New-York tribune., 1902-02-02
HER FAD A SNAIL FARM.
NINE. PERNOT THINKS THE RAISING OF
THESE LITTLE CREATURES MIGHT
PROVE A PROFITABLE OCCU-
PATTON FOR WOMEN.

Southern California has a snail farm. 1t is said
to be the only In the United States OF course.
it is French snailery-each original mollusk hav-
ing been imported direct from France, and import
ed for its gastronomic features alone. This snail
cry is a few miles out from Los Angeles. at the
ranch of Nine. V. a. Pernot. 1t is located under
the tank house of a huge windmill short distance
from the driveway leading up to the Pernot home.
Vines growing over the framework of this particu-
lar spot render it shady. Inside of the in
closure running all around the supports are. box
shelves Iidded with wire gauze. where the sna1s
confined.
Snails are great travellers. If not guarded they
wander far from home here they have plenty
of room and comfortable quarters. Each box is
furnished with sections of porous earthen 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 she'll
The first snails imported from France by Nine
Pernot of the variety escargot Bourgogne
but they did not long survive. The smaller va
riety. escargot BourdeIaise. then tried, and
the three dozen which arrived in the month of June
in good condition before year had elapsed num-
bered more than three thousand. This was in 1900
and the snailery is growing too small for the
thousands of family relatives.
In this group of mollusks respiration is effected
by means of lung pulmonary sac, no gills being
developed The eggs are laid in hole in the earth
neOusy. but the average period Is about sixty days
The eggs, numbering 2Q or 5gJ are whitlsh gray;
when Matched. having a perfect shell complete as
when grown
Nine Pernot is as devoted to her snail fad as
many women are to poultry fad. She gives the
little things a bath with the hose upon bright
mornings when they travel wearily around with
their shells upon their backs
'As my snails shut in said Nine Pernot 10
a Tribune representative they must be we'll fed
they eat each other. Their food consists OF
lettuce, artiChOkes. cabbage and various kinds of
herbs. Just before eat them 1 feed them
which adds greatly TO the flavor. A month before
eating pack them in bran. At the end OF this
time they ready for use They are then thrown
in salt and vim egar. which extracts the slime
Then they are placed in boiling for a few
moments. After being stuffed with parsley, bread
crumbs. picked bacon butter and parsley, they
placed in the oven and Drowned, and then you
have the most delicious dish.
about forty considered a meal. though many
more may be eaten. as they shrink greatly in cook
ing Another method of preparation is to fry
them with onion in butter, browning them
little with flour St another method is TO stew
them in half water and half white wine mixed
baking for half hour serve them in high pyra-
mid with thckened sauce made of the yolks OF
eggs butter and lemon juice. The stuffinS and
seasoning change the flavor that really the
taste OF the snail becomes a secondary considera-
tion. or course, there Is none OF the fshy taste
found I'm the bivalve. In France snailS great
The large taken to market. where they
sold n regular article of diet The small
fed TO poultry.
while my fad for snails IS only for the pleasure
French neghbOrs with these toothsome delcacIes
Considering their easy and very rapid propagation
there is no reason why snail culture might not be
a very profitable industry in Southern California
The Romans considered the snail a great dell
caCy. and portions Of plaltations were set apart
for their cultivation. From Italy the taste spread
found IN Great Britain where the Roman encamp-
ments were