Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-03-07
A SNAIL-FARM FAD.
CALIFORNIAN FINDS PRO-
FIT IN THE BUSINESS.

-"Served In . High Pyramid With Thick
ened Sauce" They Are Fine.
New York Tribune Correspondence.
Southern California has q snai
farm. 1t is said to be the only one ir
the United States. OF course, it is {
French snailery-each original mol
lusk having been imported direc,
from France, and imported for its gas
tronomic features alone. This snail
cry is few miles out from Los Ange
les, at the ranch of Nine. V. A. Per.
not. 1t is located under the tank
house of huge windmill short dis
tance from the driveway leading up to
the Pernot home. Vines growing
over the framework of this particular
spot render it cool and shady. Inside
OF the inclosure, running all around
the supporte, are box shelves, lidded
with wire gauze, where the snails are
confined.
Snails are great travellers. If moi
guarded they wander far from home
90 here they have plenty OF room and
comfortable quarters. Each box il
furnished with sections OF porous ear.
then pipe, where the little creatures
may retreat at night or in cold
weather, attaching themselves to the
inner surfaces by means OF viscous
fluid which oozes from around the
edges of the shell.
The first snsils imported from
France by Nine. Pernot we're Of the
escargot Bourgogne, but they did mol
long survive. The smaller variety
escargot Bourdelaise, were then tried
and the three dozen which arrived in
the month of June in good condition
before q year bad elapsed numbered
moro than 5000. This was in 1900
and now the snailery is growing toe
small for the new thousande of family
relatives.
In this group Of mollusks respira.
tion is effected by means Of . lung OF
pulmonary sac, no gills being devel
oped. The eggs are laid in . hole in
the earth about an inch deep. They
do not hatch simultaneously, but the
average period is abons sixty days
The eggs. numbering 200 or 800. are
whitish gray. The young snails are
about the size of . pinhead wher
hatched, having . perfect shell com.
plete - when grown.
Nine. Psrnot is 80 devoted to hel
snail fad - many women are to Z
poultry fad. She gives the little
things . bath with the hose upor
bright mornings when they travsl
wearily around with their shells upon
their backs.
"As my snails are shut in," said
Nine. Pernot TO Tribune representa-
tive, "they must be we'll fed or they
eat each other. Their food consists
Of lettuce. artichokes, cabbage and w.
rious kinds Of herbs. Just before w
eat them I feed them aromatic herbs
mint, thyme and summer savory
which adds greatly 10 the flavor. A
month before eating We pack them in
bran. At the end Of this time they
are ready for use. They are then
thrown in salt and vinegar, which ex'
tracts the slime. Then they are
placed in boiling water for few mo-
ments. After being stuffed with pars'
ley, they are placed in the oven and
Drowned. and then you have tho most
delicious dish.l
"About forty are considered . meal
though many moro may be eaten, u
they shrink greatly in cooking. An.
other method Of preparation is to fry
them with an onion in butter, brown.
ing them . little with -four. Still an
other method is to stew them in hall
water and half white wine, mixed with
parsley. thyme, garlic and laurel leaf
After baking for half hour, serve
them in . high pyramid, with thick
ened sauce made of the yolks Of eggs
butter and lemon juice. The stuiinl
and seasoning 90 change tho flavor
that really the taste of the snail BE-
comes . secondary confederation. Ol
course, there is none Of the fishy tastt
found in the bivalve. In France
snails are . great pest in vineyards
and boys are hired to pick them. The
large ones are taken to market, here
they are sold a. . regular article oI
diet. The small ones are fed to poul'
try.
"While my fad for snails 10 only fol
the pleasure Of the family table, yet
supply many Of my French neighborl
with the oothsome delicacies. Con
sidering their easy and very rapid
propagation, there 10 no reason why
snail culture might not be . very
profitable industry In southern Cali
fornia."
The Romans considered the snail {
great delicacy, and portions of plants
tions were Get apart for their cultiva
ton. From Italy the taste spreat