The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-07-11
Our Olio.
Chinese Fowls and How They are
Raised.

FROM the American Agriculturist
The Chinese are the greatest fowl ralsers
in the world, and poultry holds, to large
extent, the same place in the Chinese that
beef does in American gastronomy. 1t Is
the meat food of the people, and 1t is fur
nished at sueh.low rates that it is consumed
by the poor as well as the rich. L had to
pay three prices for everything which L
bought in North China, bEt even at this
rate the ducks which were lad in for our
table on our trip up the Peiho river cost us
but six cents apiece, and we got geese and
chickens at the same rate. l found the
finest of fowls in the markets Of every
Chinese city l visited, and was interest
ed in the method of selling. In some
shops the ducks and geese were kept in
low pens without roofs, AID the fences
shutting in the fowls were not higher than
their heads. often saw as many as fifty
ducks in one of these little pens. Their
LEGS were not tied, and / wondered that
they did not Jump out and run away. In
some of the cities there are duck and
chicken peddlers, who go about the towns
with two big baskets woven with large
meshes in the form of half globe. These
baskets hang from the two ends of pole
which they carry upon their shoulders. In
the top of each basket there is hole just
large enough to permit duck or chicken
to be squeezed through it, its wings are
held close to its sides, and the fowls stand
as best they can on the bottom Of the
basket and stick their heads through the
meshes. Other dealers carry their poultry
and game suspected from long pole car
ried across one shoulder. Dried fowls are
sold by the thousands in every part OF
China, and dried ducks and geese are as
common as dried. beef in America. There
are duckpaeking establishments in different
parts of the country, at which these fowls
are split, cleaned, and dried in the sun.
They are pressed out and sailed, and when
YOU see them hung up in the markets they
are as fiat as board, and they have the
same rich yellow color as the complexion
of the almond eyed merchant who sells
them.
Duck and goose farming are great IN
dustries in South China. | saw duck
boats at Canton upon some OF which lived
az MANY as two thousand birds. These
birds were of all ages and sizes, from half
to full grown, and l consider them one OF
the most wonderful things in the land of
the Celestigls. The owners of the boats
were big hated Cinnamon in blue gowns
and wide blue psptaloons, which tapped
against their bare.legs as they moved about
watching their focks. These duck herders
row or scull the boats alopg 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. 1t is ':root duck or die, and the
duck roots to such an extent that he fat
tens very quickly and grows very fast
These feeders have such control that the
ducks will come back on the boat the
moment they are called. They come
with rush, too, aud | noted too that the
bird last on board always got a sharp slap
from the bamboo rod of the herder
When the ducks are fat they are sold to
the sailing establishments or are Peddled
out to the market men.
The herder in the first instance gets his
birds, when half grown, from the duck
farmers, who buy them from the duck
hatehiag establishments, a peculiar institu
ton of China These incubators hatch
thousands of eggs at time, and, rude Is
| thew are, they are managed so carefully by
experienced hands that very few birds art
lost. The eggs are placed in baskets filled
with heated chaff, and are for the first a
hours hung over charcoal fires in clost
\ room kept at such temperature that the
eggs will be just so warm and no warmer
The experience of the semi-naked employees
rather than the thermometer regulates the
height of the temperature, and l am no
able to give the degree Fahrenheit at which
\ the rooms are heated. At the end of thu
Y time the eggs are carried In cloths to an
other room of different temperature, anC
in order that they may be equally heatet
they are put in rattan baskets lined will
coarse brown paper, and moved about iron
day to day. The eggs are in the uppe
part of the basket during the day, and arr
put in the lower part at night, and the,
are thus moved about for two weeks. A
the end of this time they are taken to
third room and laid upon shelves, wrappe,
| up in thick paper or warm cotton. Thi
room also is heated, and the tempera.ur
is so well regulated throughout that III
eggs hatch out at the same time. Durin:
almost the same hour a thousand little bill
peck their way through thousand whit
shells, and the little ducklings voice fort
their first week quack. The duck farmer
of the vicinity know when each big hatch
ing is to take place, and are on hand to bu
the fluffy little creatures. They carr
them to their farms, which are located o
the banks of the rivers or creeks, and the
! have as many rules fof treating them I