Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-06-25
wrfts>n for The Evening star
CANARY BIRD INDUSTRY.

Il RAaNs
CANARY BIRD INDUSTRY.
How the Little song-ssr- Are Bred Tor sss
Marset in Germany.
THE room PEASANTS rxcxr.sx THEIR scs~r
nakSISSs M RAISING nIRDs-Ix HANOVER
AND rHE HAkz noUSrArNs-How The CANA
hlEs ARR IxIoRrED-A mo DEALKA
THE UNITED STATES AFFORD THE
- most profitable market for canary birds
propasaied in Germany. In that country me
business Of raising these feathtrcd scnexters for
export Is very important one, is shown BY
report on the subject newly received by tue
Department OF State. For more than a century
Il has rendered bare existence possibility 70
many poor people. Fifty years ago IL had al
ready grown TO such dimensions that il became
necessary 70 seok a foreign outlet FOR the trade.
About 1850 the German dealers began makiag
shipments TO New York and finally they surnsd
their attention chiefly 10 the United States. the
demand from this side Of the water havias
become very great During the last war csnary
birds were third in money value among tle
articles exported TO the United SEios fr,an
Hanover.
THE BREEDING or CANARY nTzDs
/
and needy people. Their profit IL. Of course.
small; but to the poor who can hardly earn daily
bread their bird cages are like little saving
banks, from which they can draw az regusr
Intervals trife that. added 20 their oslier
earnings. enables them TO make ends meet
! The need OF such assistance and the usefulne.s
OF the industry 90 the poor cannot be appfe-
| GATED fnly by any one unacquaintAd with he
German peasant in his home. sinfle exam I.le
may. perhaps, throw hight the sroject: The
village tailor at Fuhrherg. in the province Of
Hanover. works from house 20 house and re-
/ ceives Tor his services |. 90 marks per diesn.
ms sum Is equivalent TO about SSlS cents. H.
therefore. he works three hunir day. i'm the
year he earns 100. From this amount Sl6 90
must be deducted for rent This leaves him
| $3.50 with which 20 support and clothe his
| family. consisting of six persons for a yosr
His earnings. therefore. amount 60 less THAI
cents per diem for each member Of his sanity.
The canary-bird industry, without making ahy
serious claims upon the peasants time care.
cheers his home and bring. him a modest proat.
| Having in the summer raised brood of youae
birds he awaits with anxiety the visit of the
dealer in the autumn which will place in kis
hands money 10 help him through the wintar.
IL THE HARZ MOUNTAINS
| The principal seat Of the industry was for
merly the Harz mountains, where the peer
mountaineers, engaged chiefly in mining aad
numbering. were in great need. Almost every
! family had In the sitting room. in the bed room
! or IN the garnet breeding place for birds In
the summer the food necessary for the birds
was easily ob;ainable and before the winier
| came the dealer had purchased them. After
| the Harz mountains became frequented by 10
| itors DESTROYS Of improving their health in the
| pure AIR, the poverty Of the moantsiaeers
| diminished and the canary bird industry fell a
more and more. At present only fine Singers
are bred In the Harz and for those the dealer
| must pay high price. Inc industry was then
| transferred to Eichsfelde, in the province q
Hanover. where there are many very poor wesv-
| ers. Nearly all Of these are now engaged in the
breeding of the cheaper varieties of canary brsls
| The industry exists also in the poorer districts
OF Hesse in the great Luneburg Moor, in parts
OF Westphalia and among the sudetic moun-
tains in SaNony. In recent wears large num-
| bers have been raised in the cities chiefly ~ q
pastime, by thoughtless persons who do not
consider what such competition means 10 ne
hungry peasant. About $50 600 canary birds
are raised every year in Germany.
THE BIRD MARKETS.
First in importance Is the market OF TIE
| United States. which takes in round numbers
100 900 birds per snnum. Next is the English
market which takes about $1,000 per annun.
Then comes Brazil, Chile. the Argentine lle-
public and Australia To these countries salss-
4 men are sent with canary birds every wear. The
rest, especially the finer Harz birds are sold in
Germany, where more weight is given TO fiIse-
ness Of song and where higher prices can ne
obtained than anywhere else. The average
price for ordinary canary birds il from % 10 20
cents for males. Hence the canary bird m
dustry adds about 1000. 600 marks per wear 10
Germanys national wealth, and this amOllnt
goes chiefly into the hands Of the poorest claas.
The growth of this industry Is due 10 tro
causes. The German bird dealers have always
been very enterprising and the canary birds
raised in Germany said Ia sing better than
any Others. While very beautiful birds are
raised an England, in song they are surpassed
by the German cnnaries. German dealers claim
that canary birds bred from imported parcnts
in the United States are poor singers owing 70
the warmth of our climate.
A BIG BIRD DEALER.
About two-;hiras Of the 100 900 canary birds
exported annually from Germany to the United
States are imported by German resident q
New York. At Braunlage. in the Harz. this
man has factory which Is capable of turniag
out every day the material for l.o90 bird cages.
The msterial Is given out % peasants. Who
make the cages at home. The birds are SHIPPED
to New York via Bremen. accompanied by a.
PENDANTS. Each attendant has under his care
about 600 birds. each in it, wooden cage. AZ
each bird must be fed and cared for regularly
the attendants are kept busily employed. One
OF these attendants has already crossed the
ocean more than hundred times in charge u
birds. There are thirty such employees. The
New York house disposes of these birds-tAe
finest among them being the AndrcasberFer
Harz canaries-in New Orleans. ChArlesto.a,
San Francisco and other American cities. ~
! well a. in Canada. Moreover, buyers are seat
| throughout the United States 60 obtain Amei-
| can birds and animals, and also to Mexico aad
Cuba for parrots These are brought TO G.r-
many by the canary attendants upon their re-
| turn. In this manner this same person an
nually imports into Germany from the United
States about 5000 Virginia cardinal birds, 5000
! nonpa-eils. 1000 indigo birds and 500 moctdag
birds. lie also imports from San Francisco
many sea lions for geological gardens in EuroIse