New-York tribune., 1896-09-27
A SPIDER FARM.
HOW QUEER AND LITTLE kNo"N
DrSTRY IS CARRIED ON NEAR
PHILADELPHIA.
From The Philadelphia Times.

spider farming as money making industry rs yet In
IFS infancy What in the world Is done WIN ar niles orVs
| of spiders? you ask One has only 10 go Tour NUE.
from Philadelphia the old Lancaster fIhe h,s
ask for the farm Of Pierre Ss country 90 and
abroad only in little French village In the Depa'r
Pierre Grantarc furnishes spiders at so much =
hundred for distribution In the wine Vaults oi ",s
chiefly with the wholesale merchant. who is able t2
stock cellar with new. shining, fresny ispe,,sS ,s
hmy cobwebs 40 that the effect OF twenty years o.
storage Is secured ut a small cost The cnsct mppn
measured in dollars and cents II is a triang mat.
ter to the bins with dust That efect - easy
to the veriest tyro In the wine trade Dt, COZ, -,
webs-that Is different-cobwebs spun from corn 70
cSs Lace when the the ssR is % brought to the she
seal of years of slow meowng and fruitioll -.
trembled to the tramp Of marching columns in the
Revolution IN one Of the low stone iarInhouSe,s, e,
OF the French Army. who was conscfipteeda ss
midde-aged man from his fathers farm ~ I.vs1 M
here a rather unique figure among the natter-of-
fact farmers around him. For the trcoor always
are draped haf-mast on the anniversary OF the day
that the hated Prussians marched into PARIS quar-
Old Grantaire has a wonderful vegetable farm.
and sends in the choicest green STUFF that y dis-
played In the Philadelphia markets. His neighbors
know that he is market gardener. and also raises
s that and ra 60 cen @ ' pair this time Of
year But few of them know of the spider raising
busness It is not to the old mans interest
have this advertised. and he seldom takes caller
into the two rooms of his dwelling where his multi
legged pets cover the walls and weave their gossa-
mer patterns everywhere.
SPIDERS ON EVERY HAND.
1t bit shuddcring for the visitor who had
been brought up to smash spider with slipper or
whatever came the handcst to be brought into
room where there were spiders in front Of him.
spiders to the rear of him. myrads or spiders on
The walls were covered with wire squares from
six inches to foot across like magnihcd sections
hind these wire screens the wallis had been COW
cred with rough plankinS. There were cracks be.
their weather beaten surfaces dotted with
holes and spllntered crevices. Long tables run
small wire frames. wooden boxes and glass jars.
All of these wires in the room were covered over
lines fashioned by the spider artists inspired Ivy the
mysterious instinct which has made them weave
world began. The sunlight streamed through the
open door and the room seemed hung with & curtains
palace raped his stubby pipe against the door and
scampered from their retreats in the wall cracks
and score OF MISUNDERSTANDING pets. AS big as
table and clustered against their glass roofing
They think feed them now said Pierre. but I
creatures An they are cunning. After you see
them and tell you of them you will not crush them
something / will watch him lie is a diplomat
oi aTeh,s fberd Ia M o% rnnn
on your neck; Don't knock him OF. He viii not
Dlte you. Incy are ndrmleSSs re WlSfes 10 BiNe
you bon jour and make your acquaintance.
You wish to know of the business first? That is
There are 1000 spiders in this room all raising
families and mnding their own business. Is not
You see. In these frames breed my pets, and
when the infants are big enough to run about take
them In the next room, where they can set up for
themselves. as you say. II Is from there sell most
h{ are gf1 e eat y ad Ge, So
get good price for those that survive their child
1T is not all kinds of spiders that make webs
There those that live in holes i'm the ground and
soft nests in cracks while others spin small homes
in the grass or in the room corner No, indeed; l
have sought out kinds that weave themselves fne
large webs of lines and circles. They only look
artistic in the wine cellar or on The bouee They
names of them are Spira yugaris the lilla and
will tell YOU are the grand web-spinners the artists
Of the spider world
WHERE THE MONEY COMES IN.
But what money is there in 1T? you ask. Mon
dieu. money. money-always money. !, who love
my pets. to be always thinking of what they sell
more of money and l can show you something.
customer comes to me. lie is wine merchant from
lie says that he has just stocked cellar with five
bottles have brushed clean in shipping. They look
wine He has attached to them labels of twenty,
vintage He tells me so many hundred bottles
cellar in cobwebs of the finest old kind put them
in little small paper boxes. pair in box. I ship
/ 200 300 400 spiders. For them | ask half q
wo"s Gs d 9 & not In To mSns fos
the last forty year, It IT, has cost him =, $40 $50 or so may
than that-above what it had brought without my
pets had dressed the bottles in robes OF long ago
veau rche who are @ easy to- fool % and play with He
leads them down into the dark cellar BY the light
bn nsThd dnst The III cobwebs drapS them they
from oorlr If &c plo bat
Customer has What you cal the pulling OF the leg
wine is only meant for the man who knows It, 80
and keeps grand establishment. He must have
fine wine cellar Perhaps he buys himself OLD
broken and en- deshabile when the bottles moved
to his cellar. They have not the tone the look OF
the undisurbed dark n'estcc pas? Then he drives
ont TO see old Pierre or wss from o & or
prist send him my pets pets They % Work M ior re11ar nm
and they say. Mon dieu this is superb; il is mag
ndcent. We give you congratulations. my boy
working. and they do what you call wink the other
eye. They then resume their toll
Pierre" asked the visitor nsnuatingly.
SPIDER RAISING A SCIENCE.
"Corbleau. it is science. this raising of spiders.
l have on hand at one time about 10000 spiders. old
and young brought eggs from France and
the choicest webmakers TO he found. Here is the
queen of them all Her children the superb
spnners Many hundreds OF my pets are her
descendants. 1t is the kind bred by my great uncle
I'm France"
The old man led the way TO a glass dome In the
corner beneath which filmy web of beautiful pat
stretched across nearly two feet Pierre touched
of the meshes and huge black spider danced
nimby out from her downy nest and ran Up the
vibrating thread to the old mans finger. He gave
her fly. and she tripped back within doors with
her booty.
This is Sara" said Pierre. She has the grace.
the chic the slender beauty of tho divine Bern.
hardt. She is the pride OF all my pets. All. here
Is Zoa looking at you"
hideous. hairy monster had crawed up the fine
wire netting that kept him within bounds and
stared sardonically not foot away from the
writer's nose. a start and exclamation were
natural, but Pierre looked grieved.
,Td do la ba