Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-02-24
RAISING sNAILs FOR FOOD.
Catering to a Peculiar Taste of the
French Epicure.

French Epicure.
| Snails. notwithstanding suspicious to
the contrary are a choice item in the
diet of the French epicure. Snails are
going to be very dear this winter. And
they breed astonishingly fast The
dog days of the long summer have ex-
hausted their vitality and acted un-
favorably on their food supply, and, to
crown ALL n terrible infant mortality
/ has been observed among the rising
generation. In the snail market there
was talk of fabulous prices, even up to
% shillings thousand for "Red Bur-
gundies.'' whose usual price is less
| than half this figure. All these stories
have dsrnayed the gourmets, and a
representative of the sLiberte deter
mined to find out the truth by visiting
one of the largest snail farmers. who
i lives near Chatelierault-w which is GER
tainly not in Burgundy-but the snail
has not yet shared the fate of cham
lpasne in being "delimited."
4 The trouble taken by the enterpris-
ing journalist was we'll repaid, first, by
his establishing the falsity of the ma
licious rumors that have prevailed,
and, second, by the curious informal
ton he gathered about a generally lit
tie known form of industry.
The first thing he had to do before
entering the ''snaillery" was to put on
La thick pair of felt slippers over his
boots Not so much for fear of squash
ing any of them as for the moral eff
4 feet you would produce the farmer
Explained. "They would withdraw into
their shells and grow shy, and you
could get nothing more out of Them
The park was about an acre in extent.
and strongly fortified. Though q snail
has neither wings nor feet, he re-
lquires effectual restraint to overcome
his wandering propensities. and fences.
that would safely keep cattle or fowls
are no use against the pertinacious
crawl of the snail. BY perseverance
and patience he accomplishes the most
astonishing feats, and always manages
to scale the barricades unless they are
made in one particular way This
consists in a plank Gaping fatty on
the fence and studded thickly on the
under side with sharp tacks, while the
upper is covered with layer of cin-
ders. The snail sometimes is stoical
lenough to get over the tacks but he
can never face the cinders.
The snail park showed flocks of these
interesting creatures grazing along
Imethodically over the plants provided
flor them. taking strolls with their long
!, horns interrogating the atmosphere in
gently waving notion or else here and
there, reposiDg in digestive peace.
!, do you know" said the proud pro-
|, , prietor, that / hare 100000 here, and
IL only began with stock of 1000 good
breeders bought from Burgundy for
E2 As Cd Luckily it grows fast. for
each snail produces 60 little ones per
| annum. At the end of the first year
thus had 10000
Excuse me-" said the journalist.
"but you could only l2ve had half as
, many, for a thousand snails only make
!, 500 couples"
[ Wrong again" was the reply. "for
Ievery snail is bi-sexual--eaeh one lays
his or her so eggs
The proprietor then went on to say
that snail farming was no light work
! in summer, especially ON account Of
1 the magpies. He verify believed every
! maybe in Potion assembled at his
farm, and from dawn to dusk, he had
5 to fight them with his gun. In the
winter all the snails hid under the ar
, tifcial roekery, and slept the months
i away till the spring. 1t would take
too long to give all his talk, but the
tale of his American snails is too good
to be left out.
Il tried not long ago." he said, "to
make a cross between the red snail of
Burgundy and the justly famed yellow
3 snail of Texas. l ordered 2000 breed
,, ing snails from New York, but they
.. had not been packed securely enough.
have already said how cunning ana
persevering they are. Somehow or
, other they escaped from their cases
and spread over the hold. There they
4 fell upon several bales of Virginia to-
! baceo and upon 500 Methodist tracts.
of which they soon left nothing.
was made responsible, and had to pay
. G As for the tobacco and 6s. Cd. for the
) tracts.
3 L should not have minded that so
much. but my snails could not digest
! this meal. Whether it was the to-
: bacco or the literature that killed them
! do not know, but when the lot was
! delivered to me the shells were there.
but there was nothing in them. have
| a shrewd idea that those Texas beau
ties We're not altogether thrown away.
i and that the sailors who are fond OF
lchewing tobacco may have enjoyed an
unaccustomed delicacy on that voy-
age"
4 Atany rate none of the new Franco
! American cross will be eaten in Paris
this winter,-London Telegraph.
Il,fv 4ha Of IA xxyHr