The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
CANARY BIRDS.
A Dealer Tells How to Raise
the Songsters.
Suggesting that They be Made a Source
of Profit to. Poor Women.

81 am surprised that many poor wo-
men who arc unable to do hard work do
not go into the business of raising cana
ries," said a dealer in pets with a wise
shake of the head. cit is comparatively
easy work and, if conducted on a sutfi-
GENTLY large scale, us it can be in almost
my dwelling house, will yield a far more
comfortable support than can be earned
from many kinds of labor in which wo-
men engage. Why, this is one of the
principal methods of making a living
among the poor of the Hartz Mountains.
The peasants raise the birds in wooden
cages and apparently with little trouble.
Probably the chief reason why American
women who undertake to raise a few ca
aaries us a matter of diversion arc unsuc-
cessful is owing to their superior ideas Of
cleanliness. Unlike the worthy danes of
The German mountains they are %intolcr-
ant OF the necessary litter and accumula-
ton of filth in the cages during the peri
cd of incubation. They disturb and mo-
lest the nesting birds to cleanse their
cages and thus prevent the eggs from
Matching.
"What kind of birds are best for
breeding purposes2 Well, you know
there are many varieties Of canaries. . In
my way of thinking the short, sweet
voiced German canary is the best. The
pair should be opposite in color, one
green and the other bright yellow. Ca
narics from the same family should never
be mated. If they are the birds raised
from them will be puny and of no &C
count. The female will lay from three
to five eggs. I have seen six ggs in a
nest. The bird will begin to sit when
the first egg is laid. The eggs will hatch
one each day just as they were laid in
from twelve to fourteen days. The old
birds should be fed on eggs boiled for
half nm hour and mixed with bread
crumbs or grated cracker two or three
days before the time for the eggs to be-
gin Matching. This food should be given
till the young birds are six weeks old,
but when they are three weeks old they
arc ready to leave the nest and can be
separated from the old ones. They can
soon be taught to eat seed by scattering
it on the bottom of their cages. AS soon
us they begin to sing the males should be
separated from the females, so that no
mistakes can be made when taking them
to a buyer"
"What is the best kind of seed for ca
n~arics9"
"Sicily canary and German rape seed.
Some breeders also use India millct and
Turkish mace in the proportion of four
parts of Sicily to three OF rape seed, two
of millct and one of mace. Certain i'm
porters, however, use two parts OF rape
to one of Sicily, and give the birds no
other seed. l mix my seed half and half,
Sicily and rape seed. Hemp seed should
never be given except when the bird has
lost appetite from sickness, as it creates
fat, which is fatal to its song. There
should always be cult lcfsh bone in the
cage. Sand likewise should either be
sprinkled IN the floor or in the seed.
ga regular time to clean the cage and
for giving the birds fresh water for bath
ing and drinking is almost a necessity
for their health. Many birds if neglect
ed beyond their usual time will keep I'D
an incessant calling and scolding until
attended, to. Canaries have wonderfully
rctentive memories, and neither forget
any one to whom they arc attached nor
anything to which they havc been accus-
toned. A small yellow fellow I know
had been allowed to fly about his mis-
tress' sleeping apartment. He had be-
come expert IN christening his cage door
and letting himself out and in ut his own
fancy. His mistress. during an absence
of several weeks, left him in care of
friends, who kept his cage door securely
tied. On her return he was taken home
n evening. The gas was burning. He
watched sharply when the string that
had so long barred his passage from be-
hind the wires was Embossed, apparently
distrustful that his liberty wa to be Civ
en- to him again. When he considered
himself unnoticed he deity Unattached
the door md flew to the top of the dress
ing case, where he sat blinking with the
solemnity of IN owl.
"They've all got different dispositions
just like people, too-and different
tastes about their eating. Some of 'em
have really diabolical tempers, and if en-
ragged at any n will scold, open their