SNAIL HARVEST.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18426, 6 July 1925, Page 14

SNAIL HARVEST.

The harvest of the succulent snail of the cultivated spaces for European consumption thas begun fn Switzerland and France, and thousands of men and women will be busy throughout the srmmer' in this curious industry • (writes H. Patrick Devitte from Genoa to the "Daily Express")- The annual pioduction in both countries is about £3,000,000, but as the demand is.far greater than the supply, th© devices of the adulterator supplement Nature, and pieces of meat, generally veal, are introduced into the empty shells. The large fields which are prepared fo: the propagation of the snail generally lie at the edge of a wood or forest, sheltered from the sun. The soil of the farm is well sanded and limed, and round it is built a wall two or three feet high, thoroughly washed with vitriol to prevent the stock escaping into other pastures; During their short ftves cultivated snailfc axe supplied daily. with vegetables and greens in plenty. A snail has thousands of tiny teeth. These are arranged in 135 transverse rows on the tongue, and as there are as many as 105 in each row, it follows that" an average snail possesses over 14,000 teeth. The price of snails in restaurants varies according to the season and the "crop." but the average tariff is Is to Is 6d a <Lozen, and generally light wine is taken with the dish.