Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-12-31
CHINESE DUCK FARMING.
The Arrangements of an Artificial Hatch
cry Near Canton.

cry Near Canton.
One afternoon we went a most inter-
esting expedition up the river, and then
turned aside into one of the many
creeks to the village of Faa-tee, and
thence onward in search of one of the
great duck-hatching establishments,
where multitudinous eggs are artificial
" Matched. The first we came to was
closed, but the bOatmen told us of an
other further on, so we landed and
walked along narrow ridges between
large flooded fields, in which lotus and
water-chestnuts are grown for the sake
of their edible roots. Both are nice
when cooked, but the collecting of these
in this deep mud must be truly detest-
able for the poor women engaged in it.
Passing by amazing heaps of old egg
shells (for which even the Chinese seem
to have as yet found no use) we reached
the hatching-hOuse, in which many
thousands of eggs are being gradually
warmed in great baskets filled up with
heated chatf, and placed on shelves
of very open basket work, which are
arranged in tiers all round the walls,
while on the ground are placed
earthenwarc stoves full of burn
ing charcoal. Here the eggs are
kept for a whole day and night, the
position of the baskets with reference
to stoves being continually changed by
attendants who reserve their apparel
for use in cooler atmosphere. After
this preliminary heating the eggs are
removed to other baskets in another
heated room, to which they are dexter
ously carried in cloths, each containing
about fifty eggs. No one but neat
handed Chinaman could carry such a
burden without breakagc! Here the
eggs remain for about fortnight, each
egg being frequently moved from place
to place to equalize their share of heat
ing. After this they are taken to Il
third room, where they are spread over
wide shelves and covered with sheets
of thick, warm cotton: at the end of
another fortnight hundreds of little
ducklings simultaneously break their
shells, and by evening perhaps couple
of thousand fluffy little beauties are
launched into life and are forthwith
fed with rice water. Duck farmers
(who know precisely when each
great Matching is due) are in at
tendance to buy so many hun
dredS of these pretty infants, whom
they at once carry off to their respect
i've farms, where there are already an
immense number of ducks and geese of
different ages. all in separate lots. The
| geese, by the way, are not Matched art
ificially, owing to the thickness of their
shells, consequently they are not so
very numerous rs ducks. Still, tlocks
numbering six or eight hundred are
reared, and are provided with whattle
shelves on which to rOost, as damp
ground is considered injurious to the
young birds. A very large goose mar
ket is held every morning in Canton,
which is supplied by geese boats. each
of which bring two or thee hundred
birds. As to the baby ducks, they are
fed on boiled rice, and after awhile are
promoted to bran, maggots and other
delicacies. till the day comes when the
owner of the duck boats come to pur-
chase the half-grown birds and COM
mence the process of letting them fat
ten as aforesaid. This continues till
they are ready for the market and are
either sold for immediate consumption
or bought wholesale by the provision
dealers, who split, salt and then dry
them in the sun. The heart, gizzar1
and entrails are also dried and sold
separately, and the bills, tongues and
feet are picked in brine.-Belgracia.