Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-20
MONEY IN RAISING CANAR|ES,
How German Peasants Increase
Their Incomes.
Facts About the Business of Raising
S0ngbirds.
A House Industry Practiced by Poor.
People-The Center OF the Indus
try at Hanover-Thousands
Imported Annually,

s---------s
The United States affords the mos,
profitable market for canary birds propa.
gated in Germany, says the Washington
Star. In that country the business ol
raising these feathered songsters for ex.
port is a very important one, as is shown
bya report on the subject newly received
by the department OF state. For more
than century it has rendered bare ex.
istence q possibility to many poor people.
Fifty years ago it had already grown to
such dimensions that it became necessary
to seek foreign outlet for the trade.
About 1850 the German dealers began
making shipments to New York, and
| finally they turned their attention
| chiefly to the United States, the demand
! from this eide of the water having be-
come very great. During the last year
canary birds were third in money value
among the articles exported to the
United States from Hanover.
The breeding of canary birds in Ger
many is mainly house industry of puor
and needy people. Their profit is, of
course, small; but to the poor who can
hardly earn daily bread their bird cages
are like little savings banks, from which
they can draw at regular intervals a
trihe that, added to their other earn
ings, enables them to make ends
meet. The need of such assist
ance and the usefulness of the indus
try to the poor cannot he appreciated
fully by anyone unacquainted with
the German peasant in his home. A
single example may, perhaps, throw
light on the subject: The village tailor
at Fuhrberg, in the province of Hanover,
works from house to house, and receives
for his services LAO marks per diem. This
sum is equivalent to 331a cents. If,
therefore, he works 800 days in the year
he earns 500. From this amount sic 66
must be deducted for rent. This leaves
him $83 "a with which to support and
clothe his family, consisting of six per-
sons. for year. His earnings, therefore,
amount to less than 4 cents per d EN-
for each member of his family. The
canary bird industry, without making
any serious claims upon the PEASANTS
time or care, cheers his home and brings
him modest profit. Having in the
summer raised brood OF young birds
he awaits with anxiety the visit of the
dealer in the autumn, which will place
in his hands money to help him through
the winter.
The principal seat of the industry was
formerly in the Harz mountains, where
the poor mountaineers, engaged chiefly
in mining and numbering, were in great
need. Almost every family had in the
sitting room, in the bed room or in the
garrett breeding place for birds. In the
summer the food necessary for the birds
was easily obtainable. and before the
winter came the dealer had purchased
them. After the Harz mountains be-
came freQuented by visitors desirous of
improving their health in the pure air
the poverty of the mountaineers was
diminished, and the canary bird indus
try fell off more and more. At present
only fine singers are bred In the Harz,
and for these the dealer must pay
high price. The industry was then
transferred to Eichsfelde. in the
province of Hanover, where there
ale many poor weavers. Nearly all of
these are now engaged in the breeding
of the cheaper variety of canary birds.
The industry exists also in the poorer
districts of Hesse, in the great Lune-
burg moor, in parts OF Westphalia and
among the Sudetic mountains in Sax
ony. In recent years large numbers
have been raised in the cities, chiefly as
pastime, by thoughtless persons who
do not consider what such competition
means to the hungry peasant. About
1000 canary birds are raised every
year in Germany.
First in Importance is the market of
the United States, which takes in round
numbers 100000 birds per annum. Next
is the English market, which takes
about 80 900 per annum. Then comes
Brazil, Chile, the Argentine republic
and Australia. To these countries
statesmen are sent with canary
birds every year. The rest, especially
the finer Harz birds, are sold in
Germany, where more weight is giveA to
| fineness of song and where higher prices
can be obtained than anywhere else.
The average price of ordinary
canary birds is from 60 to so
cents for males. Hence the canary
bird industry adds about 100000
marks per year to Germany's national
wealth, and this amount goes chiefly
into the hands of the poorest class.
The growth of this industry is due to
two causes. The German bird dealers
have always been very enterprising and
the canary birds raised in Germany are
said to sing better than any others.
While very beautiful birds are raised in
England, in song they are surpassed by
the German canaries. German dealers
claim that canary birds bred from inn
ported parents in the United States are
poor singers, owing to the warmth OF
our climate.
| About two-thirds Of the 100 900 canary
birds exported annually from Germany
to the United States are imported by
German resident of New York. At
Braunlage, in the Harz, this man
| has a factory which is capable of
turning cut every day the material for
| 1000 bird cages. The material is
given out to peasants, who make the
cages at home. The birds are shipped
| toaNew York, via Bremen, accompanied
by attendants. Each attendant has un-
der his care about 1000 birds, each in
his wooden cage. As each bird must be
fed and cared for regularly the at
| tendants are kept busily employed.
One of these attendants has already
crossed the ocean more than hun
dred times in charge of birds.
There are 80 such employees. The New
York house disposes of these birds-tha
finest among them being the Andreas-
berger Harz canaries-in New Orleans,
Charleston, San Francisco and other
American cities, as we'll as in Canada.
Moreover, buyers are sent throughout the