NOVEL LIVE STOCK 157 



tar to prevent the snails climbing out, and held in place by 

 outside stakes strong enough to withstand the wind. The 

 boards must penetrate the soil to the depth of eight inches 

 at least, and at a level with the ground they must have a sort 

 of shelf to prevent the snails from burrowing under them. 

 When the snail encounters an obstacle in its path, it lays 

 its eggs, sensible beast. Ten thousand snails can be raised 

 on a plot of land one hundred by two hundred feet. The 

 ground is plowed deeply in the spring, the snails are placed 

 on it and covered with from two to four inches of moss or 

 straw which is kept damp. They must be fed daily with 

 lettuce, cabbage, vine leaves, or grass ; as they eat at night, 

 they are fed shortly before sunset. Aromatic herbs, like 

 mint, parsley, etc., are planted in the inclosure to improve 

 the flavor of the snails. 



In October, the snails having become fat through the 

 summer, retire into their shells, the mouths of which they 

 close with a thin gelatinous covering. They are now ready 

 for picking, and are put on screens or trays which are piled 

 together in storehouses, where they remain several months 

 without food. When the fast has been sufficiently prolonged, 

 the shells are brushed up and the snails cooked in salt water 

 in a great pot holding about ten thousand. When cooked, 

 they are immediately sent to the consumer in wooden boxes 

 holding from fifty to two hundred. The business is a very 

 profitable one, as the snail is considered a great delicacy by 

 epicures. 



Perhaps the silkworm is not exactly in place in a chapter 

 on Novel Live Stock. It is at present not much more than 

 an interesting experiment, but there will be money in silk- 

 worm culture as soon as a market for the product is de- 

 veloped. The main difficulty is lack of food, as the worm 



