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 silkworm culture as soon as a market for the product is developed.  The main difficulty is lack of food, as the worm thrives best on the leaf of the white mulberry tree.  Until a substitute is found, it will be necessary therefore to set out young trees, which in two years will bear enough leaves to supply food.  The labor of silkworm rearing all comes in one month.  It can be carried on in any large, airy room The eggs are hatched by the summer heat, and the worm does not become a heavy eater until the last two weeks.  It sheds its skin four times, and after the final moult it climbs into loose brush prepared for it and spins the cocoon.  These are then dried and shipped.

At the South, where the climate is well suited for silk culture, an obstacle has been found in the unadaptability of the cheap labor, particularly colored labor, to the delicate handling, and especially winding of the silk from the cocoons.

Many people make money by breeding dogs.  Not much land is required and very little capital, as kennels can be multiplied as demand increases.  There is always a profitable market for dogs, and some of the lap species, like the King Charles spaniel, bring fabulous prices.  Hunting dogs, such as setters, pointers, retrievers, really require a game country and a practical hunter who can train the puppies, to make much of a success of it; with these, if properly handled, the business is a safe one, as there is little other technical skill required beyond ordinary care, such as is given to domestic animals.

Cats are a better venture than dogs because they are sold to women who will pay any price for what strikes their fancy.  Fashions in cats change about as fast as fashions in coats, but cats breed faster than coats wear out, so it is quick business.