Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-17
HOW SNAILS ARE RAISED.
A Popular Dish With New Workers.
Fortunes Made in Raising Them.

Fortunes Made in Raising Them.
From the New York Tribune.
1t Is surprising" said the proprietor of
a wen-known uptown restaurant to a Tr,-
bune reporter few days ago, "how many
snails are eaten in this city. / remember
well the first time we added them to our
bill Of fare not many years ago. We cook
ed them day after day. displayed the fact
in large letters on our Hills of fare. but II
vas all in vain. The patrons of the house
seemed afraid to try them. We lost con-
siderable money in our efforts to Introduce
them to New York. At first they remained
on our hands. and day after day we were
obliged to throw our supply into the waste
barrels 10 be carried away food for ami
mails. But II Is different now People
seem to have overcome their preiudices
and snalls in various forms are ordered so
II frequently that We have ceased to be SIR
prised. / do not doubt at all that they will
become a favorite dish among New Workers.
Fortunes. in fact, may be made by their
cultivation, and the enterprising Americans
who begin farming them now will be GER
tain or large incomes from the industry
In a few years. 1t will then be unneces-
sary to import them, as we do now, almost
exclusively. Many of the snails to be found
In the restaurants of New York and on
the tables of some private families are i'm
ported from France and Switzerland
IN the Canton of Zurich. Switzerland"
added the hotel man, "a number of peas
ants have established large snail farms
from which they derive handsome Incomes
Soft land, covered not too thickly with
trees, is the favorite breeding place for
these little horned animals. The trees and
shade must not be too thick because the
uncovered snails will then die In great
Quantities in the autumn and early winter
In the sun they usually get large hand
some white-shelled houses, and the snaiIs
with such coverings are always the best.
The earth should contain a good percentage
OF lime or chalk, so that the snails can
easily get material for their houses. Neither
should the earth be what we call fat II
the earth does not contain sufficient lime
the farmers should sprinkle 1t with burned
chalk or sand The snails lay their eggs
In May. To keep them from running away
from the farm there should be q wooden
renee about two feet high built about if
On the fence iron vitriol or some bad-smeIl-
Ing oil should be sprinkled. 1t is not a
bad idea, either, to surmount the fence with
nails placed closely together, as this will
prevent the snails from crawling over
LAS a rule one can raise 500 snails to a
square meter of earth. One person can
easily raise 10000 to 5000 snails on fifty
square meters. The space. however, must
not be too cramped. When the sun shines
too hotly snails like to conceal themselves
1t Is therefore necessary to provide hiding
places, so to speak. Moss along ,the fence
about the snail park and low sheds made
by placing boards over a framework are
to be recommended for this purpose
The best food for snails is salad, cab
bage, kitchen waste. nettles and dandelions
In dry weather they eat nothing, but as
soon as II rains they seem to become hun
cry and seek food. If the food is not at
hand when they want it they will try In
every way to escape from their bounds
Whlte-leaved weeds seem to satisfy them
also If the farmers wish to make them
very fat they sprinkle some kind of meal
on the leaves which they eat
In the beginning of autumn-about the
end of August or the LIST of September
the farmer strews the entire snail park
with moss. 1t must not be too thick or
the snails will smother. They crawl under
the moss at this time of the year and re-
main there until they are wanted When
they are covered with their shells they are
serted out. according TO size and quality.
If they have finely rounded or vaulted
houses, which shine in the sunlight then
they are nice and fat, and the purchaser
can tell that he has good ware.
They are packed III boxes containing
from 1000 to 5000 for shipment Hay, or
some other soft. loose material Is used TO
keep them apart. They can stand cold bet
ter than heat. II il becomes too warm for
them they will open their shells and burst
the strongest box.
"A different method of raising snails is
used in parts of Bavaria. There they have
as much freedom as possible Until the fall
Then they are picked up by the children
or servants of the farmer and thrown into
a deep hole. Grain is put in the hole, and
they feed this until they become fat
enough to be sold. This is generally in the
spring.
In Switzerland the monks of the Capu-
chin order raise large quantities of snails
Americans have not begun to pay much
attention 10 their cultivation as yet, but
fortunes await those who begin at the
proper time. The snail as a delicacy has
come to stay. and will become more and
more popular every year with New York