Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-10-19

Elder Down.
/ Elder duck farming, which is one of
/ the sources of lceland's wealth, Is about
the only thing that is protected, and the
worst OF crimes that can be committed
/ Is To discharge firearms within hearing
| distance of the farms. BY n long and
rigid enforcement of the ordinance it
would to-day be no more outrageous for
a New-YOrker 10 90 tO the opera III his
| shirt sleeves than for an Icelander to
shoot within hearing of the ducks. In
consequence the farms are maintained,
and year by year the ducks seek ont the
island, where they are protected against
! their natural enemies and furnished with
abundance of food. The owners of most
of these duck farms are engaged in fish
ing. and all the refuse of the Goldfish
dressed on the islands is thrown out on
the water for the ducks to eat. Some of
the farmers have lately retired from the
codfshing, which, in the vicinity of
Reykjavik, Is no longer good but still
the ducks come and build their nests,
but not in such great numbers as be
fore.
When one sees the treatment the bird
gets, their annual return is strange and
naccomtahle, for they are systemati-
cally robbed 10y the island owners. In
the spring, when the ducks swarm here
to search out places between the rocks
to build their nests in, they, having
selected a suitable site, pluck the down
from their breasts soft, silky down,
famous the world over as the warmest
and softest Of coverings. Felt between
the fingers it resembles floss silk, 1t is SO
soft, and it Is rs springy as rubber. \
great bulk of it can he compressed into
an incredibly small space, and when re
leased after long time it resumes its
original size. The first plucking is very
abundant, for the bird Is preparing for
warm weather and Is prodigal of its thick
under plumage. The first nest Is stolen
by the farmers, and the bird fiuding it
gone, finds still enough down on its
breast to construct another, winch in
turn is taken ike the first. The supply
Of down on the female is now exhausted,
and she calls upon the drake, and from
!.
Matched is made. In case this nest
should be taken the bird seeks another
nest hiding place.
When taken from the nest the down
Is full of straw, chips, bits of moss and
wads of lichen, and must he cleaned be-
fore it Is tit for use. The machine used
in the process OF cleaning is of the most
primitive kind, and consists of sort of
harp made Of coarse strings of raw seal
hide, over which the nest Is rubbed. In
this operation the dust ia driven out,
and the room in which II Is performed ls
as cloudy rs the cartling room of an old
oakum walk The chips of straw, moss
and hchen fall through, and only the
down remains under the rubbing hand
of the operator. Even in the matter of
elder down there Is a discrepancy be-
tween the real thing and the received
notions about it. We have seen elder
down presented for sale in New-YOrk
which was pure white, while the real
article is a dark slate color, and, when
viewed at distance, looks not unlike
the fur of the blue fox. There Is elder
down and elder down. There Is elder
down taken from birds that have been
killed in the far north, there Is elder
down half from killed birds and half
from robbed nests, and there IS elder ~
taken from geese in Long Island and
New Jersey, and sold to other members
of the family in New York.
The down from deal birds or even the
mixed down is without the virtue of the
nest-robbed article, and there is so much
aIulteration practiced in the business
that, even in Iceland, you are liable to
be imposed on if you don't purchase
from the farmer direct. Iceland down
is a special grade in the market, and
brings better prices than any other at
the annual auction held for its sale at
Copenhagen. The supply from Iceland
Is very limited, a. Il only amounts to
1000 pounds per year. There Is a pc
culiar virtue In elder down as a bed,
aside from its great warmth. Ii may
b., that the decided contrast between 1t
and ihe hard mattress Uf the narrow
bunk aboard ship made those | slept ou
on shore IN Iceland particularly agrec.i-
bic. but, from whatever cause, ! always
awakened IN the morning quite revived
and fresheuej from those dowuy beds.
After long ril,s inland ou native ponies,
drenchei with r.iu AMI with brook Wa
Ter up % the hips. from crossing deep
f1rIs. a six-hour rest ol All elder down
bed took all the stiiTue-, ont IF the
Joints. and lett one frc-h for another
days riJs.