The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-01-06
Duck Farmers in China.

One afternoon we went on a most in
teresting 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 n OF the
great duck Matching establishments,
where multitudinous eggs are arti6cially
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 detestable
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 Matching house, in which
many thousands of eggs are being grad
ually warmed in great baskets filled up
with heated chat, and placed on shelves
of very open basket work, which are
arranged in tiers all around the walls,
while on the ground are placed earthen-
ware stoves full of burning charcoal.
Here the eggs are kept for a whole day
aud night, the position of the baskets
with reference to the stoves being con-
tinually changed by attendants who re-
serve their apparel for use in a cooler
atmospheric! After this preliminary
heating the eggs are removed to other
baskets in another heated room, to which
they are dexterously carried in cloths,
each containing about fifty eggs. No
one but a neat.handcd Chinaman could
carry such a burden without a break
age. Here the eggs remain for about a
fortnight, each egg being frequently
moved from place to place
to, eoualize their share of heat
ing. After this they are taken to a
third room, where they are spread over
wide shelves and covered with sheets of
thick, warm cotton; at the end of an.
other fortnight hundreds of little duck
lings simultaneously break their shells,
and by evening perhaps q couple Of
thousand fluffy little beauties are
launched into life and are forthwith fec
with rice water. Duck farmers (who
know precisely when great hatch
ing is due) are in attendance to buy so
many hundreds of these pretty infants,
whom they at ence carry of to their
respective farms, where there are al
ready an immense number of ducks and
geese Of different ages, al in separate
lots. The geese. by the way, are not
Matched a%rtiticially, owing to the thick
ness of their shells, consequently they
are not so very numerous as ducks.
Still, hocks numbering 600 or 900 are
reared, and arc provided with waffle
shelves on which to roost. as damp
ground is considered injurious to the
young birds. A very large goose market
is held every morning in Canton, which
is supplied by geese boats, each Of which
brings 200 or 800 birds. AS to the baby
ducks, they are fed on boiled rice, and
after a while are promoted to bran, mag
gots, and other delicac:es, ill the day
comes when the owners OF the duck
boats come to purchase the half grown
birds and commence the process OF let
ting them fatten themselves 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 SUI. Tho heart,
eizzard and entraiIs are also dried and
sold separately, and the bills, tongues
and feet are picked in brine. -Belgrauia.