come
when called and crawl upon my hand
and take fly from my fingers. They
are tame and have never bitten me,
though couldn't promise so much to
8 stranger. The spider is an hibern-
= ating animal and shuts himself up
6 during most Of the winter in those
r little nets you see stuck like mud
, daubs on the ceiling. When winter
comes | brush away all these webs,
for the spider prefers to weave new
J. webs every spring"
n AS a COW must be MIXED every day
" this wary and provdent little Great
v urc must unrayel each spring the
Q silken fabrics that is stored in its
l. body lie does not make his appear
l. ance till May, when the flies have
e laid their eggs and hatched their first
It young, else the fly crop would soon
Is give out. Meantime, the hundreds OF
It eggs which each female spider laid
during the previous summer and fall
n have been going through process OF
o. incubation and now turn out will
j. the older ones to seek a living fol
10 themselves. Mr.. Beybcr has encour
10 aged the insects to harbOr in his es
I'd tablishment for two years past, ant
" finds the spider Of such practical util
10 ily as to be almost Indispensable.