The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-01-16
RAISING FOWLS IN CHINA.
AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY AMONG
THE MoNGoLIANS.


Peculiar Duck Matching Establish
ments-Skiilful Geese Raising
How Poultry is Patterned.
The Chinese are the greatest fowl
'aisers in the world, and poultry holds,to
A large extent, the same place in the Chi
aese that beef does in the American gas
tronomy. Ii is tho meat food of the
people, aud it is furnished at such low
rates that it is consumed by the poor as
we'll as the rich. | had to pay three
prices for everything which l bought in
North China, says Frank Carpenter in the
american AgrieultWist, but even at this
rate the ducks which were laid in for our
table on our trip up the Peiho River cost
as but six cents apiece, aud we got geese
aud chickens at the same rate.
Duck and goose farming are great in
dustries in South China. | saw duck
boats at Canton upon some of which lived
as many as two thousand birds. These
birds were of all ages and sizes, from half
to full grown, and | consider them one of
the most wonderful things in the land of
the Celestials. The owners of the boats
were big hated Cinnamon in blue gowns
and wide blue pantaloons, which tapped
against their bare legs as they moved
about watching their flocks. These duck
herders row or scull the boats along the
low banks of the rivers and creeks, and
stop from time to time to let the ducks
crawl out upon the marshy lands, where
they are expected to get their living by
digging in the mud with their bills for
worms and snails.
The herder in the first instance gets
his birds, when half grown, from the
duck farmers, who buy them from the
duck Matching establishments, peculiar
institution of China. These incubators
hatch thousands of eggs at time, and,
rude as they are, they are managed so
carefully by experienced hands that very
few birds are lost. The eggs are placed
in baskets filed with heated chaff, and
are for the first twenty-four hours hung
over charcoal fires in close room kept at
such temperature that the egg will be
just so warm, and no warmer. At the
end Of this time the eggs are carried IN
cloths to another room of different tenn
perature, and in order that they may be
equally heated they arc put in rattan
baskets lined with coarse brown paper,
and moved about from day to day. The
eggs are in the upper part of the basket
during the Cay, and are put in the lower
part at night, and they are thus moved
about for two weeks. At the end of this
time they are ta,.en to a third room and
laid upon shelves, wrapped up in thick
paper or warm cotton. This room also is
| heated and the temperature is so well
regulated throughout that the eggs hatch
cut at the same time. During almost the
same hour thousand little bills peck
their way through thousand white shells
and the little duoklings voice forth their
| first weak quack. The duck farmers of
the vicinity know wien each big Matching
is to take place and are on hand to buy
| the fluffy little creatures. They carry
them to their farms, which are located on
| the banks Of the rivers or creeks, and
they have as many rules fer treating them
as cur stock breeders have for their Jer-
sey cows and their bloodel horses. They
| first let them have rice water to drink,
and after this change them to a diet of
boiled rice. They next give them bran
mixed with chaff, and after time allow
them to go to the creek and forage for
themselves. They are as careful of them
during their babyhood as an American
mother is of her child, and for five days
after they are born they try to keep them
away from all noise whatsoever. They
pen them in a coop, the bottom of which
is covered with grass, until they are two
/ wechs old, and very particular to soc
that they are provided with clear spring
water to drink duclng their first two
weeks. When the Cuc,ss are grown up
and begin to lay, their fist diet is regu-
iatel, and one is not allowed to sit on
more than twelve eggs. Every five days
during the sitting the farmers orive the
ducks off the nest into the water, in
order that they may wash themselves,
and they ever regulate the companionshir
of the ducks and brakes. To make the
ducks lay, the Chinese pull feathers from
their wings and tails, and they believe
that By starving them for several days
and then giving them good feeding,
they can bring about this object.
There is a goose market in Cantor
where are sold thousands of geese every
day. The Chinese are as skillful in rails
ing geese and chickens as they are in duck
culture. They bring the same care tc
bear upon ell things connected will
them, and regulate the number of eggs tc
the sitting, according to t,le size OF the
goose. A small goose, they rightly think
cannot cover as many eggs as large one
and the smallest birds are allowed to si
on only half a dozen eggs, while a good
sized one is allowed from Line to twelve.
They make their geese roost at night OF
wicker shelves, rather than upon the
ground, as they tiiIk the damp earth il
unfavorable to their growth. Some o.
orr best breeds Of fowls come from Chi IA
and we could, / doubt net, learn nan.
good things as to raising froi-
the Celestials. They have their poultry
looks, as we have, and they have man,
curious customs in regard to them. I hey
believe that the hens that make the leas